Holy Habits | Week 1 | Fast for Lent, Feast for Easter

16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matthew 6:16-18 (NIV)

Fasting focuses you on your relationship with God through suffering

Lent is a 40-day solemn Christian season of prayer, fasting, and giving. It begins on Ash Wednesday and ends before Easter. Observed in preparation for Easter, it mirrors the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness.

Three commitments for Lent

• Fasting: Giving up a specific food, luxury, or habit to practice self-control and focus on God.
• Prayer: Spending dedicated time reading Scripture and reflecting.
• Giving: Donating time, money, or talents to help those in need.

Feasting focuses you on your relationships with God through gratitude

12 These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. Jude 12 (NIV)

Easter is the Sunday of Sundays celebration of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead… 1 Peter 1:3 (NIV)