The best wedding I've ever been too happened near Austin, Texas. There is this mock Wild West town that a guy put together, and it's still there. He's gone around the world purchasing buildings and cars from ghost towns, and has put them all in one centralized place in the hills of Austin. The scene is incredible. Walking down the street, it's just like in the movies. There's a saloon, a barber shop, a church, feeding troughs for horses. Each building is even decked out in the way the architect imagined it would be in the old west.
The wedding was amazing. The bridesmaids all wore western dresses and the groomsmen all wore Wranglers, cowboy hats, and boots. It really felt like I was in a wedding in 1900. The greatest part of the night was, of course, the party after the wedding. Everyone congregated in the chapel, which had a glossy, immaculate, original wood floor. There was no Chris Brown or Kanye playing at this wedding. It was straight up Marty Robbins and Hank Williams (Senior, that is). All the liquor and beer were made in Texas. Horse troughs lined the walls full of Lone Star and Shiner Boch. The dancing went on for hours. Homemade barbecue filled the chapel with the smell of sizzling brisket, ribs, and sausage. Everyone two-stepped jitterbugged for hours. It was a true celebration. The bride and the groom came together that night, and we celebrated as if time didn't exist.
In today's passage, Jesus asks, "You don't skimp on the cake and the wine when the bride and groom are here, do you?"
He had been confronted earlier by a group of skeptics who were wondering why the disciples of John the Baptist and the disciples of the Pharisees all were fasting and being boring, but the followers of Jesus were basically having a blast and eating and drinking like hooligans.
Jesus was essentially telling the group of people, "I am here with my people, so get in on the celebration! It won't be long before I'm gone, so take advantage of this while you can!"
In the time of Jesus on earth, Jewish law ruled the day. Fasting was part of the law, and it was intended to not only remind the one fasting of his/her sins, but also it helped ensure that God would show favor on the one fasting for the day of Atonement (the day when the sins of each person are measured and the prescribed offering/sacrifice is calculated to take to the priest).
Since we're told that Jesus was present in body with the people, it was time to celebrate. It was time to drop the laws of fasting and atonement, and wake up to the reality that the Bride had arrived. But some people just couldn't do it. The Groom (people) and the Bride (Jesus) were together so it was time to throw the ribs on the grill and get the beer on ice!
Jesus did mention, however, that when the Bride leaves they may want to pull in their belts again and go back to fasting. Well, Jesus did leave unfortunately. And he has been gone ever since. But, there are two ways we can go about this fast in reference to the passage. We can go the route of fasting because the Bride is gone, or we can go the route of feasting because the Bride has left her spirit in each of us. Jesus does not say we have to go either route, though. He says we may or may not, it's up to our conscience. I happen to lean toward the side of believing that Jesus is not here, but that the remnants of Him are patched deep in my heart. So, my fasting looks more like feasting. Instead of refraining from something, I usually add something new to my life during Lent.
There are others who see Lent through the Lens of Jesus being gone. This is perfectly okay as well. He is gone. In the passage above, he was talking to people. So, the response in Lent is to fast and mourn the need for, and the absence of, Jesus.
In the context of the passage, the Bride is still there, talking, eating, dancing, and staying out all night with the Groom. In the context of 2012, the Bride is one some sort of hiatus, and we (the Groom) are wondering where she is, and when she's returning. We miss her, and it's frustrating. But, as Jesus said so long ago, he did leave the spirit inside each of us to lead and guide us, using our desires and passions to lead the way. I believe however one may go about it is fine, as long as the heart is in it.
The practices that I've added this year are: [attempting to] praying the rosary, doing a weekly CrossFit workout, and waking up at the crack of dawn to spend intentional times in the scriptures that run parallel with Lent.
As we observe Lent today, and do whatever our hearts have told us to do with regards to fasting or feasting, may we acknowledge ourselves as little parts of the Groom, and Jesus as the Bride. May we treat everyone around us as active members of the Groom, each one just as hopeful and desperate for the day when the Bride comes back to rescue her beauty.
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