Fasting at Lent
By: Russel Rader
“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” (Joel 2:12)
The Lenten season begins today at Ash Wednesday. This 40-day season in the church year leads to Easter and is a time of intentionally reflecting on the human condition. At Lent, we look introspectively at our mortality and sinfulness, and through prayer, fasting, and reflection we become keenly aware of our disordered loves. We enter this season honestly and confess that we are comfort creatures that are overly indulged, and overly entertained but spiritually malnourished.
Enter Fasting.
Fasting is a spiritual practice that in its simplest form means abstaining from an appetite (usually food) for a set period to pursue intimacy with God. Craig Dykstra of Duke Divinity explains what spiritual practices are really for as he writes, “Practices are the nuclear reactors of the Christian faith, arenas where the gospel and human life come together in energizing, even explosive ways. Practices create openings in our lives where grace, mercy, and the presence of God may be known to us.”1 Practices in and of themselves cannot fix or save but are meant as tools to cultivate relationship with God.
Fasting and Ourselves
I grew up in a house where we had three large meals a day - two of which likely contained meat. If I didn’t have a few snacks in between, I thought I was on the brink of starvation! We were all taught (by intent or neglect) about food and our way of consumption. In the broader culture food is both glorified and trivialized. It is glorified in our city where the options are endless, tiers are vast, and every type of food is available to us at any time. Simultaneously, it is trivialized as every year, it is estimated that 30%-40% of the entire US food supply is disposed of. 2
As we enter into a deeper understanding of fasting, we must talk about the relationship we hold with our bodies as it will influence how and why we fast. In Scot Mcknight’s book ‘Fasting’, he says there are four primary ways we view the body…
Animal to be Conquered | Some see the body as something to be suppressed and controlled at all costs. Here the spiritual supercedes the bodily.
Celebrity to be Glorified | Some see the body as something to be fine-tuned and put on display.
Vessel to be Indulged | Some see the body as a means to pleasure. Fasting is likely not done from this viewpoint.
Wallflower to be Ignored | Some see the body as something to ignore as the emphasis is placed on something else such as the intellect or creative endeavors 3
How we view our bodies matters. We want to have a healthy relationship with fasting and the ultimate purpose of it. Ultimately, we believe God created us and our bodies and the desire and need for food. ***See note 4 below.
Fasting and Our Neighbors
It’s quite easy to take spiritual practices and disciples and turn them into a means of self-help, an inward way of growth. This is far from the scriptural cry to identify with the poor and marginalized. In the book of Isaiah, the prophet describes how fasting can be distorted into shows of false humility and a gross manipulation of God.
“Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the Lord? “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?” (Isaiah 58:5-7)
True fasting is a means of self-denial for the love of our neighbor. It is a way to identify with the hungry and as Isaiah speaks to - a way of provision and justice.
Practice! If you join the fast below, could you pray, go on a walk, and buy food for someone else?
Fasting and God
It’s been said that fasting is feasting on God. Fasting confirms our utter dependence upon God by finding God as our ultimate source of sustenance beyond food. When we fast, we become increasingly aware of the comforts, escapes, and numbing tactics we use.
“Fasting is an opportunity to lay down an appetite – an appetite for food, for media, for shopping. This act of self-denial may not seem huge – it’s just a meal or a trip to the mall – but it brings us face to face with the hunger at the core of our being. Fasting exposes how we try to keep empty hunger at bay and gain a sense of well-being by devouring creature comforts. Through self-denial we begin to recognize what controls us. Our small denials of the self show us just how little taste we actually have for sacrifice or time with God. This truth is not meant to discourage us. It’s simply the first step in realizing that we have to lay down our life in order to find it again in God.” Adele Calhoun 5
Invitation to Participate
Thursday Fasts | We will host a communal fast every Thursday until Easter Sunday. Eat dinner on Wednesday night and then don’t eat for a full 24 hours - skipping breakfast and lunch then eating dinner on Thursday evenings. See social media and prayer chat for corporate prayer topics.
Personal 40-Day Lenten Fast | Because we are comfort creatures, the 40-day Lenten fast is a wonderful tool to rid us of distractions and numbing practices. We invite you to consider abstaining from something that is distracting you to create space for and attentiveness to God. This could be social media, caffeine or alcohol, gossip, sleeping in, or anything that is distracting you from your relationship with God.
Tips for Fasting from Food
1. Don’t fast when you’re sick, pregnant, or nursing. Check with a medical professional if you have specific concerns.
2. Always drink plenty of water and fluids
3. If you are new to fasting, begin by fasting for one meal. Spend the time with God that you would normally be eating.
________
SOURCES:
Quoted by Adele Calhoun, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook.
This is adapted from Scot McKnight’s book ‘Fasting’
*** Note on Viewing the Body | If you struggle with disordered eating or disordered self-image, you may find this triggering. It’s possible that shame may rise or resurface spoken or unspoken messages about our bodies and eating. Please use discernment and make healthy choices. Reach out if you need help - info@reunionnyc.com
Adele Calhoun, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook
Scriptures to go further: Matthew 4:4, Luke 4:1-4, Joel 2:12-18, Matthew 6:16-18