Fasting Practice Week 1
Offer Ourselves to Jesus
Most followers of Jesus in the West no longer fast; if they do, itâs rarely on a weekly basis, despite the fact that it was the common practice of the church for well over a millennium and a half to do so. One of the reasons fasting has fallen by the wayside in the Western church is that we have lost sight of what Pope John Paul II called a âtheology of the body.â In the biblical view, you donât have a body, you are a body; your body is a part of who you are as a human.
Most of us are used to approaching our spiritual formation and life with God through the mind â by thinking, talking, praying, reading, or hearing teaching and preaching. But few of us are comfortable approaching our spiritual formation through our stomachs, or our bodies as a whole.
Below you will find steps to help you engage with this practice over the next four weeks, as well as resources for further exploration.
Ways to engage with the Fasting Practice
First and foremost, this practice (and all practices) are meant to be done in community. If you haven't yet, find a small group of people that are commited to walking through this practice together.
Download the Fasting Practice Guide. If you can, it is advised to print it out to reduce the distraction of our devices.
Gather with your group once a week to watch the Practicing the Way video found below. This will include questions for discussion, as well as a short teaching on that week's practice.
Step into each practice as much as you are able and feel comfortable to. This invitation is for everyone at all stages of life and faith.
Reflect on your experience of the practice using the reflection questions at the bottom of the guide and be prepared to share them the next time you gather with your group.
Recommended Reading
God's Chosen Fast by Arthur Wallis (Chapters 1-5)
Rule of Life Podcast
Fasting Practice Guide
Download the practice guide here
Week 1 Practice - Fast for one day this week, focusing on offering yourself to Jesus
For the Fasting Practice, each weekâs exercise will be similar and straightforward: fast for one full day until sundown. Each week, we will attempt to focus our hearts on the reason for fasting we covered in that weekâs session. This week, focus on reason one: offering ourselves to Jesus.
Some basic tips:
Drink lots of water to stay hydrated
The more time you can give to prayer and reflection, and the less busy you are that day, the better. Make it your goal to slow down the day you fast and be present to your body, and to God, as much as you possibly can.
Resist the urge to judge your experience. Release thoughts like "I liked/disliked it, I felt/didn't feel close to God." Just let the experience of fasting be what it is, and offer it to God in love.
Week 1 Reflection Questions
Before your next time together with the group for Week 2, take five minutes to journal out your answers to the following three questions about the practice:
Where did I feel resistance?
Where did I feel joy?
Where did I most experience God's nearness?
