january 16th to feb 6th

Solemn Assembly Joel 1:14 -20 Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; Gather the elders And all the inhabitants of the land Into the house of the Lord your God, And cry out to the Lord. ~Joel 1:14 

WHAT IS FASTING? Fasting is an alert refusal of comforts, overindulgences, and distractions which adversely affect our ability to bring ourselves into a Christ-like frame of mind. It is a form of divesting the self from the seductions of dominant culture, preparing the self for righteous struggles, and committing yourself or someone else to doing God’s work in the world. Biblical fasting is an escalated way of petitioning God for help, a statement of solidarity among people, and is often done corporately in response to injustice as an act of resistance. (Daniel 1:1-15; Esther 4) 

The focus of fasting should not be on the food, although abstinence from food is inclusive of the goal, but rather on the way hunger induces the feeling of emptiness and lack that is reflective of the communal condition. Fasting places checks and balances on personal desire and want by suppressing these natural longings in order to lift up the needs and demands of the community. A consistent practice of fasting lends a greater sense of self-control, provides clarity and confidence in times of trouble, and rightly re-centers God in our lives.

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