In this last day of our fast, we encourage you to take some time to review your week of “more with less”. Our prayer was that you would experience the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life in new and deeper ways. How has this happened for you?

Sometimes our fasting seems fruitless – perhaps this week was like that for you. That’s okay. Someone wise once said that prayer is like planting.   Any gardener will name patience as one of the key qualities needed to grow a healthy garden. There have been seeds planted this past week. Over time, our Father will cause those seeds to grow.

In the meantime, the process of detaching ourselves from the shallower things in our lives is a fruitful exercise in itself. But it’s only fruitful if we allow ourselves to be more deeply attached to God. As we move out of this week of fasting, can we allow God’s pleasure to come with us? Can we savour the small things? Can we continue to find joy in what the world around us despises? Let’s pray that we can!

Fasting and prayer are often solitary activities. However, Isaiah 58 implies that true fasting involves others. This kind of fasting points us in the direction of community. Isaiah admonishes us to refocus on the needs of those around us – to think first, not of ourselves, but of others.

What does this look like for you today? Perhaps our fasting should take a practical, outward turn today. As we extend love to those around us – as we focus less on ourselves – we will end up experiencing more of God’s life, joy and purposes in our own lives.

“This is the kind of fasting I want:

Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;

    lighten the burden of those who work for you.

Let the oppressed go free,

    and remove the chains that bind people.

Share your food with the hungry,

    and give shelter to the homeless.

Give clothes to those who need them,

    and do not hide from relatives who need your help.”       ~ Isaiah 58

The ancient Celts said, “the one to whom little is not enough will not benefit from more.” They understood something about simplicity and savouring the small things. So many in our day and age have lost this perspective. Our fleshly appetites are insatiable and, like baby birds in the nest, they’re only briefly quieted when fed. However, Richard Rohr says that our souls are not fed by adding things but by subtracting things. It’s about laying ourselves bare before the Lord. In fact, Jesus said that we must give up all our possessions to follow him (Luke 18) – that’s subtracting a lot of things!

We have a beautiful model of this subtraction. Of Jesus, Paul says “he emptied himself” (Phil 4). How might God be inviting you to subtract from your life for the sake of your soul? How could you experience more, by doing with less?

Our garbage dumps tell a story. They tell us that our society has an addiction to anything and everything new. Canadians produce more garbage per person then any other country on earth (777 kg / person / year). Certainly there are many reasons for this, but I think one of the contributing factors is our love of all things new – whether it’s the latest electronic gadget, the newest toy, exercise outfit or household gadget. Our landfills tell the story of what’s old and the plastic packaging of what’s new.

New stuff isn’t the only way we get our kicks. Some of us are junkies for new adventures, new experiences, new tastes, or new looks. While these aren’t bad, how about savouring what we do have? How about finding the joy in the small and regular things in our lives? How about a walk in which you are particularly attuned to the song of the returning birds and the smell of the fresh spring air? It could easily turn into a beautiful time of worship for you. As you do with less new, what simple pleasures is God inviting you to explore in a deeper way?

This evening we will meet together for a time of worship and prayer.

7pm at 782 Main.

Shall we skip our fast for St. Patrick’s Day?  Perhaps lay off just a little?  At first glance it doesn’t seem like a good day to fast – there are too many shamrock milkshakes to drink and green cookies to eat!  But it doesn’t take much digging to see that the real Patrick understood what we’re exploring in this fast.

Patrick learned how to let go at an early age.  When he was about 16, Patrick was captured by Irish pirates and carried away from his home in Britain to the foreign land of Ireland where he worked as a slave for about 6 years, until he miraculously escaped and returned to his family.  A few years later, God led him back to the land of his captivity, which, as you can imagine, would have required a pretty big change of heart.  This time, he returned not as a captive but as one captivated by the God of love and as one who embraced radical forgiveness.  He let go of the need for retribution, and instead, extended mercy.  Because of this turning, he experienced amazing things in his life – which you can read about elsewhere.  He became a primary figure in Celtic Christianity, which was marked by authentic community, savouring the joys of connecting with God through creation and relishing the simple life in working monastic communities.

In your life, what would it look like to embrace the radical forgiveness and letting go that Patrick demonstrated?  What does Patrick’s life model for us in this fast?  Perhaps we can see past the green shamrocks of St. Patrick’s Day, and glimpse a life that embraced the “more” of the gospel.

Revelry. This isn’t a word often associated with prayer and fasting unless you really like to be hungry! Austerity, pushing through, joyless – these words are better candidates for describing many people’s experience of fasting. However, that’s not what we are aiming for in this fast, and that’s not what God wants of us either! He delights in our attention and he loves it when we deliberately turn our hearts to him. The Old Testament prophet, Joel, records this:

“Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning… Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.” (ch 2)

He goes on to describe, for the Hebrew people, the tremendous blessings of turning to him – signs of his unfailing love include new wine and grain, and enough olive oil to supply all their needs. The animals would be well fed and the orchards full of fruit. He would send rain to water the land and the harvest would be piled high. There would be no more shame or disgrace. These promises, among others, would be enough to make the average Hebrew giddy with anticipation.

It’s a picture of revelry – and one that spoke to their situation. We may not care so much about olive oil and fattened animals (although some of the gourmet cooks among us may revel in this picture). What picture of overwhelming goodness might God give you through this fast? What does “more” look like for you? Let’s ask him to help us revel in his Spirit this week. As we fast whatever we’re giving up, let’s turn our hearts toward him, and seek the great bounty that is his presence!