To Fast?
Reading through the news blog at Christianity Today, came across an article through the LATimes about what our Orthodox brothers and sisters call the Nativity Feast, and the rest of us refer to as Advent. It was about the ancient practices of this season before Christmas as a time of getting ready for the Birth of the Savior, not for Santa and Wal-Mart and the economy. Here's a bit of it:

Regardless of when it begins, whether it's called the Nativity Fast or Advent and whether it lasts 40 or 30 days, the season is prescribed by the Church for the same reason, to improve the condition of the soul.

The fasting is a means to that end. It gives us more time for prayer and self-examination because we spend less time shopping for food, preparing food and eating. With stomachs less sated, we are less lethargic, better able to pray.

We fast not just from food but also from all the distractions, including entertainment, which tend to so easily clutter of lives. This leaves room for us to consider how we spend the 24 hours God gives us each day, how much we spend praying, reading Scripture, reading the Church Fathers and doing charitable work.

The way a good diet and workouts at the gym strengthen our bodies, a good fast strengthens our soul.

It seems that I am discovering different ways of looking at fasting. It was recently suggested to me in a conversation with a House Church developer who says that 40 Days of Fasting and Prayer is essential before beginning a house church (or just about any major faith step.) It is a non-negotiable, he told me, to make sure that what you are doing is in touch with the direction and will of God.

I have often thought of fasting- and not been able to do it very well at all. I have found the ability to abstain from food and consumption a difficult task. Not a surprise since, as a recovering alcoholic, abstinence was never one of my strengths by myself. Which of course would be a good reason to do it- to come closer to the God who has called me into a relationship with Him and to realize more deeply that there are lots of things I can't do on my own and need his help for.

The article has spurred me to consider fasting for the upcoming Season of Over-Stimulation and Indulgence. No. I am not a "Bah, Humbug!" person. I love the Advent and Christmas season, its music, its spirit, its life-affirming message. It is life-changing and a reminder that the God of the Universe is willing to come to be with us in Jesus. What fasting can do, the article reminds me, is to find a new depth, a new insight for my life and the calling I have from God in the midst of this season. We have "Buy Nothing Day" and "Alternative Christmas Celebrations" again this year. But there seems to be one of those ancient-future ideas in this idea of fasting.

I am not thinking of a 40-day fast. The suggestions in the article seem far to difficult to try. Or maybe not. I know I am scared by the idea. Why scared? Because I might fail. I might be inconvenienced. I might have hunger pangs. I might have to deal with myself and not hide behind shopping or food or noise or too much TV. I'm not promising anything, and if I do decide on some special spiritual discipline for the Advent season, I'm not sure I should post it here. I remember someone saying something about going into your closet and doing it secretly. In that, for me, may be the greatest discipline.

If anyone has any significant experiences with fasting, feel free to use the comments. I would be interested.