Seek First Fasting Resources

Seek First Week-long Fasting Resources

St. Augustine once said, “God is always trying to give good things to us, but our hands are too full to receive them.” It is not just our hands, but also our hearts, minds and attention- all too full to receive God’s presence in the measure he longs to give. One way to remember our deeper hunger for God is through fasting.

WHAT IS FASTING? Fasting is a physical expression of a prayer in the soul. In fasting, we remember the hunger we have of that which truly matters.

WHAT ARE WE DOING? As a community, we are invited to fast from lunches Monday-Friday. In place of a meal, follow the prompts below.

WHY ARE WE DOING THIS? As a community, we asking God to help us (individually and corporately) experience Jesus for the sake of others. We want to go further in our life with Christ and see transformation in our lives, homes, and city.

Monday

SCRIPTURE READING: JOHN 4:1-26

REFLECTION: Trying to satisfy our thirst can be an incredibly exhausting process, you can hear it clearly in the words of the Samaritan woman, “Sir, give me some of this water so I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” Our hearts seem to be a bottomless pit, in constant need of love and affirmation, significance and value. We just don’t seem to be able to get full and stay full. We are always longing for more. It is an endless process of filling and filling and refilling our thirsty souls – over and over and over again. Why? Because ultimately we turn to all the wrong places in our attempt to quench our thirst, places that were never intended to fill the deepest longings of our soul – only God can do that.(Beginnings by Jim Branch)

ACTIVITY: Consider the story of the woman at the well. Take out your journal or a piece of paper and write down your answers to the following questions as you reflect:

Where do you find yourself in this story?
What are you thirsty for these days?
How are you trying to satisfy that thirst?
What well are you constantly running to in order to draw water?
In what ways can you turn to Jesus as the source of living water?

PRAYER: O God, giver of life and source of living water. Forgive me for all the places other than you that I go to satisfy the deepest longings of my heart. Help me to see what broken wells I go to each day in search of the fullness only you can provide. Allow me to quench the thirsts of my soul in You this day, and in nothing, or no one, else. Through Christ, Amen. (Beginnings by Jim Branch)

Tuesday

SCRIPTURE READING: JOHN 6:25-35

REFLECTION: “He who is satisfied has never truly craved,” said Abraham Heschel, and he said this, I think, because he knew that heaven’s richest food does not satisfy our longings but rather intensify them. (Windows of the Soul by Ken Gire)

ACTIVITY: Turn on your favorite worship music or calming instrumental music and read through the following prompts:

Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling slowly.
As this is normally a time for you to engage your sense of taste, notice your other senses - what you hear, smell, see, and touch.
Notice now your lack of taste - and perhaps feelings of hunger. Consider other longings and cravings in your life - physical, emotional, spiritual. Pause and reflect on this for a few minutes.
Consider the quote above in the reflection. In what ways do you try to satisfy these longings and cravings in your life?
End this time by closing your eyes again and taking as long as you can to breathe deeply and slowly, repeating the following phrase with each breath: “Jesus, only you can satisfy”. End your time with the prayer below.

PRAYER: Jesus, thank you for meeting our every need. You know our desires and longings, and we pray for your presence in our lives. Help us to believe that you are enough and that only you can satisfy. In your name, Amen.

Wednesday

SCRIPTURE READING: PSALM 42:1-5

REFLECTION: In the midst of this great coldness toward God there are some, I rejoice to acknowledge, who will not be content with shallow logic. They will admit the force of the argument, and then turn away with tears to hunt some lonely place and pray, “O God, show me thy glory.” They want to taste, to touch with their hearts, to see with their inner eyes the wonder that is God.

I want deliberately to encourage this mighty longing after God. The lack of it has brought us to our present low estate. The stiff and wooden quality about our religious lives is a result of our lack of holy desire. Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted. Too bad that with many of us He waits so long, so very long, in vain. (Pursuing the Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer)

ACTIVITY:

Take a few moments and think about things that are thirsty or in need of water. Some examples are fields, trees, deserts, whales, trees, our eyes — you can be general or specific. Make a list of these things.

Write down words or phrases for what water does. For example, water: flows, shapes, pools, consumes, drips, quenches, splashes, etc.
See if these phrases, images, and words can help form a prayer or can weave together a short reflection or poem. Don’t worry about making it “perfect” or even worthy of sharing. Just take this time to create and share with God.

PRAYER: Creator God, help us to hunger and thirst for you. Help us to seek you first. May we trust that you will provide even when we cannot see, hear, or feel you. May we continue to put our hope in you, praising you, our Savior and our God. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Thursday

SCRIPTURE READING: JOHN 7:37-41

REFLECTION: John wants us to see that Jesus Himself is the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles [the festival from v. 37]. In 1:14 he told us that (literally), “the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.” Paul tells us that Jesus is the rock that supplied Israel with water in the barren desert (1 Cor. 10:4). He is also the bread of life, the fulfillment of the manna that sustained Israel in the wilderness (John 6). So now, on the last day of this feast, Jesus claims to be the source of living water to all who will come to Him and drink. In other words, He fulfills all that the feast symbolized.

…Jesus didn’t say, “If anyone is thirsty, keep digging and eventually you’ll hit water!” He didn’t say, “If anyone is thirsty, let him join the church, get baptized, take communion, do penance, give money to the church, clean up your life, and attend church every Sunday!” Jesus simply said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.” “Me” implies that it is a personal relationship with Jesus, not a bunch of religious rules or rituals. (“Lesson 43: Rivers of Living Water—for You and from You (John 7:37-39)” by Steven J. Cole, (c) 2014)

ACTIVITY: Lectio divina is a slow, contemplative praying of the Scriptures, done in four steps. To prepare for this practice, place yourself in a comfortable position and allow yourself to become silent. Take a few breaths and enjoy the silence for a few moments.

Read today’s scripture passage slowly and reflectively. Allow the text to “sink in”. Read the passage two to three times, and as you do, listen for what word or phrase God is highlighting for you.
Take the word or phrase that God has lifted out for you and repeat it to yourself. Consider what these words stir up in you – what thoughts, emotions, memories. Memorize the word or phrase and slowly repeat it to yourself, allowing it to interact with your concerns, memories, ideas, etc. Allow this reflection to invite you into dialogue with God.
In response to the passage, let your heart speak to God. Give to him what you have discovered during your time of reflection and contemplation. Use the word or phrase to more fully experience God and consider how these words can bless and transform you.
Rest in God's embrace. Let go of your thoughts, plans, reflections, words – and simply rest in God’s Word. Quiet your mind and heart, and listen for God, soaking in his presence.

PRAYER: Jesus, our Savior, thank you for coming to dwell among us. Thank you for being our source of living water. Thank you for your invitation to simply come to you and receive your grace. May we rest in your presence and provision today. In your name, Amen.

Friday

SCRIPTURE READING: MATTHEW 5:6

REFLECTION:

The world as God wants it

Jesus said very clearly that loving God with all our being, and loving one’s neighbour as ourselves is the most important commandment of all. He has also forewarned us that He will judge us on how we treat our neighbour in need. This righteousness [in Matt. 5:6] is possible only if we also respect the creation God has entrusted to us, and not use it for our selfish purposes.

This beatitude challenges us to ask ourselves whether we really hunger and thirst for this righteousness, whether we really crave a world closer to what God wants of it. To what extent do I passionately care that the world looks so distant from what God wishes it to be? Not only the big world, but also the world of my life, my own family, my workplace, my parish, my country.

We will be satisfied

When we hunger and thirst for righteousness we will be satisfied. We discover that we are not alone in this quest for a better world, we feel part of that innumerable multitude of (mostly silent) men and women who are doing their best to build a better world.

("Cracking the Beatitudes" by Paul Pace SJ)

ACTIVITY: “Prayers of the People” are a part of liturgical traditions where the congregation prays for “the Universal Church, its members, and its mission; the Nation and all in authority; the welfare of the world; the concerns of the local community; those who suffer and those in any trouble; and the departed” (Book of Common Prayer). Take this time, in quiet and stillness, to pray these prayers. Feel free to pause on or go back to any particular prayers here that are close to your heart today, and expand upon them as you feel led.

Let us pray for the Church and for the world.

Grant, Almighty God, that all who confess your Name may be united in your truth, live together in your love, and reveal your glory in the world. Silence