Good Works, Inc.

by Sophie Mather

How do you define fasting?

I usually think of fasting as giving something up. That could mean giving up food, or it could be something else. Fasting is not only about giving something up, though, but also about filling yourself spiritually.

I once led a dialogue about fasting in which I asked a large group to break up into smaller groups of 3-5 people. I asked each group to take a few minutes to create an image of what fasting means. I encouraged them to use their own bodies and/or whatever other materials they found around them to create this image. Each small group then presented their image with a brief explanation.

Close your eyes now for a few minutes and picture what fasting would look like to you. If you feel led to create a drawing or other image to express your idea of fasting, feel free to do so.

When I led this activity, it was common for groups to place their hands over their stomachs as a sign of hunger. One group removed all of their cell phones from their pockets and placed them away from themselves on the table to show that they were giving up the distraction of certain kinds of technology. Many groups chose to get into positions of prayer or reading scripture after pushing away their distractions.

Now read Isaiah 58:3-12. In the activity that I led, I asked each small group to create a new image to represent fasting, according to the way it is portrayed in this passage from Isaiah.

Take a few minutes to picture what this kind of fasting would look like.

When I led this activity, many groups demonstrated giving food to people who were hungry and drinks to people who were thirsty. Some went to a person who was sitting alone and sat with them. One group ran to a member of their group who was “imprisoned” between some posts and brought them out of their prison cell. A couple of groups chose to focus on the image of the consequences of this fast, including the image of a “well-watered garden” as described in the scripture. They demonstrated growing up from the ground like plants.

One clear scriptural example of the true fast is the life of Christ as described in the gospels. Jesus occasionally fasted by giving up food, but he also fasted by feeding people, by inviting people to join in his life and ministry, and by healing people who were sick. We don’t usually think of this type of ministry as fasting, but the passage from Isaiah provides a different perspective. We can be filled spiritually by doing justice and providing healing in our communities.

My challenge for you is to think of one way that the image you created with your small group can inspire your actions today. Think of the community that you will be with today and how you can bring healing and/or justice in that community. Find a partner now, and tell them what you are planning to do. Check in with that person tonight to see how they did with their plan.