RezFast
Holy Week RezFast
Click here to download the Holy Week RezFast prayer notes.
Click here to listen to Fr. Stewart's Holy Week RezFast sermon.
Our church is built on prayer and fasting—listening to the Lord and asking for his presence. On days of RezFast, we fast and pray during the day and then come together at an evening service to pray and break our fast with the Eucharist. Folks often plan ahead to go out to eat together after the service.
Why Prayer and Fasting? A Teaching from Fr. Stewart
Listen to a sermon from Fr. Stewart's on prayer and fasting. Click here
Asking is at the heart of prayer. When we ask something of God - or of people for that matter - we step into a position of humility that says I need something I do not have. Asking also engenders an interconnectedness that says I need what I do not have, and I need it from you. While asking prayer certainly includes requesting particular needs of the Lord - like for health, for provision, for healing in relationships - prayer especially asks God for His Presence.
Prayer is a question spurred by a spiritual hunger: "Jesus, I hunger for more of your presence and glory in my life. Would you give that to me?" When we fast, we integrate this spiritual hunger with a physical hunger. We allow our body to participate in and aid our prayer for filling. This deepens and sharpens our prayers; it focuses our request. Our heart and our body pray, "I am hungry; my family is hungry, my church is hungry; and so many in the world are hungry, would you please fill us?"
How Do I Fast?
As we prepare for our RezFast, there are a few ways to fast. As to duration, please consider either a three day fast or a 24 hour fast. If you have fasted before and there are no medical cautions, I would encourage you to fast beginning Monday morning and continuing until the Eucharist on Wednesday evening. If you are new to fasting, consider a 24 hour fast in which you begin after a supper on Tuesday around sundown and continue until Eucharist on Wednesday evening. I would highly encourage fasting from all solids and drinking plenty of water and juice. This will usher you into a time of hunger but also keep your blood suger in a place where you can focus and pray. Helpful juices are grape and apple. Making your own juice if you are able is ideal. Drink juice when you might have had a meal and then spend the other "meal time" on a prayer walk or reading Scripture.
You may feel fatigued or sluggish. This is not unusual. You may have an unusual alertness in prayer or you may find it hard to pray. Either way, the Lord hears your prayers. And, as you fast, remember that not only is your mind praying but so is your body. And, thank God, so is the Holy Spirit through you (Romans 8.26).
Additional Resources
Listen to a sermon from Fr. Stewart's on prayer and fasting. Click here
An article by Bill Bright from Campus Crusade for Christ’s website. 7 Basic Steps to Successful Fasting and Prayer Click Here
A brief article by the Rev'd Skip Burzumato from St. Andrew's Church, Savannah, GA on the Anglican tradition of fasting. Click Here
An article from Christianity Today by Lynne M. Baab. Spiritual freedom beyond our appetites. Click Here
A review from Christianity Today of Scot McKnight’s book titled Fasting: the Ancient Practices . Click Here
Another article from Christianity Today on fasting. Anyone for Fasting? Reconsider this ancient spiritual discipline by Clyde B. McDowell. Click Here
