Introducing Advent
Welcome to Advent! This is separate and distinct from the Christmas season. So even though our culture tries to rush into the celebration, we first participate in the season of Advent, a season of waiting, preparing, and fasting. Fasting!?!? Yes, fasting. In the Church Year, Advent has traditionally been a time to fast as we prepare for the celebration of Jesus's birth. But before diving into today's topic of fasting during Advent, we will first look at the big picture plan for this season. Advent covers the period of time of the 4 Sundays before Christmas. So each Sunday of Advent, there will be a new blogpost in this series, looking at one of the aspects of Advent. This week, we will cover fasting, next week, we will consider gifts from a new light. The third week, we will look at how to make room for the Christ Child in a season that is chronically overbooked and stuffed with activities that are meant to be fun, but tend to add to our stress. Finally we will discuss how the waiting, listening, silence, and even darkness of Advent prepares us for the celebration of Christmastide.
Fasting in Advent
Last year I learned that Advent, in the Church Year, has traditionally been a time of fasting, just like Lent is. Some people fast for the 40 days before Christmas (discounting Sundays of course), whereby others might fast from All Saint's Day (November 1st) until Christmas Eve (December 24th).
Why should we consider fasting during Advent? It fits with the theme of waiting and anticipating, for one. We aren't celebrating in Advent, we celebrate during Christmastide (aka the 12 days of Christmas). So instead of a month of feasting, cramming our schedules full of secular traditions, or otherwise rushing into Christmas, we wait, fast, and pray.
Fasting in the Bible has traditionally been food. There are plenty of resources on the internet about the biblical examples of fasting and how to fast. I will recommend this fasting guideline that outlines a 9 step process to fasting. So instead of going from "never" to "fully fasting", we can gradually adjust our fasting levels as we cut out different foods. (FYI, the fully fasting means "no meat, fish, dairy products, wine or oil during the entirety of Great Lent" so I'm not talking about not eating for 40 days, but I'm talking about restricting what I eat while still getting all of the vital nutrients).
I personally do a blend of Wesleyan fasting and Greek Orthodox fasting. During Lent and Advent, I A) reduce the types of food that I eat and B) wait until the afternoon to eat. So I am still eating during the times of fasting, but the non-essential foods are set aside for this season and I delay when I break my fast for the day. For those who must eat meals on a regular schedule for their health, then still eat all 3 meals, but consider cutting out non-essential snacks and non-essential dishes)
How can we fast this Advent season?
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