In his outstanding book, Spiritual Theology, he recounts a problem familiar to many of us: despite teaching about God for many years, reading about God for even longer, and despite talking about God to others, he found that he felt no closer to God as a result.

What was he missing? What could help him move the needle from God as a concept to God as a living reality in his life?

To use his own musical metaphor, what could direct his ear away from the noise of the “treble clef”–that is, the daily frustrations and frenzied activity– to be able to listen to the underlying “bass clef” notes of the reality of the presence of God?

One of the ways he named that helped him tune his ear away from the “upper register” of chaos to the “lower register” of peace was the practice of fasting, and here’s why:

Christians have sung, for over a century, the lyrics to the hymn “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.”

Its first two lines go like this:

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Tune My Heart to Sing Thy Grace

Fasting helps do this. It helps tune the heart away from the anxieties that plague us and towards a “remembered reliance” on the Spirit of God as our helper and divine change agent.

In short, fasting can create a space for us to become aware of God, by first becoming aware of our need for God. The hunger we may feel is supposed to force us more deeply into awareness of our crucial need to be hungry for God.

With all that in mind, let me encourage you to participate in our upcoming annual Fall Fast, September 11-13.

We will be sending out prayer prompts and video content, centered on the Lord’s Prayer, to help you “tune your heart” and encourage you over those three days. And, we will conclude with a Night of Worship at both our North and South campuses at 6 pm. Childcare is available for littles; elementary-aged children and up are encouraged to attend with parents.

I hope you will participate and find that far better than talking about God is experiencing God for yourself, and allowing the grace of God to carry you ever deeper into the love and life of the Trinity.

This was, after all, Jesus’ deep desire for all of us.

Blessings,

Morgan

P.S. This Sunday we continue moving through the Gospel of Matthew. I’ll be sharing “The Greatest Sermon on Politics You’ll Ever Hear.”

Whether that’s true or not will be, of course, your decision! I’ll see you there.