My Fasting Experience - Week 3 - Communion Really is a Feast

I have to admit that I am not really a sacramentarian. I just don't get it.  I appreciate the sacraments as signs that point to spiritual reality.  They are outward symbols of inward grace.  I believe that baptism and the Lord's supper are means of grace.  But my experiences of the Lord's Supper are not as "powerful" as the experiences of many of my friends.  Maybe it is because I am so analytical.  My most meaningful experiences with God usually occur in moments of intellectual awakening to new ideas or concepts, most often discovered in study of the Bible.

But tonight I experienced the Lord's Supper in a new way.  Tomorrow is the 21st day of my water-only fast, which I will break on Easter morning.  My body has digested no food for 3 weeks, and the only liquid I have tasted other than water is a 12 ounce bottle of green tea that I drank in sips last week to help with heartburn.

This evening, as we remembered the suffering and death of Jesus during our Good Friday service, we celebrated the Lord's Supper.  Even though I am fasting, I planned to fully participate in communion.  As I broke the bread during the institution of the ritual, I longed for a big bite of the carb-laden doughy goodness that we call bread.  I considered a mouthful, but the celebration of communion is only intended for a small bite of bread and a mere sip of juice.  What happened next was completely unexpected.  As I stood behind the table, waiting for our servers to give the elements to everyone in the room, God spoke to me.  "If this was all you ever had, would it be enough?"

In other words, he was asking, "I am enough for you?"

Throughout this fast, I have been regularly reminded of the words of Jesus, spoken while he was fasting.  Resisting the temptation to use his power to fill his empty stomach, he said, "Man does not live on bread along, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."  (Matthew 4:4, (quoting Deuteronomy 8:3))


Am I enough for you, or do you need food to make life enjoyable and meaningful?

As I invited the congregation to take and eat, I ate a small piece of bread.  With my senses heightened and taste buds cleansed from the extended fast, I enjoyed a morsel of bread like never before.  It was rich, salty, and delicious.  As I invited the congregation to drink in remembrance, the juice never tasted so good, full and filling.  A bite and a sip were enough...tastes that lingered and lasted.  I don't need steak and eggs, bacon and coffee and a sweet roll.  I need Jesus and his grace.

It was more than food, more than just pleasure for the palate.  It was food for the soul.  Yes, Jesus is enough for me.

Like the old song says,
     Hallelujah! I have found Him
     Whom my soul so long has craved!
     Jesus satisfies my longings;
     Through His life I now am saved.

One of my prayers as I break this fast is that instead of chasing the delicacy of the sweet and savory, I will allow Jesus to be the pleasure and comfort for my soul.

Source For the Hymn: http://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/325#ixzz2zIYBpdMU