What We're Doing this Month

Next Series Begins January 12: More Than Enough

Writing in the 5th century, St. Augustine famously declared: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.” A deep sense of longing seems to be an intrinsic part of being human. We long to be known, to be loved, to have purpose. And sometimes we are not even sure what we long for—our hearts are indeed “restless.” We all have our own ways of trying to satisfy this longing, or at least, of distracting ourselves from it: busyness, entertainment, material comforts, working, socializing… the options are endless. But if St. Augustine is right, we will not find true satisfaction until we have a deep experience of God.

We know such an experience is not something we can manufacture by our force of will, but there are practices people down through the ages have found helpful in opening their hearts and minds to the presence of God. Two such practices are fasting for a season and simplicity as an approach to life. Fasting and simplicity may conjure up feelings of asceticism and joylessness—like the diets and spending limits many of us feel we need after the holiday season! But fasting and simplicity can actually be liberating as they help us to minimize that which doesn’t satisfy, and to identify and focus on what is fulfilling and life-giving. The focus of this series is therefore not on giving up things we enjoy, but on gaining more of what truly satisfies.

In the first three weeks of this series, we will look at this topic in general as we explore the concepts of hunger, thirst and satisfaction. Then, for the following four weeks, we will learn from the wisdom of people who have dedicated their lives to experiencing more of God in a variety of historical and cultural contexts. By exploring what we really need and long for, we seek to discover together that in a world where there is never enough—time, money, success, love… God is more, so much more than enough!