“In the context of abundance, we need fasting to remind us that not everyone enjoys what we do, to remind us that we have a duty to the poor, to discipline our bodies and our souls, to wean us from our addiction to comfort and the easy satisfaction of our appetites.
But in the context of scarcity, we also need to eat and drink and smile and laugh to remind us that the future God is preparing for his people—the future that the church has the task of joyfully proclaiming and embodying in the present—is one of feasting. In the most ultimate sense, Christians are defined by a feast not a fast. The Christian hope is not the austerity of a bowl of soup and a piece of bread, but a groaning table, and the celebration of friendship with God and neighbour.”
Ryan Dueck, pastor of the Lethbridge (Alberta) Mennonite Church, from an article on his Rumblings blog titled “Set the Table.”