The Solemn Assembly

Fasting and prayer have been marks of repentance for Jews and Christians for millennia. Wednesdays and Fridays were fast days for Christians since the earliest centuries of Christian history. Four times a year, the Ember days (the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after December 13; the day after the first Sunday of Lent; the day after Pentecost Sunday; and the day after September 14) were special days for repentance and fasting. The most rigorous monastic orders followed a more restricted diet between September 14 and Easter than during the rest of the year, and mandated strict fasts on bread and water certain days of the week throughout much of the year. Protestants in Germany observe a day of prayer and fasting each autumn; the day is also an official national holiday in many countries with Protestant state churches. The following entries describe a recent movement among Southern Baptists to encourage congregations to hold a weekend day of prayer, fasting, and repentance. Although to …