A Lenten Invitation for Us All
Dear All Souls,
As I have mentioned before, Lent in many places has slowly been reduced to a set of individual practices. What am I giving up? What am I adding? What discipline will help me grow?
But in the long memory of the Church, Lent has always been something larger and more communal than that.
Historically, Lent was the season when catechumens prepared for baptism at Easter. But it was also the season when the whole Church prepared alongside them. The community fasted together. The community prayed together. The community examined their lives together. And on Easter morning, the whole Church renewed their baptismal vows, not only as individuals, but as a people.
In other words, Lent has always been something we do with and for one another.
Our prayers are never only our prayers. They are the prayers of the Church.
The sins we confess are never only our sins. We confess on behalf of one another.
The service we offer is not only our service. It is service offered on behalf of our neighbors and our community.
There is a deeper interwovenness to Christian practice than our modern imaginations often remember.
This is also why the traditional practices of Lent have always been held together: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. These are not simply private acts of devotion. They are practices that bind us to one another. Our fasting becomes a way of remembering the hunger of others. Our prayers carry the needs of our neighbors. Our generosity becomes a sign that we belong to one another.
One of the ways I want to invite us to live into this communal dimension of Lent this year is by showing up together for the IMPACT Charlottesville Nehemiah Action on March 24 at 6:30 pm.
IMPACT is a network of congregations (we are one of the 29 member congregations) across Charlottesville that work together to address systemic issues in our community. The Nehemiah Action is their annual gathering where hundreds of people from local churches come together to ask our public officials to commit to concrete solutions around issues that affect our neighbors. It is one of the most practical ways churches in our city join their voices together for the common good.
Last year, we set a goal of having 50 people from All Souls attend, and 12 of us were able to be there.
This year we are setting the same goal again. Fifty people.
Anyone can come. Adults, students, and children are all welcome. Simply showing up matters. When leaders look out and see hundreds of people gathered, it communicates that the people of God care about the wellbeing of this city.
To make it easy and fun for our community to attend together, the Wiley family has graciously offered to host a tailgate beforehand.
Tailgate gathering
March 24 • 5:00 pm
At the Wiley’s house (right across the street from Charlottesville High School)
We will grab some simple dinner together, play a little cornhole, pray, and then walk over to the Nehemiah Action which begins at 6:30 pm.
If you are able to come, please take a moment to sign up here: Nehemiah Action Signup
Lent reminds us that we do not follow Jesus alone. We are bound together in prayer, in repentance, in hope, and in service.
One of the simplest ways to live into that reality this season is simply to show up together.
Peace and all goodness to you this Thursday,
Bliss+