“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship,
to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
-Acts 2:42 NRSV
I grew up in a medium size Episcopal parish with families, children, youth, grandparents, and parents. We were the only Episcopal church in a southern community of schools and churches. Wednesday night was “church night” in our town; while other churches held services on Wednesdays, it seemed that all we had in my Episcopal church was choir practice, except for one time of year. In Lent, we had a Wednesday night service preceded by a covered dish dinner.
I loved Lent because of those Wednesday nights. I knew we were supposed to give up something for Lent (usually chocolate), but we had those wonderful covered dish dinners. Lent is a time of fasting but as a child, it seemed like a celebration. I didn’t understand it as I do now, but what I was experiencing was the beauty of the gathered community of believers devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship as in the early church. The church grew in that crucible of meeting together in homes, listening to the apostle’s teaching, experiencing fellowship, and breaking bread together.
We are entering a second Lent in the pandemic when we are called upon to fast from our covered dish dinners, coffee hours, and pancake suppers. This is a call we answer out of love for our community; however, it should be more than a time of waiting until we can once again share a meal in person. Fasting is not just about giving up something like that chocolate I gave up as a child; it should also be about taking up another practice. In this case, why not take up a practice that strengthens the fraying ties of community when we are separated.
We are faithful in praying for those who are sick, who have died, and are grieving, as we should. But what about those who have not asked for our prayers? This is a time to pray for those we may only see at coffee hour, but who make up our community: We should pray that the peace of God, the love of Jesus, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit will fill them to overflowing, bring comfort in loneliness, and bind us together in love. This is a time to strengthen the bonds of love in our community in prayer till we can once again break bread together.
—The Rev. Gloria Walters
St. Luke’s, Idabel; St. Mark’s, Hugo