Dear Incarnation,
Welcome to Lent, when Sunday rhythms change, scriptures focus on suffering, sorrow, and sin, and silences grow. Despite the somber tone, this season is being met by many with sighs of relief. When the world is full of turmoil, it can be comforting to enter a season together in which we give expression to how fragile we're feeling. We heard some of that fragility on Sunday night, when we gathered on Zoom to pray for our world, our nation, those in authority, and all in public service — particularly those impacted by recent federal changes. This was such a meaningful time of prayer; thank you to all who participated. I'm hoping to do it one more time in — stay tuned!
But in the midst of our fears and fragility, Sundays in Lent are still feast days — little Easters — when we pause our fasts and look toward the already-and-not-yet joy of the resurrection. I was so grateful for that reminder on Sunday as we celebrated a few birthdays with singing and donuts after the service, a welcome moment of joy (thank you, Bennings!).
This Sunday, we'll continue our Lenten sermon series on acedia, the "noonday demon" (from an older translation of Psalm 91:6) that tempts us toward indifference, despondency, and a lack of care for what our souls most need. I've already received a lot of questions about this series, and if you've got questions too, please don't hold back! Feel free to reach out to me or Katie; we love questions like this. And in case you'd like to dig in deeper, here are a few books that I've found helpful:
Time and Despondency by Nicole Roccas
The Noonday Devil: Acedia, the Unnamed Evil of Our Times by Jean-Charles Nault
Acedia and Me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer's Life by Kathleen Norris
Glittering Vices by Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung (chapter on acedia)
Great Lent by Alexander Schmemann (chapter on acedia)
Back to Virtue by Peter Kreeft (chapter on acedia)
Any collection of the sayings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers (there are many)
This Sunday, we'll keep exploring this topic through our lectionary scriptures. See you then!
***
Last week, more than 80 people gathered in Virginia and Maryland for Ash Wednesday services — that's about double our norm! Now, to be very clear: what matters most is our faithfulness in worship, not the number of people who attend. (I really mean that.) But it's interesting to notice what happens when we multiply locations: more people are able to attend services who otherwise couldn't.
As we continue to hold services in Maryland, we're seeing people show up who don't have a church home nearby, or at all. (In other words, we aren't just reshuffling Christians between existing churches.) It's encouraging to meet people who have been praying for a church in their neighborhood, or who are experiencing Christian community for the very first time.
Please continue praying for the Maryland service in the coming months (our next service will be on Sunday, March 23), as we discern what God is doing there and how he is inviting us to respond. Pray for Katie as she leads and shepherds, and for our staff and vestry. As you pray, if there are scriptures or images that come to mind, please share them. And if you have friends in the Hyattsville area, let them know about the service! Details are available on our website: https://www.incarnationanglican.org/maryland.
I said on Sunday that Lent is an invitation into the wilderness. And whatever is happening in Maryland is a type of wilderness (albeit one in which many things grow!) — in the sense that we aren't quite sure where God is leading us or what our next steps should be. Scary as it sounds, that's a wonderful place to be as a church: dependent, expectant, prayerful, watchful. I am reminded of a word of scripture that someone shared during the Sunday night prayer time on Zoom: "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you" (2 Chron. 20:12).
Walking with you,
Amy
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