Episcopal Relief & Development’s 2025 LENTEN Meditation Journey . . . A COMMONPLACE Lent

It feels good to rest after working. —Peter of Celle, On Affliction and Reading

Each day during our diocesan summer camp, we have an all-camp “FOB” hour. FOB stands for “flat on bunk,” “flat on the bed,” or “flat on the back,” depending on who you ask. But no matter how you break it down, FOB means naptime, which is not always the most popular camp practice.

“Can’t we just play games as long as we stay in the cabin?” or “Why can’t we go for a walk? That’s relaxing” are just a couple of the “helpful” suggestions that campers offer when complaining about FOB. The most challenging concept to grasp—one the counselors themselves have to learn and then communicate to the campers—is that “FOB isn’t just for you. It’s for the entire community.” FOB is for the camper who is extremely tired but embarrassed to admit it because it isn’t cool. It’s for the camper who has such a strong fear of missing out on the fun that they will run ragged, trying to keep up and then dissolve into tears over a minor misunderstanding. It’s for the leaders who are working harder than they have ever worked and who need a bit of peace and quiet to
recalibrate. It’s for the plants in the fields, the chickens in the gardens, the fish in the lake, and the staff in the office who all need a moment to exhale from the wonderful frenetic activity of camp life.

FOB is important for the good of the everyday life of camp; it is important for the entire ecosystem. When we obey God’s command to rest, whether through fasting, naps, silence, solitude or play, we contribute to the rest of the whole. This rest allows God to refill and restore what has been emptied and worn out in all of us.

For REFLECTION:

How do you practice rest in ways that help others in your ecosystem to rest as well?

Click here to read the introduction to the 2025 Lenten Meditation “A Commonplace Lent.”

The Lenten Meditations prepared by Episcopal Relief & Development invite readers to deepen their spiritual practice during the season of Lent, the time of preparation leading to Easter. Our 2025 meditations explore the idea of “A Commonplace Lent.” This concept reflects Episcopal Relief & Development’s tagline: “Working Together for Lasting Change.” We share in common the work of advancing lasting change in communities impacted by injustice, poverty, disaster and climate change.

We also share in common spiritual practices that strengthen our faith—prayer, worship, love, grace, service and so much more. The author explores another meaning of common in the  meditations: finding God in the common and ordinary as well as in the extraordinary mountain-top moments. Each day begins with wisdom from desert mothers and fathers, monastics and other spiritual leaders who offer insight into our common path of faithful discipleship and service. Each meditation concludes with a question for deeper reflection.

Episcopal Relief & Development is the compassionate response of The Episcopal Church to human suffering in the world. Hearing God’s call to seek and serve Christ in all persons and to respect the dignity of every human being, Episcopal Relief & Development serves to bring together the generosity of Episcopalians and others with the needs of the world.

This Lenten Meditation Journey is provided courtesy of Episcopal Relief & Development and was authored by Jerusalem Jackson Greer, co-executive director and agrarian minister for the Procter Center, an Episcopal farm, camp and retreat center in the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio. As former manager of evangelism and discipleship for The Episcopal Church under Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, she co-founded the Good News Garden movement and oversaw Way of Love and Evangelism initiatives for the wider church.