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

God himself gloried in becoming a member of the human race. —Thomas Merton
Loneliness and isolation hurt whole communities. —Dr. Vivek H. Murphy, U.S. Surgeon General

Think about your family and your friends. Think about your church, Bible study group, or fellow choir members. Think about your neighborhood, your neighbor, your town. Think about all the arguments, the pettiness, the frustration, the slights and the judgments— big, little and ridiculous—that we have inflicted on each other over time. Now, imagine being able to choose to come to Earth as any creature. Would you choose to come as a human? Would you, by choice, willingly enter a community filled with flawed members who would annoy, hurt, irritate, disappoint and ultimately kill you?

We talk a lot about God becoming one of us, taking on flesh, living a human life and dying a human death. But how often do we recognize that God in Christ chose to come and be annoyed, disappointed and ignored—not just in the three years of his ministry, but for his entire earthly existence—in the same little daily ways that you and I experience? The way of Jesus is not the way of isolation. Jesus’s whole life, including his ministry, death and the revelation of his resurrection, happened within the context of community. To live like Jesus, we must live solidly and actively with great intention within community. We must be involved. We must be joiners. We must attend, volunteer and participate in our common life alongside people who sometimes annoy or frustrate
us. If we believe we are truly called to share the Good News of God in Christ, we must begin as Jesus began, repairing the fabric of connectedness in our churches, neighborhoods and homes.

For REFLECTION:

Consider this statement: “Our mission, as followers of Jesus, is to work to eradicate aloneness together.” Do you agree or disagree? Say more.

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.