Dinner Church for Lent: Vespers in a New-Old Way

by Sarah Rossing, SeminarianListen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me. ~ Revelation 3:20Lent as a season of the church has a history almost as long as that of Christianity itself.  Beginning on Ash Wednesday and continuing up until Maundy Thursday, it is a time of preparation for Easter marked by both personal and communal practices of critical reflection, but also of renewal.  As part of this reflection and renewal, many people choose to engage more deeply in spiritual practices like prayer and scripture reading or some kind of fasting or acts of service.This year, as a communal spiritual practice, St. Luke’s will be gathering for a vespers service on Wednesday evenings – singing, praying, reading scriptures, and growing in faith through conversations together – all of this taking place over a simple meal.For many people, this dinner church idea might sound like a new and perhaps even adventurous way to worship.  And even though it will be new for St. Luke’s, dinner church is really a way of gathering that would have been familiar to some of the first Christian communities.  Breaking bread together is central to Christian identity and plays a vital role in the connectedness of any community.Join us on weekly from February 20 - March 20 at 6:00 pm in Haberland Hall for simple vespers and a simple meal.  For questions or more information contact, Seminarian Sarah Rossing at srossing@lstc.edu