Lent Never Stopped

Lent Never Stopped March 21, 2022

Lent never stopped
because no one was
raised from the dead

and we didn’t make

a thousand visitors’
bags, feeling hopeful
that this Easter’s crowd
would finally stick around,

because there was no
hallelujah as we looked
into our phones to see
fellow refugees in their

pajamas every Sunday,
not knowing whether we
will ever pass the
peace of Christ again.

When will we close
those giant buildings that
waste most of a week’s
worth of air conditioning

where we keep pouring
so much money
hoping the church will
come back someday?

What if we never go back
to those wooden pews where
we used to sit facing an
empty cross and a pulpit?

We can make church
a dance party around
a campfire where friends
gather to make art that

channels the voice who
never stops addressing
those who hear it
through whatever combination

of failure and inspiration
makes divinity flow through
us like an irresistible song
that vibrates into everything.

And when we trust germs
again, we can pass around
wine and sourdough bread
to tear off and dip into the wine,

declaring that Easter has
come and the tribulation
is over which makes it time
for the heavenly banquet.


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