Beloved, in our Christian faith communities, we are in the season of Lent, a time of reflection and connecting to God, who is the Source and ground of our being.
But Lent is also a reckoning. A time to tell the truth about the world as it is — and about the world we are called to build. It’s a season where we turn toward justice, toward love, and toward the liberation that Jesus preached his whole life. For some of us, Lent is about fasting, about giving something up, but not for the sake of suffering — no. We fast from the lies that keep us bound to stories that no longer work. We lay down despair and pick up hope. We reject apathy and choose resistance.
And you know what I’m fasting from? Some false notion that we can’t have joy even as we struggle. I’m claiming joy! In the face of all that tries to steal our breath, I am going to breathe, eat, and live joy. Because joy is resistance. Joy is fuel for the fight.
Related: Fierce Love: In the spirit of love! (amsterdamnews.com)
The world is on fire, y’all, and some of it is caused by folks who claim to be Christian. That saddens me and angers me. Christian nationalism is raging, trans kids are under attack, the rights we fought for — bodily autonomy, voting rights, the very freedom to exist — are being stripped away by politicians who claim to follow Jesus. Our Lenten faith demands we love the stranger and care for those who the world despises. This faith does not share the values of empire. This faith rejects tyranny and oppression. This faith is a fire shut up in our bones, calling us to act, to build, to love fiercely.
Our Lenten faith calls us home to our best selves. My church — Middle Church — is literally on a journey back home. We will worship in our own sacred space at 50 E 7th Street for the first time since the December 2020 fire destroyed our sanctuary. We’re going home to love. Home to joy. Home to gather in a community that refuses to give hatred the last word. Home where we will grieve, rage, dance, and strategize together. Home, where we will find joy in the fight, and make space for each other in our physical and digital spaces.
Come walk this Lenten journey with us. You are welcome to join my community for special programming below.
Love is calling us home.
With fierce, unshakable love, Jacqui
Wisdom for the Wilderness: A Forty-Day Spiritual Journey
Lent isn’t just about giving something up — it’s about picking up what sustains us. This year, we invite you to pick up a practice with us.
Middle folks have put together a 40-day devotional, Wisdom for the Wilderness, and we’ll be reading and reflecting together on Circle. Because we know the wilderness isn’t just a place we wander through — it’s a place that forms us.
- What are we learning from this wilderness?
- What do we yearn for in a home?
- How do we care for home?
Join us. Get a free copy of this booklet at the Middle Church website Let’s get ready for new life.
Art & Film: Women in Film
Our people have always told the truth through art. Through music, through film, through stories that refuse to be silenced. This Lent, as we commemorate Women’s History Month, we gather to watch, to listen, to learn.
“Keepers of the Flame” March 16, 4:30p at Judson Memorial Church A film by Shari Carpenter, this short is an exploration of civil rights leaders whose names history tried to erase—but whose impact cannot be denied. A screening and discussion with the film’s directors and producers, because the movement didn’t end. It’s still burning.
“Mississippi Turning” March 23, 4:30p at Judson Memorial Church. This short is about the activism of Genesis Be. It follows her deep dive into the fight for racial justice in Mississippi, challenging the legacy of white supremacy and illuminating the courage of those working for change. Featuring a conversation with Aunjanue Ellis, Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis, and Irshad Manji.
Justice & Organizing: Love is Resistance
We don’t just pray about justice — we build it. Justice is our worship.
Fierce Urgency of Now Learning Cohort First Wednesdays, 1:00p A national gathering of clergy, activists, and thought leaders who refuse to sit on the sidelines. Middle leaders are running this, bringing in folks who are doing the work — preparing for the Fierce Urgency of Now Conference (Oct. 31–Nov. 2). A space for those ready to dream and strategize beyond empire. Folks can join through May 15.
Integrating Into a Burning House: Conversations for Survival March 18, 7:00p Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis and Rev. Natalie Renee Perkins in a no-holds-barred conversation about what happens when you integrate into a system built to burn you. How do we resist, survive, and build something better?
Children, Youth & Families: Joy as Resistance
Our kids deserve joy. Our kids deserve space to be free, to laugh, to play, to know that they are deeply loved, just as they are.
Middle Church Trampoline Takeover Because sometimes joy looks like jumping as high as you can and laughing until you can’t breathe. Join us at UrbanAir Trampoline Park in Brooklyn. We’re bringing our kids, our youth, our whole selves. Because resurrection begins in moments like these.
The wilderness will not undo us. It will teach us and make us strong. We will not let empire have the last word. This Lent, we journey home — through fire, through grief, through hope. We journey home to love.
Come with us.
Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis is senior minister and public theologian at Middle Church in New York. Celebrated internationally for her dynamic preaching and commitment to justice, she champions racial equality, economic justice and LGBTQIA+/gender rights. Featured on MSNBC, PBS, NBC, CBS and NPR, she is the author of several books, including “Fierce Love” and the “Just Love Story Bible.” Countless individuals and communities have been inspired by Lewis’ transformative work on her podcast, “Love Period”; in columns and articles; and on stages, in churches, on the street and in digital spaces around the globe.