sprout 13: community

It's the Wednesday after Lent 5, the Sunday in the liturgical calendar traditionally called Judica, from the first words of the traditional introit for the day.

Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly nation; from wicked and deceitful men deliver me, for you are my God and my strength. Send forth your light and your truth; these have led me and brought me to your holy mountain and to your dwelling place. ...from Psalm 43:1-3

On Wednesday evenings in Lent, the church where I've been worshiping off and on – mostly on – for the past 2+ years hosts a typical, tasty Lenten soup supper before we pray Compline. In my long experience I've found sharing meals is a great way to start friendships and form community, so for blog day 12, I'm thinking about how tasty food in an informal, casual atmosphere often leads people to share (divulge!) experiences they wouldn't in other settings, helping initiate friendships and form community. Remembering "this tastes like the soup I had in that little Florentine Café"; "these cookies remind me of a recipe I want to make for the next potluck"; "the salad dressing is amazingly like the house special at Urban Coastal Cuisine (actually a semi-parody review I wrote for one of my blogs). So today's blog is about food and about community.