John Chaffee – Echos in the Desert: A Lenten Devotional
Have you ever come across someone so interesting in your life that you are honored to know them and call them a friend? That is John Chaffee to me.
We first met in August 2009 when I was just beginning my seminary journey at Palmer. At that time Palmer was still in its own building on Lancaster Ave in Wynnewood, so students could be residential if they wanted. I was assigned a room on the fourth floor and during those first few days before orientation, my new roommate and I would prowl the hallways trying to meet people and attempt to not get lost in the corridors of the massive building. One of the first people we met was John. He lived at the end of the hallway from us and to say that my roommate at the time had a crush on him at first sight would be an understatement. We were both single 20-somethings who had gone to Christian colleges where most girls graduate with a degree and a ring. John was one of the few guys on the floor who met all the right criteria: no ring, 20s, good hygiene, and listened to all the right music.
Looking back, this is such an embarrassing story to tell because our naivety was on full display. My roommate, we’ll call her Stacey for her own good, and I decided to bake homemade cookies to share with the boys on the floor. Stacey and I gladly took cookies by John’s room to say hello. A few days later I would go on to meet Kyle at New Student Orientation and for me you could say the rest was history. That fateful cookie baking excursion was about as much of an interaction as I would have with John during my two years at Palmer. I recently sat down for coffee with John at Starbucks and shared this rather embarrassing tale with him; mortified of my former self but relieved to find that he didn’t remember the event. He went on to serve in several local church ministries after seminary. We have run around in the same youth ministry circles for the last 7 years and have developed a respect for each other as colleagues, hardcore music listeners, and fellow ministry lifers.
To talk to John is to sit and talk with an old favorite book that is worn in and thread bare. No matter the passage of time, the circumstance, or if you are a new acquaintance, John delights in talking, learning, and gleaning stories from whomever he meets. He genuinely leans into conversation and asks inviting questions that help guide you to new realizations about yourself and God. He has a fascinating story himself about how God has called him, broke him, and rebuilt him for His glory. He currently teaches Spiritual Formation at Eastern while considering himself a “missionary to a post-Christian culture” by working for the Church universal and not a church specific. He has traveled the entirety of the Appalachian Trail, reads the church fathers for fun, and has a heart for helping people rediscover their spirituality by stripping away the pomp and circumstance, the glitz and glamor, and getting back to the mystical heart of the created worshiping the Creator. As John says on his website, “I believe that Jesus envisioned person to person conversations of depth, vulnerability and mystery… all while grounded in the best of the wide and deep Christian spiritual tradition.”
This Lent we are fortunate at St. Matthew’s to have John come and speak with our Adult Sunday School class twice to help create open spaces for conversation and deeper spiritual growth. Our goal during this season is to see our congregation seek ways to have a holy Lent, allowing God the space to fill our hearts with His goodness while we wrestle out the darkness. John will be with us on Sunday February 26th during the 10am Sunday School hour, still with the hybrid format. During this first session together, John plans to discuss what this season of Lent is all about and how it is that we can engage more fully. John will return to spend Palm Sunday with us during the 10 am hour to kick start the Holy Week march towards the cross and resurrection so that as a congregation we might linger in the uncomfortable.
I invite and encourage you to come out or join in online with our conversation with John Chaffee on Sundays February 26 and April 2, 2023. John will also be available to talk about the new Lenten devotion that he recently published called, Echoes in the Desert: A Lenten Daily Devotional which is available for purchase via Amazon. If you are looking for an in depth and meaningful study to do this Lent season from a fresh perspective and new voice, I encourage you to pick up a copy. Pastor John and I will both be using this devotional during the season of Lent and encourage you to do also. If you would like to see a copy, I will have one available at worship.
Jesus is inviting us to go on a journey with Him during the season of Lent. I encourage everyone to make intentional ways to invite Jesus into your space during these next 6 weeks of discovery and formation. For more ideas and resources, check out our Lent page!
Vica Jones
Director of Youth & Family Ministries