Author: Elisabeth M

Day 7. “On the cross, leadership dies … success dies … skills die … excellence dies. All my strengths, nailed to the cross. All of my weaknesses, nailed to the cross. All of my yearnings for bigger and better, for anything other than Christ himself, nailed to the cross.” —Leonard Sweet. Jesus sent the disciples out to sail across the lake before while he stayed at the mountainside, still grieving the loss of John the Baptist.

Day 6. John the Baptist faced the ultimate decrease, his death, at the hand of Herod. John gave everything for the kingdom of God, and this did not go unnoticed by Jesus. Jesus grieved at the news of John’s beheading.

Day 5. In today’s reading, Chole writes, “We are loved when making bold proclamations near cool waters under sunny skies. We are loved when asking sincere questions in dark cells and darker times.” How profound this is. We are God’s beloved, right now, just as we are, no matter what we are feeling, whether triumph or doubt. It is God’s love that keeps us on the spiritual path.

Day 4. Today’s question comes from John the Baptist to Jesus. “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” John was in prison and facing the end of his life when he sent this inquiry to Jesus. The earlier John, the one who baptized our Lord at the Jordan river, proclaimed in front of the crowds that Jesus was indeed the promised one from God.

Day 3. John the Baptist had a following of disciples who wondered if he was the Messiah, but John clearly knew that he was not, and that his mission was to prepare the way for Jesus. He called this decrease. It was a letting go of the glory that can come when we have influence, and putting all the attention on God instead.

Day 2. “Through Lent let us enter into the desert of our hearts where, removed from side issues, we can face what we are … let us die to self so that we may live for others, as we make a vigil before the coming of the Lord.” —Jesuit Robert R. Tafte. What does it mean to live for others? I always feel the call to give from my resources, which usually means giving between a few dollars or a five to a person asking for money.

Day 1. When I started practicing Lent as a new Episcopalian four years ago, I saw it as a time of fasting from stuff. I chose to give up sugar, which I have done every year since. This is not an easy thing because I am crazy about candy and it is so readily available, especially right before Easter!