Lent Meditation: Day 38 - March 27, 2026

📖 Scripture Verse

Jesus said, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and give his life a ransom for many.”  — Mark 10:42-45

🕯️Meditation

Having told the disciples about his approaching arrest, suffering, and death they immediately begin to argue about who is great and who should be glorious and mighty among them.  They profoundly misunderstand the meaning of Jesus’ ministry and what it means for him to be Messiah and Son of Man.  So here, just before he enter Jerusalem on a donkey and is acclaimed with palm branches and shouts of Hosanna, he spells it out for them and for us.  Power and authority and the way these things are judged and sought and used in the ways of the world are not how Christians ought to think of them.  Power and authority comes from loving service.  Leadership means setting aside personal desires and ambitions and being of service to those around you.  Jesus himself came not to be served like a King, but to pour himself out as a gift of love in service to the world.

A spirituality of loving service takes shape not principally in grand gestures, but in the simple day-to-day ways we show honor and love and dignity to one another.  Loving service takes place in our homes, in line at the gas station, at coffee hour.  It takes place in the mindful ways we engage and act on the political issues of our day, seeking the good of others and recognizing the dignity of every human being in the choices we make.

This pattern of loving service takes root in our hearts as we practice it over the course of a lifetime.  God transforms us as we follow this pattern.  Our life takes the shape of a cross, and it takes the shape of an empty tomb.

🙏 Prayer

Blessed Jesus, my friend and the pattern of my life: you gave yourself a ransom for many, and you taught your disciples that service is the path to fellowship with God.  Help me set aside my personal desire for greatness and glory and self-fulfillment, and instead take up an ongoing life of service, humility, compassion, and love.  Amen.

Walk through Lent with us. Sign up to receive a daily meditation from Father Ethan delivered directly to your inbox.