Sunday, March 15, 2026
Day 1: Fasting from False Remedies
Scripture Reading: John 9:1-3 (NRSV)
As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him".
Reflection
Lent is a season for fasting, not just from food, but from the false beliefs that clutter our spiritual lives. In the southern United States, many grew up with "home remedies" like feeding a cold or putting onions in socks to draw out illness. We often apply similar "folk wisdom" to our spiritual lives by assuming our suffering is a direct punishment for sin. The disciples wanted to blame the man or his parents for his blindness. Jesus invites us to fast from this "either-or" theology. Instead of looking for blame in our past, we are invited to look for how God’s work can be revealed through our present struggles.
Prayer
Ask God to help you identify any false "remedies" or labels you have relied on for security, and pray for the grace to fast from the need to blame yourself or others for your current hardships.
Scripture Reading: John 9:1-3 (NRSV)
As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him".
Reflection
Lent is a season for fasting, not just from food, but from the false beliefs that clutter our spiritual lives. In the southern United States, many grew up with "home remedies" like feeding a cold or putting onions in socks to draw out illness. We often apply similar "folk wisdom" to our spiritual lives by assuming our suffering is a direct punishment for sin. The disciples wanted to blame the man or his parents for his blindness. Jesus invites us to fast from this "either-or" theology. Instead of looking for blame in our past, we are invited to look for how God’s work can be revealed through our present struggles.
Prayer
Ask God to help you identify any false "remedies" or labels you have relied on for security, and pray for the grace to fast from the need to blame yourself or others for your current hardships.
Monday, March 16, 2026
Day 2: The Lenten Desert of Eavesdropping
Scripture Reading: John 9:8-9 (NRSV)
The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, "Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?" Some were saying, "It is he." Others were saying, "No, but it is someone like him." He kept saying, "I am the man".
Reflection
In the desert of Lent, we often confront the voices that have defined us. The man born blind had spent his life "eavesdropping" on what others said about him, hearing them debate his sin and his status while he sat on the side of the street. We often let the world’s diagnosis of our lives define who we are, sticking to labels of past mistakes or family history. Lent is a time to stop sitting by the road and listening to these "neighbor" voices. When the man responded, "It's me!", he was claiming an identity that no longer relied on his status as a beggar.
Prayer
Pray for the ability to silence the voices you have been "eavesdropping" on that tell you you are defined by your past, and ask God to help you hear God's voice above all others.
Scripture Reading: John 9:8-9 (NRSV)
The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, "Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?" Some were saying, "It is he." Others were saying, "No, but it is someone like him." He kept saying, "I am the man".
Reflection
In the desert of Lent, we often confront the voices that have defined us. The man born blind had spent his life "eavesdropping" on what others said about him, hearing them debate his sin and his status while he sat on the side of the street. We often let the world’s diagnosis of our lives define who we are, sticking to labels of past mistakes or family history. Lent is a time to stop sitting by the road and listening to these "neighbor" voices. When the man responded, "It's me!", he was claiming an identity that no longer relied on his status as a beggar.
Prayer
Pray for the ability to silence the voices you have been "eavesdropping" on that tell you you are defined by your past, and ask God to help you hear God's voice above all others.
Tuesday, March 17, 2026
Day 3: Dust and Ashes
Scripture Reading: John 9:6-7 (NRSV)
When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see.
Reflection
The Lenten season begins with ashes and a reminder that we are dust. Jesus took that very dust, mixed it with spit, and used the "messy reality" of dirt to bring about a new creation. This mirrors the Creator forming humanity from the dust in Genesis. Jesus does not shy away from the grimy, uncomfortable parts of our lives. During Lent, we allow Jesus to rub his hands on our mistakes and defining labels. He uses the "mud" of our lives not to embarrass us, but to re-create our vision.
Prayer
Offer the "dust" of your life to Jesus today, asking him to take the messy parts you are ashamed of and transform them into a new way of seeing.
Scripture Reading: John 9:6-7 (NRSV)
When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see.
Reflection
The Lenten season begins with ashes and a reminder that we are dust. Jesus took that very dust, mixed it with spit, and used the "messy reality" of dirt to bring about a new creation. This mirrors the Creator forming humanity from the dust in Genesis. Jesus does not shy away from the grimy, uncomfortable parts of our lives. During Lent, we allow Jesus to rub his hands on our mistakes and defining labels. He uses the "mud" of our lives not to embarrass us, but to re-create our vision.
Prayer
Offer the "dust" of your life to Jesus today, asking him to take the messy parts you are ashamed of and transform them into a new way of seeing.
Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Day 4: The Journey to Siloam
Scripture Reading: John 9:7 (NRSV)
...saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see.
Reflection
Lent is often described as a journey. Jesus gave the man a command: go and wash. He did not promise him immediate sight, but the man went anyway, perhaps simply because he wanted to wash the spit and dirt off his face. Our Lenten disciplines are often like that walk to the pool of Siloam. We follow the instructions of the Teacher even when we don't fully understand the outcome. The healing was found in the act of washing. We are invited this season to wash off the "old labels" and start walking in the direction Jesus points us.
Prayer
Identify one specific Lenten discipline or act of obedience you can practice today, and ask for the perseverance to follow through even if the "light" has not yet broken through.
Scripture Reading: John 9:7 (NRSV)
...saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see.
Reflection
Lent is often described as a journey. Jesus gave the man a command: go and wash. He did not promise him immediate sight, but the man went anyway, perhaps simply because he wanted to wash the spit and dirt off his face. Our Lenten disciplines are often like that walk to the pool of Siloam. We follow the instructions of the Teacher even when we don't fully understand the outcome. The healing was found in the act of washing. We are invited this season to wash off the "old labels" and start walking in the direction Jesus points us.
Prayer
Identify one specific Lenten discipline or act of obedience you can practice today, and ask for the perseverance to follow through even if the "light" has not yet broken through.
Thursday, March 19, 2026
Day 5: Repentance as New Sight
Scripture Reading: John 9:10-11 (NRSV)
They kept asking him, "Then how were your eyes opened?" He answered, "The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' Then I went and washed and received my sight".
Reflection
The word "repentance" often means a change of mind or a new way of seeing. When the man washed in the pool, his absolute darkness turned to fuzziness and then sharpened into color. He began to see the world as it truly was, not as he had imagined it. In Lent, we repent of the "darkness" we have lived in and ask for the light of Christ to change our vision. This new sight allows us to see hope and salvation where we once saw only destruction. We become people who believe that the darkness of the world does not define it.
Prayer
Ask God to sharpen your spiritual vision this week, helping you to see the "colors and shapes" of God's grace in places you previously thought were only dark.
Scripture Reading: John 9:10-11 (NRSV)
They kept asking him, "Then how were your eyes opened?" He answered, "The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' Then I went and washed and received my sight".
Reflection
The word "repentance" often means a change of mind or a new way of seeing. When the man washed in the pool, his absolute darkness turned to fuzziness and then sharpened into color. He began to see the world as it truly was, not as he had imagined it. In Lent, we repent of the "darkness" we have lived in and ask for the light of Christ to change our vision. This new sight allows us to see hope and salvation where we once saw only destruction. We become people who believe that the darkness of the world does not define it.
Prayer
Ask God to sharpen your spiritual vision this week, helping you to see the "colors and shapes" of God's grace in places you previously thought were only dark.
Friday, March 20, 2026
Day 6: Dying to the Old Self
Scripture Reading: John 9:12 (NRSV)
They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not know".
Reflection
Lent leads us toward the cross, where the old self dies so that the new self can live. The blind man experienced a "crisis of identity" because his neighbors no longer recognized him. He no longer fit into the box they had built for him. If we truly follow Jesus, there is a change in how we look and sound to the people around us. We must be willing to let our "blind beggar" identity die. We no longer lead with our labels or past qualifiers. We are, in a way, no longer the same person.
Prayer
Pray for the courage to let go of an old identity or label that you have been clinging to, even if losing it makes you look "different" to the people around you.
Scripture Reading: John 9:12 (NRSV)
They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not know".
Reflection
Lent leads us toward the cross, where the old self dies so that the new self can live. The blind man experienced a "crisis of identity" because his neighbors no longer recognized him. He no longer fit into the box they had built for him. If we truly follow Jesus, there is a change in how we look and sound to the people around us. We must be willing to let our "blind beggar" identity die. We no longer lead with our labels or past qualifiers. We are, in a way, no longer the same person.
Prayer
Pray for the courage to let go of an old identity or label that you have been clinging to, even if losing it makes you look "different" to the people around you.
Saturday, March 21, 2026
Day 7: Anticipating the Light
Scripture Reading: John 9:3 (NRSV)
Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him".
Reflection
As we conclude this week of Lent, we remember that the man’s story is not over. He has been healed and can see the world, but he has not yet seen the face of the one who healed him. He knows he has changed, but he is still waiting for a final confrontation with the "Light of the World". We, too, are in a period of waiting. We look at our "handicaps" and weaknesses not as permanent stains, but as places where God is being revealed. We are preparing to come face-to-face with the Light that repels even the deepest darkness.
Prayer
Reflect on the ways Jesus has already "rubbed his hands" on your life this Lent, and pray with anticipation for the day you will see his face clearly.
Scripture Reading: John 9:3 (NRSV)
Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him".
Reflection
As we conclude this week of Lent, we remember that the man’s story is not over. He has been healed and can see the world, but he has not yet seen the face of the one who healed him. He knows he has changed, but he is still waiting for a final confrontation with the "Light of the World". We, too, are in a period of waiting. We look at our "handicaps" and weaknesses not as permanent stains, but as places where God is being revealed. We are preparing to come face-to-face with the Light that repels even the deepest darkness.
Prayer
Reflect on the ways Jesus has already "rubbed his hands" on your life this Lent, and pray with anticipation for the day you will see his face clearly.
Sunday, March 22, 2026
Day 8: Walking in the Middle of the Street
Scripture Reading: John 9:35-38 (NRSV) Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" He answered, "And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him." Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he." He said, "Lord, I believe." And he worshiped him.
Reflection
The Lenten journey often leads us to a place of isolation before we find true communion. The man in the story was no longer welcome in his old circles because he no longer fit the "blind beggar" label. Instead of gripping the walls of the buildings for safety as he once did, he began walking down the middle of the street with his head on a swivel, taking in a world he never imagined. This is the ultimate goal of our Lenten reflection: to stop hiding in the shadows of our past mistakes and start walking boldly in the light of Christ. We may not yet fully see the face of the one who changed us, but we know our vision of what can be has been forever altered.
As we move closer to the end of this season, we prepare for that final confrontation where our new sight leads us face to face with the Light of the World.
Prayer
Ask God for the courage to "walk down the middle of the street" this week, refusing to hide your transformation or retreat into old, comfortable labels that no longer define you.
Scripture Reading: John 9:35-38 (NRSV) Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" He answered, "And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him." Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he." He said, "Lord, I believe." And he worshiped him.
Reflection
The Lenten journey often leads us to a place of isolation before we find true communion. The man in the story was no longer welcome in his old circles because he no longer fit the "blind beggar" label. Instead of gripping the walls of the buildings for safety as he once did, he began walking down the middle of the street with his head on a swivel, taking in a world he never imagined. This is the ultimate goal of our Lenten reflection: to stop hiding in the shadows of our past mistakes and start walking boldly in the light of Christ. We may not yet fully see the face of the one who changed us, but we know our vision of what can be has been forever altered.
As we move closer to the end of this season, we prepare for that final confrontation where our new sight leads us face to face with the Light of the World.
Prayer
Ask God for the courage to "walk down the middle of the street" this week, refusing to hide your transformation or retreat into old, comfortable labels that no longer define you.