Author: Alan Mathew

Scripture: Philippians 2:5–11

5 Let the same mind be in you that was[a] in Christ Jesus,

6 who, though he existed in the form of God,
    did not regard equality with God
    as something to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself,
    taking the form of a slave,
    assuming human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a human,
8     he humbled himself
    and became obedient to the point of death—
    even death on a cross.

9 Therefore God exalted him even more highly
    and gave him the name
    that is above every other name,
10 so that at the name given to Jesus
    every knee should bend,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue should confess
    that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, who humbled Yourself for love of the world, shape our hearts after Yours. Teach us humility, compassion, and obedience, that we may walk Your way with faithfulness. Amen.

Reflection:
Holy Week draws us into the depth of Christ’s love. The One who had every right to power chose instead the path of service. The cross reveals not defeat but divine self‑giving. As we approach Good Friday, we are invited to see again the love that holds nothing back—and to let that love reshape our lives.

Scripture: John 12:24–26

24 Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain, but if it dies it bears much fruit. 25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.

Prayer:
Creator God, plant Your life within us. Help us trust the slow work of transformation and welcome the new things You are growing. Amen.

Reflection:
A seed must fall, be buried, and break open before new life emerges. Jesus uses this image to describe His own path—and ours. Growth often begins in hidden places. Lent teaches us patience with God’s timing and courage to let old patterns die so that something more life‑giving can rise.

Scripture: John 4:5–15

5 So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.

7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.)[a] 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir,[b] you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir,[c] give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”

Prayer:
God of living water, meet us in our thirst. Refresh what has grown weary, renew what has grown dry, and fill us with Your life-giving Spirit. Amen.

Reflection:
At the well, Jesus meets a woman who carries both longing and weariness. He offers not judgement but living water—grace that reaches the deepest places. Lent reminds us that God meets us honestly, without pretence. Our thirst is not a weakness to hide but a doorway to encounter. Christ still offers water that restores the soul.