Contemplation and Conversation: 4th Sunday of Lent, March 15, 2026

Scripture – Ephesians 5:8-14 NRSVUE

⁸for once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Walk as children of light, ⁹for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. ¹⁰Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. ¹¹Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness; rather, expose them. ¹²For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly, ¹³but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, ¹⁴for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

“Sleeper, awake!
Rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

From Brian Mack

I have recently been introduced to Kaizen, a Japanese philosophy, rooted in the notion of improvement through small, consistent, and daily actions rather than trying to make large sweeping changes all at once. Examples of putting this philosophy into action would be as follows:

decluttering a room-clean out drawers one at a time rather than attempting to do the whole room in a single afternoon
if you currently walk 5,000 steps a day, aim to add just 50 steps more each day rather than immediately aiming for 10,000
if you are procrastinating, commit to working on a dauting task for just five minutes.

In Ephesians 5:8-14, Paul reminds us that we are not just “in the light” but rather that we are to “live as children of the light”. He encourages us to live a life filled with love by following Christ’s example. We are called to avoid evil and expose false truth, immorality, and injustice as we encounter them in our own lives or in the wider community. We are to practice humility, avoid foolish talk, and focus on gratitude. Overarching all of these directives is his admonishment to “find out what pleases the Lord.”

As we proceed on our spiritual journeys, I would like to think there is wisdom to be found in the Kaizen philosophy. As we seek to “find out what pleases the Lord”, the importance of establishing routine habits through incremental steps is key. Some of these habits such as daily scripture reading and prayer can be practiced in solitude. At other times, we will want to establish habits in community. Such habits include regular worship attendance, immersion in scripture study, or affirming our personal choices/decisions with other believers. Whatever steps we take to discern what pleases God should not be allowed to overwhelm us or be perceived as a burden. The small, daily steps we willingly take should be seen as unique chances to grow in faith and to walk “as children of the light”. May each step be seen as an opportunity to walk humbly and in gratitude with the Holy One. Thanks be to God.

Contemplation and Conversation

What practical steps do you take to discern what pleases God in your daily life?

Prayer

Holy One, we give you thanks for the letter of Paul to the Ephesians.
Strengthen our resolve to grow in faith daily.
Help us to live so that others may see your light in us. Amen.

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