Going Up? - A Sunday Lenten Special Edition. Floor 10 - A Modern Stoic

Christian follows His Namesake, Jesus Christ. Marcus follows His Namesake, Marcus Aurelius. It Could Be Confusing. Instead, it Becomes Crystal Clear

Mar 02, 2025

Before we begin…

The Anglican will be doing very “Anglican” things for the Season of Lent. Please allow me to enumerate:

✝️ The Last Lament: Weekdays 6:12 AM (Central) — A daily and deeply personal commentary on backstory of the Crucifixion. Using Psalm 22—the psalm Jesus spoke from the Cross. Each morning, we’ll explore the purpose, meaning, and hope of Calvary. We will close each post with personal Collect for the Day to be spoken in prayer.
🛗 Going Up?: Sundays at 6:12 AM (Central) — This Lenten season, Christian is applying the Sunday Gospel readings from his local church to his quick but meaningful elevator encounters. Armed with Scripture, wit, and just a few floors to make his case, he navigates discussions on faith, doubt, and the unexpected ways the Gospel speaks to every situation.
🤖 Faithful Innovation: Artificial Intelligence Comes to Church will finish up with a few posts on ethics and accountability, and ministry. We announced an upcoming ✈️ Pilgrimage to Israel for January 2026. I’ll be traveling to Paris again too, so expect a full report!

The Anglican provides viewpoints, prayers, perspectives, and ideas to help you live out your calling, “that our God may make you worthy of His calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by His power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12).

Welcome to a Lenten Journey in the Elevator

Today, we begin with the last Sunday of Epiphany—the Sunday before Lent. This is the day when the Church recalls the Transfiguration of Jesus, that moment when His divine glory was revealed and God Himself declared: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to Him.” (Mark 9:2-12

So what happens when Stoicism meets Christianity? When self-mastery encounters surrender to God? When a disciplined life meets the transfigured Christ?

🛗 🛗 🛗 Let’s step into the elevator and find out. 🛗 🛗 🛗

Scene: The Elevator Ride Begins

The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime. A well-dressed man stepped inside, his movements as precise as a Swiss watch. His posture was straight, his expression composed yet enigmatic. Meet Marcus, the Modern Stoic—a man who lives by the ancient wisdom of Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus, whose motto could easily be: “Keep calm and rationalize on.”

To Marcus, virtue is the only true good, and emotions are unruly children best kept in line.

Near the panel stood Christian, who offered a warm nod. Christian was on his way to church for communion and a sermon on the Transfiguration of Christ. But before that, he indulged in his favorite pastime—riding elevators just to see who might join him. “Every elevator is a tiny ark of possibility,” he liked to say. And somehow, he was always right.

For Marcus, however, life was less about possibility and more about probability. His expectations were as low as his self-discipline was high.

He believed in the stoic virtues of reason and acceptance, not in serendipity—certainly not in divine revelation.

Still, as the doors closed and the elevator began its ascent, even Marcus couldn’t entirely escape the curious twinge that perhaps this ride might take him somewhere unexpected.

Modern Stoics like him often commit to memory the words of Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus, repeating them like quiet mantras to reinforce their truths:

“You have power over your mind—not outside events.”
“Fate leads the willing, and drags along the reluctant.”
“What stands in the way becomes the way.”

Christian studies him for a moment, sensing the quiet force of a man who has built walls—not of arrogance, but of resolve. He respects that.

As The Door Closes

The doors close, and the elevator jerks suddenly, stopping between floors. It lurches. Then drops a few inches. Both men feel the loud “clunk” beneath them.

Christian: (Sensing danger? Breakdown?) “Uh… That’s not good.”

A flicker of tension crosses Marcus’ face, but he corrects himself, breathing deeply and repeating under his breath, perhaps a bit more rapidly:

Marcus: “Amor fati. Amor fati.” (“Love your fate.”)

Christian, still holding the railing, smirks.

Christian: “That reminds me of something Russell Crowe would say—sorry, I mean Gladiator. Maximus, in the movie, was a Stoic, right?”

Marcus: (Nods approvingly.) “The consummate Stoic. That’s why the bros love the movie. Stoicism is huge with guys like me. Maximus is THE man. It’s all about justice, discipline, and endurance. A man’s man.”

The man turns to him, an eyebrow slightly raised.

Marcus: “Marcus.” (Extends a firm, controlled handshake.)

Christian: (Shakes it.) “Christian.”

Marcus: (Inclining his head slightly, as if considering the name.) “You live up to it? Your name?“

Christian: (Chuckles.) “Working on it. I’m going to church. That helps a lot!”

(Studies Marcus for a moment.) “What about you? Marcus—are you living up to your namesake?”

A flicker of amusement crosses Marcus’ otherwise disciplined face. He answers without hesitation:

Marcus: “A name is given. Then character is built.”

Christian: (Lets out a low whistle.) “That’s solid. Okay, tell me. What is a Stoic?”

Marcus: (Nods.) “Self-mastery. Reason. Accepting what is beyond control.”

Christian: (Leaning against the wall.) “You follow Marcus Aurelius.”

Marcus: (A flicker of approval.) “Among others. His Meditations is a guide for life.”

Christian: (Snaps his fingers.) “Right. And what was his motto? ‘What we do in life…’” (Christian knows the quote, but he is setting up a joke. It’s a bad habit of his. It drives his girlfriend nuts.)

Marcus: (Without hesitation.) “What we do in life echoes in eternity.”

Christian: (Grins.) “Whoa! Ever wonder why it echoes?” (He starts to laugh at his own joke.)

Marcus: (Pauses, intrigued.)

Christian: (Shrugs.) “Sorry, bad joke.”

Marcus: (Remains impassive.) “A joke that requires explanation is merely words seeking laughter.”

Christian: (Nods.) “That sounds like another Stoic thing to say.”

Marcus: “Stoicism is not concerned with amusement. It is concerned with virtue. The only true good.”

Christian: (Gestures toward him.) “And how do you define virtue?”

Marcus: (Recites as if he’s said it many times before.) “Wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance. The four cardinal virtues.”

Christian: (Nods.) “Good list. No wonder Gladiator is so popular with young guys.”

Marcus: (Tilts his head.) “How so?”

Christian: (Shrugs.) “It’s more than a battle movie—it’s about a man who stays virtuous, even when the world crumbles around him. Maximus lives by honor, duty, and courage. He doesn’t let even grief break him.”

Marcus: (Acknowledges with a small nod.) “He embodies Stoic ideals.”

Christian: (Exhales.) “Yeah. But think about this—Maximus was still just a man.”

Marcus: (Considers this.)

Christian: (Continues.) “What if there was someone greater—not just a man of virtue, but someone who was more than only human?”

Marcus: (Raises an eyebrow.)

Christian: (Leans in.) “That’s what today’s reading in church is about. The Transfiguration. Jesus wasn’t just a good man. He was that, but so much more. He literally had the “mother of all mountaintop experiences”! Do you know the story?”

Marcus: (Tilts his head slightly.) “Only a little. Could you tell it to me? Leave nothing out.”

Christian: (Nods.) “Jesus, whom you’ve heard of, no doubt, was about to go to Jerusalem. But before He took the trek, He went up a high mountain and took three of His followers. It was like He went there for a meeting. And the three followers saw something that shook them to the core.”

Marcus: (Listening, silent.)

Christian: (Continuing, voice low but charged with meaning.) “They saw Jesus begin to glow—bright. He was like lit from the inside and the outside. Brilliant! And He was speaking with Moses and Elijah from centuries before, but it was like they knew each other. Like they were friends.

The weird thing is that they were talking about His final trip home, like Jesus would leave earth and come home and make a way for a bunch of people to go with Him. They even called it an Exodus!”

Marcus: (Raises an eyebrow.) “An Exodus?”

Christian: (Nods.) “Yeah, like the first one—but bigger. And those three men watching the other three? When they heard God’s voice, it was as clear as ever. Booming.” (Pauses, then echoes the words with quiet reverence.) ‘This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to Him!’”

Marcus: (Says nothing.) “What do you learn from this?”

Christian: (Presses on.) “Well, the way I see it is this: Stoicism is a philosophy because it’s built on what someone said. But the Christian faith isn’t built so much on what Jesus said. It’s built on what He did—because of who He was.”

Marcus: (Folds his hands.) “Words and deeds both fade, don’t they?”

Christian: (Meets his gaze.) “Unless you’re the Son of God!!” That was the whole point. God said to the three followers—and every other follower, including me—This is my Son. Listen to Him.”

Imagine that. I follow the man Jesus AND the Son of God, Jesus!

Marcus: (After a pause.) “Well, what did Jesus do?”

The elevator chimes. The doors slide open.

Christian: (Smiling.) “I need more time. You’ve got to come to my church. How about it? Will you join me on Easter Sunday here.” (He hands Marcus an invitation card he picked up that morning in the church lobby. It lists the day and times of the Easter morning service.)

Marcus takes the card and steps out, hesitating for half a second. He turns back. For the first time, something in his usually composed expression softens.

Marcus: (Quietly, but firm.) “I will consider the invitation. I have further questions, Christian. Some things deserve further thought.”

Then he walks away.

The doors close.

The ascent continues. 🛗 🛗

Conclusion: Faith and Philosophy

As the elevator doors close, one truth stands out—Christianity is not just a philosophy. It can contain a philosophy and some people promote one Christian philosophy or another.

But Christianity is a personal linkage to the founder/teacher AND an eternal connection to the Savior/Redeemer. Like Stoicism, it offers wisdom on how to live. But unlike any philosophy, it is built on what Jesus, who He was and what He did, not just what He said.

Philosophies can guide life, but they cannot save. They can help someone endure suffering, but only Jesus can redeem it. They can help someone to face death, but only Jesus has conquered it.

And that is why the elevator doors will open again.

Next Week: Into the Wilderness

On the first Sunday of Lent, Christian will read about Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness—a time of testing, hunger, and confrontation with the enemy.

And in the elevator? He meets Samantha, the Spiritual Seeker—a woman drawn to meditation, energy work, crystals, and a mix of religious traditions. She believes all paths lead to God. Ommmmmms….

But what happens when she meets the one who said, “I am the Way”?

See you next week.

David Roseberry ☩
The Anglican