Susan Shafer, Pastor Emerita Bonnie Matthaidess, Spiritual Director
Journeying With Jesus in Life-giving Resurrection
A Lenten Devotional – 2025
Cover photo by Glen Peck
{{page}}
You are invited on a Lenten journey as together we are challenged to a new understanding of Resurrection that is not limited to Life-After-Death. We don’t have to wait until death to experience Life-giving Resurrection. Together we will discover that in our life stories and moments Life-giving Resurrection is NOW even though we would never have named them as such. In this Lenten season may we discover that in our everyday lives we are always at the threshold of Resurrection. As Donna E. Schaper writes in Calmly Plotting the Resurrection, “Living now with resurrected spirit is where we are headed. It is triune: a raised self, a raised church, and a raised society. It is interactive: I raise my body to raise your spirit, and you raise your body to help me raise mine. We raise each other for the sake of our world. We lift society up from the gutter so that society can lift us up.” May Ash Wednesday be your first step on our 2025 Lenten Journeying With Jesus in Life-Giving Resurrection. Rev. Susan Shafer, Asbury First Pastor Emerita Ms. Bonnie Matthaidess, Spiritual Director
Lent 2025
Introduction
Welcoming Christ
"Christus" by Bertel Thorvaldsen
This picture is of a sculpture depicting the moving and comforting scripture in Matt 11:28. “Christus” is a marble statue rendered by the sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen of Danish and Icelandic heritage who was of international fame. He was born in Copenhagen and sculpted this for the apse of the Vor Frue Kirke in Copenhagen. When you gaze at this, one is surrounded by a “thing” of true beauty. The welcoming arms invite you into a sense of being enveloped by these extended arms. At the bottom just below this magnificently sculpted “opened arms” of Christus, is the engraved inscription of Jesus’s words as we know them: “Come Unto Me.” There is a story about Thorvaldsen finishing the sculpture with a young boy in attendance who stared in wonder at the sculpture. When Thorvaldsen asked him what he thought of the sculpture he said: “It is a thing of beauty! But I cannot see the face of Christus.” Thorvaldsen replied: “Oh, you can only see his face on bended knee.” As we find ourselves in this Lenten period, our thoughts turning to Jesus and His journey to the Cross and Resurrection, we can wonder together on bended knee “who is this gift of Christ who welcomes us and invites us into His welcoming presence?” On bended knees we are invited into the journey and asked to meditate on bended knee on the gift-giving journey of Jesus that can be ours. The companionship of Jesus as we reflect on this miraculous gift we may find a moment of resurrection ourselves. Reflections: • Can you name an experience where the open arms of Christ enveloped you? • Where is it in your life now that you are longing for the open arms of Christ to “come unto you?”
Week One
On Bended Knee
“I Love to Tell the Story” is a hymn from my childhood Sunday School days. I still hear my favorite Sunday School teacher telling us “how blessed we were to be the recipients of Jesus' love” and that we were to “live our lives lovingly and to tell Jesus’ story in word and deed whether at school, home or play.” Yes, we know there is power in telling Jesus’ story whether quoting scripture OR in telling our personal stories of Jesus in our lives. In Lent 2025, you are invited to tell Resurrection stories, moments of being raised up, or of life-giving experiences. These are the stories of God at work NOW. Such is a story of mine... The bent over woman’s story from Luke 15 fascinated me and I wanted to learn about this woman who could not raise herself up for 18 long years, who was shunned by society and not even given a name but was known only for her infirmity. To relate her story at a retreat I walked slowly around their circle. They saw me dressed in drab, ragged clothes, wearing shoes with holes, my hair in disarray. I know not how, but it seemed as though she and I became one. The feelings were beyond imagining when the realization dawned on me that the only thing one sees when bent over is from ones knees down: legs, ankles, feet, shoes, the dirty ground. There was no sunshine, no eye contact, no facial expression, no connection with anyone; it was lonely, very lonely, dark, scary, disorienting, demeaning, isolating. I attempted to share these feelings with those present and asked them to consider how they were connecting with this woman, how would they communicate with her, with a nobody who was shunned by society. I anticipated a long silence as people struggled with how to respond. But in a split second, with no hesitation, a woman knelt before me, gently took my face in her hands and raised my face to hers as we met eye to eye (even now, her name and face are still very real to me). She raised me up! It seemed as though through her; it was a resurrection moment for the bent over woman and for me. Reflections: • Is there an experience you remember when you had some of the same feelings as the bent over woman… lonely, afraid, in the dark, scared, disoriented or isolated? • Who or what was there to be “with” you, to raise you up? Could you now name this as a Life-Giving Resurrection experience? • What Life-Giving experiences have you experienced or observed?
Week Two
Have you ever imagined actually meeting or seeing our resurrected Christ? On our own journeys, unexpectedly, we may see a face of Christ however we might envision it and be surprised. I taught a class a while back at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School. We were seeking to understand how… when… might… the Resurrected Lord come to us in our everyday living. Belief and unbelief were part of our discussions. One of the participants, a practicing physician, told this story that I have never forgotten. With a face of sincerity and serious reflection, he began. “It was a tasking day in the office. The end of the day was in sight, and I was thoroughly exhausted from emotion, discouragement and disillusionment with the task of telling one more person that I could not “cure” them of disease. My receptionist stepped into my office, where I had just taken a seat, and she told me there was a woman out in the front reception area who had no appointment but insisted upon seeing me. It turned out that not only did she not have an appointment, as reported, she had no insurance as well. She was dressed in disheveled clothing, unwashed and pleading. Against my better judgement and with great hesitation I agreed to see her. I entered the examining room… went to the sink to wash my hands before looking at her and examining her. When I turned around … there she sat … I saw with my own eyes … my depiction of the living resurrected Christ. It was an experience of the resurrected Christ in my midst and my very own journey. Never did I think it could happen!” We may not know when or where, we may not even believe it, but the Resurrected Christ journeys with us and promises that we can see, feel, or experience this gift in our own way. He is among us. Thanks be to God! Reflections: • What do you see in this depiction of this African Jesus? What speaks to you in this art? • What are your experiences of seeing or knowing the Crucified Christ in your life? • As you reflect, is there a time or times you missed Him in His disguise?
Week Three
A Moment of Resurrection
New Ears to Hear
In this Lenten season, we are encouraged to think of our life-giving experiences, past or present, as Resurrection moments. For many of us this new way of thinking is an exciting one. Resurrection is indeed not a one-time-in- -history event. As I remember a time of being overwhelmed with what seemed like life’s demands - at work, at home, at church, etc. - I felt drained but kept plugging along day after day and sometimes felt resentful of what I believed was expected of me. It was my turn to offer morning devotions for the children at our church’s daycare. They had been learning about the Zaccheus story. You remember Zaccheus was the unethical tax collector, not respected by the people. One day Jesus passed through the crowded town, and everyone wanted to see Him. Zaccheus had climbed up a tree for a vantage point and who was it that Jesus says He is going to have dinner with, but Zaccheaus! Jesus associated with all people (even tax collectors) and this opened the eyes of the crowd. I reviewed the Zaccheus story with the children and climbed up a tree (actually a ladder) while they sang their song. “Zaccheus was a wee little man and a wee little man was he. He climbed up in a Sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see. And as the Savior passed that way, he looked up in the tree and he said, “Zaccheus, you come down. For I’m coming to your house today; for I’m coming to your house today.” One of the children was to play the part of Jesus and to call Zaccheus down from the tree. I was Zaccheus up a ladder/tree. The young man clearly and loudly cried out, “Bonnie, you come down.” Everyone laughed at his mistake, but he touched something deep within me. There was an inner voice that said, Bonnie, it’s time to come down from your perch of self-imposed over-commitment. It is time to align your living with your values, not from that high place looking down but from that place where Jesus promises life over death now. This was life-giving, a turning around, a turning toward wholeness that has stayed with me. Resurrection for sure! Reflections: • What is aligning with your values and is life-giving? Give thanks for it. • What is not life-giving? Are there adjustments, changes to be made? How will you be held accountable for these changes? • Donna Shaper writes, “Rest is a form of resurrection. It is rising above the ‘stuff’ long enough to breathe. Mature people can rise. We can breathe. We don’t take the ‘stuff’ as seriously as we take Jesus’ promise of life over death.” Does this strike a chord with you? How? • If Jesus came to your house today, what would you like that conversation to be like? Would you be more of a talker or listener?
Week Four
“Father Forgive Them” These words of Jesus dwell and resound deeply in my heart. They are almost unbelievable. It must be the Divine in Jesus that could only speak those words with unimaginable compassion and true intention. A man about to face his death… a betrayal…an awful death. And yet we hear and read these words knowing we are a part of those surrounding him, disciples on a journey with “Jesus,” not perfect but wanting to be in his presence. We seek the worthiness to be called Disciples. Jesus has “sat at table” for nourishment with another message to friends… and most importantly right now… a message over time to us. We all know the story of the betrayal of Jesus by Judas, and here he sits in the depiction… turned away from the rest… he had to have known what he had done… and the others are there, not fully able to understand what is to come, nor that they are “imperfect but earnest strivers.” One never knows what another brings to the Communion Table as God’s people. We bring ourselves, needing peace in our hearts, needing the companionship of Christ’s Love, needing to believe that we are invited fully into the presence of Christ… needing a presence and gift of FORGIVENESS, and perhaps needing to encounter a moment of resurrection on our own journey from the One who can love us and give us forgiveness. The need for forgiveness resides in all of us. There are simple mistakes we have made: Moments where we did not treat one as a neighbor deserving of love, maybe; a harsh word spoken out of hurt, maybe; an act of unkindness, maybe; a good intention misunderstood that hurts another, maybe; a heart thinking one is not worthy of forgiveness. And then… there it is: Receiving Holy Grace and Holy Forgiveness through the Bread broken and the Cup shared. And one is joined by the Spirit of Christ: Redeemed, forgiven, saved and LOVED! EXTRAORDINARY!!! Resurrection Moments are for each who come with faith and sincerity to a journey with Christ. Resurrection is not once-in-a-lifetime, but a continuing GIFT. Each time we ask for that resurrected presence of forgiveness and love in our lives... as the author Marcus Borg said: “meeting Jesus again for the first time,” in his book of the same name. May your encounters on your journey be life-saving and renewing, and may you experience forgiveness granted and received, for as we pray: Our Father who art in heaven… Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our trespasses as We forgive those who trespass against us” Reflections: • Name an experience of forgiveness in your life. • Name an experience of forgiving another in your life.
Week Five
The Gift of Forgiveness
This picture of Jesus carrying the Cross is haunting. It evokes so many thoughts and feelings, none of which are ever commun-icated through Jesus himself on his journey carrying the cross. The cross looks heavy, cumbersome, and his body is probably unaccustomed to dragging a heavy cross of wood all alone on the journey. Yet, that is the passionate and faithful journey Jesus makes on his way to the actual Crucifixion. The actuality of the Crucifixion awaits. He had to be weary with the true sense, as much as he could understand, of that which was his destiny. It would seem from the depiction that every muscle tensed as he wearily took the journey to Golgotha. Jesus stayed the course, and it became a creative encounter with God. The reenactment of Jesus’ carrying of the cross has been performed at Asbury First for many years as part of the Maundy Thursday service. After sitting at table and sharing in Communion and being a part of the church community as disciples had done in ancient times, someone who has been chosen to carry the cross placed before the altar in the sanctuary, begins the cross laden journey down the long aisle and out into the night. We each carry crosses in our lives, some small, others over-bearing, but none quite like this cross of Jesus. As one who “early on” carried the cross, it is a creative encounter with God in Christ. The heaviness of the wood resting on my shoulder leads me into a fear of not being able to bear the burden… what if I fail… the steps are hard to manage balancing the cross… each step a reminder of the steps of life that can be ever so very difficult… the aisle is long… longer than I ever experienced, and the people are watching… and my soul is being called to the presence of the Living Christ… who bears this with me. Four soldiers accompany me and, at one moment, as the cross begins to slip from my shoulder, there is an unexpected hand that joins over the top of mine… the hand is steadying, and ah, there it is … a moment of resurrection through the companionship of one who also knows this burden is heavy. I am safe. I am not alone! Another would speak of this same experience with these words: On my knees with head bowed, a prayer for grace, strength and power to meet the honor, in this sacred hour. The burden – heavy … the pace steady with knees trembling and back aching. to think our Savior endured much pain simply given for our gain! Now beneath the cross, in the still of the night. wind rustling the leaves on site, rain drops falling I hear God calling. These are my tears, To dispel your fears With you I’ll stand In carrying out MY plan. (N. Davidow) Reflections: • What feelings are evoked in you as you study this picture of Jesus carrying the cross? • What are your heavy burdens and your experiences of realizing that the God of Jesus’ Cross is with you?
He Stayed The Course
Week Six
Welcome Easter Morning! Welcome Easter People! How exciting that our eyes have been opened to learn that Resurrection is not just a one-time experience in history. It is more than Life-After-Death, for it is also about Life-Before-Death. Throughout Jesus’ earthly journey he was raising up people no matter one’s color, gender, or creed. Think of the woman at the well - not his ethnicity nor accepted in her community. He raised her up; she began a new life. He gave value to the widow’s tiny mite. He dined with tax collectors, outcasts and attended weddings where the wine ran out. Jesus was always about Resurrection, the raising up, the giving of life. Friends, we are witnessing the Resurrection spirit among us now. We see this when giving a repaired bicycle to one with no transportation or offering a dining experience to those who are hungry. We are privileged to see the joy in the refugee’s eyes whose children had no clothes leave the Caring Center with a hug and clothing and a fresh pair of shoes. And are not our hearts warmed as the stranger is welcomed in our Gathering Space? Now important questions do arise as we live in this Resurrection spirit – both globally and within ourselves. We become more conscious of those who hunger both in our world and locally, those suffering from disasters from fire, flood, snow, war and violence to name but a few. All need new life and to be raised up and we ask ourselves how will we respond? At the same time we look inward, becoming more aware of our own behaviors and life patterns that are not life-giving and we seek God’s Grace to bring new life there. So where does this Resurrection spirit take us this Easter morning and as we look onward to the days ahead? Perhaps it’s the awareness that the work of Easter has just begun… for us to take a new path, one of Journeying with Jesus in Life-Giving Resurrection. Ev’ry morning is Easter morning from now on! Ev’ry day’s Resurrection Day, the past is over and gone! Goodbye guilt, goodbye fear, good riddance Hello Lord, Hello sun! I am one of the Easter People! My new life has begun. from “Every Morning is Easter Morning” Words by Donald S. Marsh
Easter Morning
Photo by Glen Peck
Week Seven
1050 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607 • (585) 271-1050 www.asburyfirst.org
Love God and Neighbor. Live Fully. Serve All. Repeat.