FACE TO FACE with Jesus Praying with Luke in Lent and Easter

​Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on March 5 and ends in the glorious celebration of  the resurrection of our Lord on Easter, Sunday, April 20.  As you journey through Lent, make reading the Bible your Lenten discipline.  Join me in prayerful reflection on the life of Jesus according to Luke.

The Gospels, like icons, paint portraits of Jesus so that we may personally encounter him face to face.  When that happens, not only will you see Jesus, but also yourself and discover who you truly are.  During Lent, as you daily read from Luke’s Gospel, imagine you’re looking at many portraits of Jesus, each revealing something different, and pray for your own face to face with him and be prepared to see yourself and change what needs to change.
 
In many of Luke’s pictures Jesus is travelling through the many towns and villages of Palestine.  On his way he taught, healed, trained disciples, confronted critics, and much more.  This focus on journey is an invitation to travel with Jesus, seeking your own face-to-face encounters with him.

The middle section of Luke describes Jesus’ final slow and long journey towards Jerusalem and the cross (9:51-19:28).  Since I focused on this section in Lent 3 years ago, I’ve omitted most of it, along with other passages used in 2022, in these meditations.
 
The format for these devotions is based on the ancient discipline of lectio divina.  I use five movements in each devotion:

1. Prepare to listen.  Take time to prepare to hear God speak, using the verse given to focus your attention.  The verse each week is from that week’s Psalm for the Sunday of Lent, as per the Revised Common Lectionary.
2. Prayerfully read the passage from Luke.  Read slowly, wondering about Jesus, knowing what you see; be prepared to be surprised and be willing to be honest.  Read with a beginner’s mind, and read boldly with a sense of adventure.
3. Prayerfully wonder and reflect.  Each meditation begins and ends with a question.  Wonder about them if you find them helpful.
4. Prayerfully respond.  Bible reading ends with prayer.  Use the suggested prayer or simply sit still and silent as you let what you read sink in.
5. Live obediently.  Paul wrote, “For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but the doers of the law who will be justified” (Romans 2:13).  Commit to living the Word each day.

 
Note: I use the New Revised Standard Bible throughout.  The icon of Jesus used in these devotions is from the Church of the Savior in Orange City, IA, painted by Rein Vanderhill and used with permission.
 
By Jackie L. Smallbones ©2025
Not to be copied without permission from Jackie.  Use the 'contact' to get in touch.  I would also appreciate any comments, suggestions, corrections as you daily read during Lent and Holy Week.