How Jesus Got Through the Worst Week of His Life by Pastor Welty

We've all had bad weeks.  Weeks when frustrating things happen, and we aren't sure how we're going to cope.  Sometimes difficult things kindly spread themselves over a longer time, but sometimes they gang up on us in a short period of time. 

 The last week of Jesus' life was like that.  It began with his Triumphal Entry into the city of Jerusalem and ended with his resurrection from the dead. But a lot of difficult things happened between those events - including the betrayal of a friend, the denial of another friend, the rejection by the people he came to save, the humiliation of his trial and the pain of his crucifixion. 

 So how did Jesus get through the worst week of his life?  The gospels tell us that  he

·         Confirmed His Identity as God's Son·        

Spoke boldly about  the future

·         Received ministry from his friends

·         Spent intimate time with his followers

·         Spent intimate time with his Father

 During the Lent season, we'll be looking at some of these events in Jesus' life and explore how those events helped him to get through the worst week of his life.  It will remind us of the importance of being honest about what we're going through and finding healthy ways to cope. 

 Hebrews 4:15-16 says  - "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.  Let us then approach God’s throne of grace  with confidence, so that we may receive mercy  and find grace to help us in our time of need."

So as we think about how Jesus got through the worst week of his life, may that give us help and encouragement as we face our own challenges. 

Life at L’abri - Jessi Johnson - February 7, 2025

This place feels like a summer camp for messed up kids. Only it’s not summer and there is a severe lack of Kool-Aid. Which is probably a good thing, as that’s usually an indicator that you are in a cult. And it’s not a cult – they want you to leave and really haven’t been hounding me about not yet paying for my stay here. I sat in one of my tutoring sessions, just babbling on and on about my life to a patiently listening Ingvild, when I said, “is this supposed to be like therapy?” She shrugged and responded, “is it?” There is a deep acknowledgement of the whole person here – to look at someone as a whole being, complex and nuanced. It seems to be the common theme, how do we become more fully human?

 Today, I went to Petersfield for the Wi-Fi in Madeleine’s café. I came with a group interested in the charity shops, and slowly, the group dispersed until my friend, Sayaka, and I made our way to the café. Not to our great surprise, we ran into two other L’abri students. At one point, I looked up from my phone to see the rest of the crew also on their phones. A common experience in normal life, but totally abnormal for us L’abri-ers. I laughed thinking about what a strange and counter- cultural experience we are having, set apart from the world. The days feel long and full. I think that this is due to our schedules, but also due to the lack of technology distracting us from the passage of time. Last night, I laid down in bed and thought my day. The morning felt like it had happened in another life. Every moment is rich and intentional. Sometimes annoyingly so.

One of the workers, Peter Merz, father of Addie, led a discussion about spiritual wellbeing at the local pub. He asked us what our experience of L’abri is like… Having been through a particularly hard week, I observed that it is an annoyance and a blessing that you cannot hide at L’abri. People notice you, they acknowledge you. And then they help you.

 The discussions that happen here are so deep and real. Most are very honest. We all appreciate it when we can take a break from these types of conversation and have quiet or sillyness. And there is a lot of sillyness here.  Because so much happens in one day, let alone one week, it is hard to encapsulate my time here in digestible pieces. Common themes would be understanding our humanity and what it means to be fully human. Sometimes that means holding two seemingly paradoxical things at once. A yes… and yet.

 Our last lecture touched on the modernity of self. The lecturer, Joel, postulated that in the past, the sense of self was rather fixed. For example, if one was born into a peasant farmer family, that was likely going to be your life as well. Choices were limited and options were few. Nowadays, thanks to technological advances, we live in a more malleable world, with many more choices and opportunities. In some ways you can say it is better, and in others, you might say that it is worse. So, how does this impact an individual’s sense of self? Joel was working from a book by Carl Truman titled “Strange New World” and “The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self” (I think that’s what it is called, I’m not working from my notes at the moment). He spelled out this idea that the modern individual turns inward to the inner voice as the authority and guide for morality and identity. While in the past, an individual would succumb to an external authority and institutional submission. Neither are completely right, and neither are completely wrong.

 An idea that has fascinated me recently, as I have always wondered about what actually defines our identities – is it some undefinable essence within? Is it our actions? – is that identity only exists in relationship with others. That we were created for relationship, and through relationships, we know who we are. Something to think about. I like that not every idea is accepted here. We had a lecture about how to listen well, and how to disagree well. I think it would benefit many Americans to sit through this lecture and really consider what it means to truly listen to another, and to hold their own thoughts aside as the other speaks. If only we all gave each other that kind of space. We would all learn and grow so much.

 Another concept that I am interested in came from a lecture about gender, based on the lifetime research and writings of Prudence Allen, a nun and philosopher. My main take-away was the holding of another two seemingly paradoxical ideas about the genders, but I think it applies to any two people – equal dignity and significant (or meaningful) difference.

Every human has equal dignity and value, bestowed by their creator, in whose image we are all made, and the meaningful differences that should be celebrated. Chew on that one. Last night, we watched Princess Mononoke. What a treat! Wednesday are our culture and arts event. So far we have watched 3 movies – the first was called the Taste of Things (an absolutely stunning French film), and Shoplifters (a film in Japanese – I loved hearing

Sayaka’s perspective on this film as she speaks fluent Japanese and was explaining how the English subtitles missed some of the subtleties of the dialogue). Our last to Sunday high teas included a Scottish ceilidh dance and song sharing (I performed Caledonia and Catherine said it made her miss her home, thank you Ian for the gift of that song), and a play reading of a Dorothy Sayers interpretation of the gospel story. This was amazingly funny – the highlight was Peter T. doing his Trump impression to play Caiaphus.

When it is nice out, we have tea outside and play some kind of sport, mostly volleyball. It’s so welcoming and fun, and we never keep score and always get muddy.  They’ve let me chop wood a couple times. I love thinking that after a few years of curing, it will be keeping students warm.

 I’m trying to change my mindset in a lot of ways, and working on tending to old wounds. My tutor has been a great guide for me, truly listening and helping me to identify the ways that I can move forward. In a recent lunch discussion, the idea of adopting a “gift mindset” really struck me. If I felt that everything and everyone was a gift, how differently I would hold and interact with the world, including myself.

 I have so much more I could say, and not as much time. Maybe next week, I will work on more time to reflect and compose these “newsletters” – and actually give myself time to edit as well. I would love to also send out prayer requests. Here are the ones I can think of, in this moment:

 Ingvild (my tutor) – for wisdom, strength, and discernment, especially in her relationship to me.

James (a worker from a different l’abri) – that his visa will be approved so he can join his wife and family in America

Logan and Justin – a married couple from the states who lost their baby of 2 weeks. She is hoping to see her baby in a dream

Sayaka – stressed about finding work and a place to live

Emily – who is working through some painful memories

Me – as I am working on my mindset and tending to old wounds

Jessi Johnson's Letter

Allan and Su received this letter from Jessi and have chosen to share it with us.

Life at L’ Abri

After a long day of multiple train transfers, and navigating through the gurgling underbelly of London, I found myself standing on the platform in Liss. By 8 o’clock, I had come to the Manor house, graciously met and shuttled by one of the workers at L’abri. I missed the house tour and dinner, and was greeted by a couple of young boys belonging to one of the worker families who live here. Samuel swept his arm behind him and said, without an ounce of self-consciousness (as such is the way with precocious ten year old boys used to the comings and goings of all types of people), “Please excuse our home, it’s in a bit of a mess right now.” I was informed that the Manor House has a visiting group from Nashville who, as friends of L’abri, came for a work trip to do some painting and refreshing of a couple sections of the house. By the time I’m writing this, they have since departed. This is a common occurrence, the steady flow of visitors to the Manor House. Some people visit for dinner, some for 2 weeks, some for the entire term. We are expecting one more addition to our dorm room tonight, so there is always movement here.

 I walked in the main door of L’abri and into the chaos of this quirky and chilly house. I am fortunate to be living in the Waterhouse Dorm, because there is more than enough space to spread out and we haven’t been full (currently I only have 2 other roommates- Emily, from Nashville, and Dorottya, from Hungry – there are 6 other beds in the room). I missed dinner, but I was right on time for some hot chocolate in the front lobby. This was my first taste of many cacophonous gatherings. 

Let me give you a quick background this ministry of L’abri. I thought it was strange that no one I spoke with at church knew about L’abri. That mystery has been answered. At the inception of this ministry, the Schaeffers decided that they would rely on the Holy Spirit to continue it or not. They made a conscious choice to live in need of the Lord, not in security.

For this fact, they do not fundraise, and they do not advertise. The cost we pay as students only covers half of the cost to run the house and feed everyone. Everything else, including the workers’ allowance, comes from people who decide to give to them. As I was speaking with one of the women here, the money first covers the bills, then the allowances. This means really tight living and hardly any savings for the families. One of the young girls (a girl after my own heart), Addie, just turned 10 yesterday. She loves Anne of Green Gables, is incredibly intelligent, outgoing, smiles easily, and is bold in her demeanor; her gifts were all secondhand, but she revels in her newly dyed reddish hair and her red pea coat that twirls when she spins – purchased at a charity shop for 6 pounds. These people truly live on the edge of faith and rely on God moving in the hearts of others to bless them. It’s humbling to be here amongst such people. They also don’t advertise for students and pray that God will inform and move in the hearts of those who are meant to attend.

If I am counting correctly, there are 4 families living at L’abri and two single workers as well. All of these people are simply called “workers”. There are also some people who work in the office, but don’t live at the house – like Sarah, the woman who picked up and brought me to the house from the station, and Sharon, who does the finances. There is also a man named Marsh who is a mentor/ tutor to some of the men who come here – he doesn’t live at the house, but he does have a library in his office. With the 4 families, there are many children running around, growing up in a unique way. We dine with these families everyday, rotating through in groups. The Merz family (Addie is one of their 6 children) are from the States (Dawn) and Australia (Peter), the Sheltons (Evan and Lacey) are Australian (with 4 children), the Barricklows (I think they have 3 children) are from Scotland (Catherine) and the States (Joel), and the Pauls are from the UK (Jim) and South Africa (Marin). Additionally, there is Grace, who is from Nashville, and Ingvild, my tutor, who is from Norway. The workers all have either their own flat in the manor or live in one of the out buildings on the property surrounding the house. Mixed in with the students, there are also people who chose to come as helpers – these are people who live in the dorms, stay for the term, have been students in the past, and take on additional tasks assisting the operation of the house. It's quite chilly in the house, but fortunately, the dining room, living room, “Bakehouse”, and front lobby, all have cozy wood burning stoves. Thank God!!

 Here is the basic breakdown of a day at L’abri: Breakfast starts at 8 am, liturgical prayers at 9:10, work/study at 9:30, tea break at 11, work/study at 11:30, lunch discussion at 1, work/study at 3, tea break at 4:30, work/study at 5, dinner at 6:30.

Our days are busy and quite social. I’ll explain what we do during these times. Breakfasts are always led by one of the workers. Every meal is always explained before we eat. At breakfast, the leader will pray over the meal and then allow us to eat and chat before giving us announcements and sharing with us a reading of some kind – it might be a poem, or an excerpt, or a scripture.

Liturgical prayers work from a pre-written guided prayer booklet in the chapel, which used to be a little garden shed. Make sure you bring a blanket!  Work/study is straightforward. Either you are scheduled to do chores in this time, or you take the time to work on your self led study. So far, I have cleaned bathrooms, helped receive and restock the grocery delivery, laundry (no dryers here, everything hangs to dry, so you can only imagine how long that takes in such a damp and cold environment) and helped cook meals (which is my favorite chore by far). Others have helped with the painting, or cleaning dorms, chopping wood, etc. Chores are a crucial part of our experience here, as service is important to the Christian walk. It’s also deeply bonding and fun! Everyone is also expected to assist with washing the dishes – this is everyone’s responsibility. Any time in the kitchen will usually result in a lot of singing!

 Study is self directed, but we do have an assigned tutor who can give us recommendations of things to read for directing our questions. I’m currently reading a book by Ellis Potter called “3 Theories of Everything”. It’s brilliant. I plan on doing a book report after I finish that I will share with you, so I won’t say much about it here. I brought this one from home, but apparently Ellis is known to occasionally stop in and lecture at the Manor House. We can journal, walk, read, or listen to lectures in this time. They want us to truly be studying, but this time is ours.

 There’s a lot of tea in England, what can I say?! This is cacophonous time – although occasionally this bright light will come out of the sky and a strange color, will emerge – I wanna say it’s blue? – that will allow us to take tea outside. Some people will play volleyball or kick the soccer ball around (football, whatever).

The lunch discussion is interesting and difficult sometimes. L’abri really emphasizes the importance of asking honest questions. When we sit down for lunch, in our small groups (we do not choose), we discuss one question that someone raises. This can be about anything, as long as it is honest. Everyone hosts these lunches a little bit differently, but I enjoyed the rules from my first lunch discussion. Ingvild hosted this one and told us that before we speak, we must summarize what the person before us said, to ensure that we listened carefully, and understood their meaning. There was silences between speakers that were borderline awkward but I liked it. It said, slow down, pay attention, listen carefully, and think about the economy of your words. Not every lunch discussion has to be about something relating to God or the Bible or even spirituality and we don’t discuss giving personal advice or with preconceptions of everyone believing in God. We take the idea and we look at it. We toss it between ourselves like a hacky-sack and consider it’s meaning. Dinners are casual. We are fed, and spend time together, and that is enough. Not everyday is the same.  

Mondays are a little different – after breakfast there is a prayer meeting that goes from about 9:30-10:45. This is the most important time to the L’abri workers, as this is when they lay out their needs before God. As students, our needs become their needs, so we can share that with them as well. I meet with Ingvild on Mondays at 12 for an hour. Lunch is different as well. To give us a break from all the discussion, this lunch is a quiet, “no talking" music lunch. This week, we listened to Handel’s Messiah (part 2 and the end of part 3). You are allowed to read, write, daydream, or listen to the music, just no talking! And honestly, thank God for enforced quiet time. Then I have a work/study time, normal tea break, and then dinner as normal as well. Monday’s are a free evening; this past Sunday, a group of us got together to sing as there are many musicians here for this term. Are we surprised? I’m not.

 Tuesday’s are the normal structure, at 8pm we have a lecture from one of the workers. This week was Peter Merz giving Francis Schaeffer’s No Little People, No Little Places sermon. Like Moses’ rod became the staff of God, how can God use us – little sticks of wood, for his purposes?

 Wednesday’s are the normal structure, at 8pm we have “movie and culture night”. Last night, we watched a delightful French film called, The Taste of Things. It is a long and slow movie about these cooks in France, but it is so beautiful and thoughtfully shot.

Thursday’s are our free day, which means Wi-Fi in Petersfield. This is where I am currently. I spent the day with one of the other students, a 67 year old woman named Michelle, from Washington state. Yes, mom, she is 67, here for 5 weeks. I also went to a few charity shops to get more sweaters and cozy things, as well as stocking up on some needed toiletries.

Friday’s also follow the normal structure, at 8pm is a lecture that anyone in the community is invited to (and you could stream at home!). We haven’t had the community in yet, as last Friday was our first Friday here, they restricted it to just us. I’m looking forward to seeing what this will be like tomorrow.

 Saturday’s are also mostly the same. Following breakfast was a choir rehearsal for singing at one of the churches people here attend (IPC it’s Presbyterian and meets in an old, historic church building that’s very cold.). I really like the choir director, Judy (her husband John is from Greenwich) – she is going to meet with me for some casual private lessons.

Lunch was different – we all had lunch together in the Bakehouse (which is like the study hall outside of the library) and watched a youtube video from a podcast called Re-Enchanting. Highly recommend. We haven’t finished it yet, but it was brilliant. The person being interviewed is Joshua Luke Smith – a writer and musician. Check it out, it’s long, but worth it. For this past Saturday, the painting group from Nashville was still here, it was their last night, so we all had to celebrate, of course! We went out to a pub called the Spread Eagle and enjoyed a pint or two together. In truth, we got a little silly. There’s no booze allowed at L’abri, but I’m glad there are a few people here willing and able to enjoy a pint.

Sunday is not a normal day. Breakfast is later, at 8:30, and then church, that you may or may not attend, is at 10. We sang a lovely piece that sounded wonderful in this old church. I love that music follows me everywhere. Or is music just everywhere that I go? I can’t remember if lunch was normal with a discussion or not. I am starting to take notes for these, so that I can work on how I speak. I want my words to have weight and meaning, not babble. After lunch, I had a lovely walk with one of the young women in my dorm. Emily is from Nashville. She had lived here as a child, but came recently with her parents on the painting crew, and then decided to stay. Our walk was lovely, along a country road called Church Lane, and then through the mud and into a beautiful field. It had me remembering aline from Waking Ned Divine – “tell me, why would I pay to float around the Caribbean, when I can float in the cove for free?”. Walking through these fields is so reminiscent of Platt Park. It inspired me to later write this haiku: We walked through green fields - In old wellies, ill-fitting -It looks just like home.

 Dinner on Sundays is called High Tea. I don’t know why. We were all together for this meal, eating eggplant boats filled with ground beef accompanied by a beet and red cabbage salad (honestly the food has been delicious, and I don’t need the salt I brought). With this meal, we were instructed to write haikus, hence the above, which we later would share with one another in the cozy room at the Paul’s house. He read to us a bit about birds and their homing abilities and we all marveled at God’s miraculous creation.

 I am doing well. It’s been emotional, but I am where I am meant to be. I am so grateful for this place and this mess of delightfully broken and questioning, honest people. No one is pretending here. Everyone is looking, seeking for something, longing – yet real. It’s exhausting, and the house is quirky, you have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. But thank God. I am so grateful

"Psalms of David's Life" by Pastor Welty

I keep a daily journal.   Sometimes I write a few sentences or a paragraph or two.  Other times I don't feel that I have enough pages in my journal to contain all that's coming out of my head. It depends on what's going on in my life. 

 After Stephanie died, I spent a lot of time journaling to try to process my feelings.  Many of those feelings and entries were posted in this blog, and I asked you to accompany me on that journey.  That process helped me to come to terms with my new reality. 

 When I met Beth, and we started dating, I began to process that by journaling about feelings, possibilities, trying to understand what was going on in my head and heart.  The excitement and anticipation of a new relationship was at times overwhelming for a person my age.  As I've said before I hadn't gone on a date since Jimmy Carter was president, so I didn't know what I was doing.  Journaling helped me to sort things out.   Journaling for me has been a helpful tool for processing where I am in my life and ministry.

 When we read the Psalms, we are reading the journal entries of the great King David.  It is truly a great privilege to get this insight into the private thoughts of this great, but flawed man of God.   

Some of the Psalms have been connected with specific events in David's life.  This summer we're going to look at these Psalms and connect them into the context of David's life.  The hope is that we will learn from David, that as we face challenges in our lives, we too will be able to process them in some constructive fashion that will help us stay focused on our Lord. 

Jesus Predicted His Death by Pastor Welty

We are all going to die; it's 100% guaranteed.  The only exception is if we live until Christ returns,  but if we don't,  we are going to die - count on it. 

 Benjamin Franklin in speaking of our  Constitution  said that it has "an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."

 Woody Allen was quoted as saying:   "I'm not afraid to die.  I just don't want to be there when it happens."  Our own death, however, is an event that we will be required to attend.

 But death, at times, seems rather random.   Every day when I read the newspaper, I check the obituaries.  I want to know if anyone I know has passed away.  As I read them, occasionally I read these words,  “died unexpectedly “,  a terrible reminder that someone's life was cut short by a tragic accident, an overdose or suicide.

 I'll never forget May 9, 1996, when my friend Dave Kish, a test pilot at Sikorsky, was killed in a test flight.  He left home that beautiful spring morning like he always did, having no idea that he would not return.

 I also remember April 22, 2005 when my friend Andy Petronio as killed in a head on car accident coming home from work.  Or December 4, 2007  when my friend and mentor, Norm Shirk went out hunting with his son and grandson and died of a sudden heart attack. 

 And Beth will never forget October 27, 1997 when her first husband, Bob, went to play basketball with his friends and collapsed on the court and later died from a previously undetected heart malady.

 None of these men had any idea that that would be their last day of life.

 You might be asking, "Pastor Jim, why are you writing such a sad blog?"   The message is that none of us know when our time will come.  James asked the poignant question: What is your life? ... you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.  James 4:14

It is a grace that we don't know the time of our demise.  It would be very hard to live day to day with that ominous thought hanging over our heads.  But that's exactly how Jesus lived.  His death was not unexpected.  He knew that He was going to die a horrible, painful death.  It's not clear at what point in His life he became fully aware of that reality.  But He did know.   Jesus' words in Mark 10:45 remind us of that.  For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus lived under a tremendous burden during His life.  But as we'll see from the gospels, He predicted His death repeatedly to His followers.  Perhaps he was trying to prepare them for what was ahead or perhaps He needed to process it with those closest to him although clearly they didn't understand what He meant.

 During the weeks leading up to Easter, we're going to look at those predictions of His death and hopefully understand and appreciate more than ever the great sacrifice He made for us. 

Three of these predictions are clear and direct and four of them are more subtle, but the message is clear.  Jesus knew that His mission was to give His life away for us.