Writing The Stations of the Cross

 

My pastor asked me to write a series of devotions for the Stations of the Cross that will be set up outside Trinity Lutheran Church in Sanford next week. In case you don’t know, the Stations of the Cross depict the path that Jesus walked on the day of his crucifixion. 

 

There will be 14 stops on our journey to the cross. Each stop will include a banner, a scripture passage, a short devotion, and a prayer. How the devotions and prayers were written was up to me.

 

As I prayed about writing the devotions, a very simple idea came to mind: stick to the scripture, Deanna. Stick to the words and phrases that speak to you as you take your own journey to the cross.

 

So that’s what I did. I didn’t break out the commentaries. I didn’t do an in-depth exegesis of each passage. I simply read the passages and let the words and phrases meet me where I am. And here’s what I found:

 

Jesus was brutally honest with God in prayer.

 

Jesus’s spirit was deeply wounded by Judas’s betrayal even before his body was deeply wounded by the beatings.

 

Jesus remained silent in the face of blatant lies because he knew that no words would convince the Sanhedrin differently.

 

Jesus came into the world to testify to the truth of God’s love, yet his own people did not hear his voice.

 

Mob mentality is a dangerous thing that most often leads away from justice.

 

Jesus began his journey to the cross alone, but he couldn’t make it alone.

 

Jesus didn’t speak much toward the end of his life, yet he made a long speech to the women—the marginalized, overlooked, overseen women.

 

One of the most beautiful prayers ever prayed is “Father, forgive them…”.

 

It’s never too late to be selfish like the first criminal on the cross, but it’s also never too late to be redeemed like the second.

 

Jesus refused to die before he knew that the people he loved would be cared for.

 

Jesus died fully God yet fully human.

 

Joseph of Arimathea did not give into mob mentality and instead offered Jesus a tomb out of the goodness of his heart.

 

In the next week, I challenge you to read through the final day of Jesus’s life. What words and phrases jump out at you? What is God guiding you to offer out of the goodness of your heart?

 

Oh God, you speak to us where we are, when we need it most. Thank you. Amen.