sf1018 - An Easter Meditation - The Stations Of The Cross (Psalm 22)
Psalm 22:1-31
Introduction
The Stations of the Cross are observed in many mainline protestant churches as well as most Catholic churches. The origins of this observance can be traced to the early Christian pilgrims to Jerusalem who as an act of devotion retraced the route of Jesus as he carried his cross to his death.
By the sixteenth century, the route this pilgrimage took through Jerusalem came to be called the Via Dolorosa, the Way of Sorrow. Along the Way, certain points on the journey (stations) were associated with specific events recounted (or implied) in the Gospel accounts. The Via Dolorosa and the Stations of the Cross are still a popular pilgrimage destination in Jerusalem. Each year on Good Friday, thousands of Christians retrace the route of Jesus through the streets of the Old City of Jerusalem, many carrying small or large wooden crosses.
Throughout Scripture, God's people are called to remember specific events (for example, Psa 105). But they are not called to remember events for the sake of the event. They are called to remember because those events are part of who they are, and what they will become. They become markers of a journey as those who were no people become a people (Ex 6:7, 1 Peter 2:10), as those who grope awkwardly in the darkness come into the light of God's presence (Isa 9:2, John 8:12), as those who were far off draw ever nearer to God and his grace.
The value in the Stations of the Cross lies in the simple twofold enacted confession. First, life is sometimes dark, painful, and brings endings. That reality will not go away even for the Son of God. Second, God does some of his best work in the darkness as we persist in the journey, even when that journey leads to Golgotha. Resurrection Sunday has no meaning without Good Friday. This journey reminds us of the darkness as a basis to celebrate the light. In this sense, we need to remember that the Stations of the Cross are primarily a context for prayer and reflection.
Station 1: Pilate Condemns Jesus to Die (Matthew 27:11-14, 24-26)
O Lord, help me deal with the unfairness of life without becoming critical of others. Help me to be sensitive to the pain and feelings of others. Give me the courage to do what is right without being swayed by the demands of others.
Station 2: Jesus Accepts His Cross (Matthew 27:27-31; John 19:17)
Jesus you are my King and I would like to think that I am ready to follow you. But am I? Am I willing to yield my ideas of what the Kingdom should look like for the role of a servant? Am I really so willing to give up my human preoccupation with power and control and accept a different kind of crown than I was expecting? Am I willing to take up my cross and die to self daily in order to follow and glorify You?
Station 3: Simon Helps Carry the Cross (Mark 15:21)
O Lord, forgive me for becoming so preoccupied with myself that I have become deaf and blind to the grief and suffering of those around me. Forgive me for my indifference. Constantly remind me that I cannot love you without loving others as well. Help me always remember that to be a follower of yours means that I share in the burdens of others.
Station 4: Jesus Speaks to the Women (Luke 23:27-31)
O Lord, forgive my unwillingness to repent, to confess all that I am before you. Help me go beyond the repentance mouthed in words of false piety, to sweep away all the facades of who I try so hard to be before others, and recall who I really am inside. Help me once again stand before God with a bare and open heart. Help me not just to repent in words, but to put that repentance into action in everything I am and do. O Lord, give me the gift of tears to weep for my own failures, for my sins, for the pain I bring to others, and to live the fruits of repentance.
Station 5: Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments (John 19:23-24)
O Lord you were disgraced on my behalf, forgive me when I have been embarrassed because of your gospel. I must learn to trust you to be my covering when the world seeks to strip me of my self-sufficient garments.
Station 6: Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross (Mark15:23-32)
Lord, you gave your life for me, for all you came to save (Matthew 1:21). Yet, I have often held back my life from You. Today I must ask, “For what am I willing to give my life? Am I truly willing to live everyday for You and Your glory?
Station 7: Jesus Cares for His Mother (John 19:25-27)
Like John, You have entrusted others to my care, my children, my spouse, my parents, those to whom I minister. Have I been faithful to Your charge? Have You left them in good hands?
Station 8: Jesus Dies on the Cross (Matthew 17:45-61)
Dear Lord, the horror of Your death is often lost in history. Time has softened the blow, yet Your death was unmatched in its injustice and pain (Isaiah 53). However, it is unparallel in its purpose and power (1 Peter 3:18; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Lord, help me today to mourn and yet rejoice in what Your cross means.
Station 9: Jesus Comes forth from the Grave (Matthew 28:1-10; Luke 24:1-10)
“He is not here, for He is risen!” Risen! Death conquered, the grave defeated, sin and Hell vanquished. Risen! New life for dead men and women. Risen! No more fear. Risen! Life eternal and full. Risen! May Your name be forever glorified!
Application
This Easter, go forth as the women did on that first resurrection Sunday and declare to all you see, He is Risen, He is Risen, Indeed!