One Lenten practice that I have found myself returning to year after year as part of how I engage the season is walking with—and praying through—the Stations of the Cross. Typically, this has been within a congregation setting with a visual setup for each station, and a booklet with readings and prayers for each station, as well. By joining together with others as we walk thru the Stations marking Jesus’ journey to the Cross and Tomb, it seems to help me slow down and quiet the worldly pushes and pulls that can drown out the still small voice of God I need to hear. Here are a few observations that have been impactful to me over the years in the midst of this practice.
The movement has been meaningful to me. It is typically not that far, the journey from one station to the next station, and it is not rushed or frantic. Involving the physical nature of our humanity has become an important piece of the prayer for me. Different sights and perspectives come into play, shadows are cast at different angles as we progress through the Stations—with both words and our physical presence. There is a journey that is present, as well as a remembering of places and times past, and an expectation of those to come.
Being part of a group has been important. Throughout the years, there have been different groups of folks at different places; and there’s been blessings from them all. Hearing different voices doing the readings and prayers often touches my soul: Young voices, steady and sure voices, voices cracking with the weight of the meaning of the words they are speaking. There has been a reminder for me of how much we need all of the Kingdom of God to truly be the Kingdom of God. Some of those voices I will never hear again—except in my soul—but they live there now, because of what we have shared.
I have been astonished at which stations and moments have stood out to me. Sure, as Jesus is nailed to the Cross or as He dies, those moments are powerful and emotional. But I’ve also noticed that, throughout the years, and even within the weeks of a particular Lenten season, different points in the stations will grab hold of my life where it is right then.
Jesus falling…three times.
The women of Jerusalem wailing.
A tender moment with Mom and a Friend.
Those events that occurred over two thousand years ago seem to live in my life, as well. I have often begun the stations thinking I knew which one would stand out to me on that time through, and I have nearly always been surprised when a different station—or even just a phrase or word—pierced my heart like an arrow. I have come to trust that the moments will be there, even when I am not looking for them.
One last observation of this practice throughout the years is that the repetition has been a blessing. Throughout most Lenten seasons, I have practiced the Stations of the Cross once a week; the same stations and, for the most part, the same words. Some phrases have been repeated again and again, station to station, week to week, year to year. I have needed that repetition. I have needed the comfort of returning to prayers that have been prayed not just a time or two before, but for decades. I did not know that when I began this practice, and the value has not always been clear, but I have absolutely needed it.
The journey through the Stations of the Cross has been a cherished and valuable Lenten practice for me. It has calmed me, reassured me, challenged me, broken me, and loved me. I am thankful for the gift this practice has been in my life.
—The Rev. Bryan Beard
Church of the Holy Cross, Owasso