Stations of the Cross - Day 14

The last station, 14, is "Jesus is Buried."

Accept each moment as it comes to you,
with faith and trust
that all that happens has my mark on it.
A simple fiat, this is all it takes;
a breathing in your heart,“I will it, Lord.”

So seek me not in far-off places.
I am close at hand.
Your workbench, office, kitchen,
these are altars
where you offer love.
And I am with you there.


(From Everyone’s Way of the Cross by Clarence Enzler)

Matthew 28:16-20
16Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

He is risen, bloggy friends! He is risen, indeed! Happy Easter~

CONTINUE READING...

Stations of the Cross - Day 13

Happy Easter-Eve, bloggy friends. Today's station is "Jesus is Buried."

This is a hard prayer for me today:

I beg you, Lord,
help me accept the partings that must
come –from friends who go away,
my children leaving home,
and most of all,
my dear ones
when you shall call them to yourself.

Then, give me grace to say:
“As it has pleased you, Lord,to take them home,
I bow to your most holy will.
And if by just one word
I might restore their lives
against your will,
I would not speak.”

Grant them eternal joy.

(From Everyone’s Way of the Cross by Clarence Enzler)

Mark 15:42-47
42It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. 44Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 45When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 46So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus saw where he was laid.

CONTINUE READING...

Stations of the Cross - Day 12

Today's station is "Jesus Dies."

I offer you my death
with all its pains,
accepting now
the time and kind of death in store for me.
Not by a single instant
would I lengthen my life’s span.


(From Everyone’s Way of the Cross by Clarence Enzler)

Psalm 39:4-7
4 "Show me, O LORD, my life's end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life.
5 You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Each man's life is but a breath.
Selah
6 Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro:
He bustles about, but only in vain;
he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it.
7 "But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you.

CONTINUE READING...

Stations of the Cross - Days 10 & 11

Behind again! Day 10 was "Jesus is Stripped."

Detach me from the craving for
prestige,
position,
wealth.
Root out of me
all trace of envy of my neighbor
who has more than I.
Release me from the vice of pride,
my longing to exalt myself,
and lead me to the lowest place.

May I be poor in spirit, Lord,
so that I can be rich in you.

(From Everyone’s Way of the Cross by Clarence Enzler)

Day 11 is "Jesus is Crucified".

Galatians 2:20
20I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

CONTINUE READING...

Stations of the Cross - Day 9

No doodle today, bloggy friends. Busy day!

Today's station is "Jesus Falls a Third Time."

When all my strength is gone
and guilt and self-reproach
press me to earth and seem to hold me fast,
protect me from the sin of Judas –
save me from despair!

Lord, never let me feel that any sin of mine
is greater than your love.
No matter what my past has been
I can begin anew.

(From Everyone's Way of the Cross)

Amen and amen.

Psalm 103:8-16
8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass,
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.

'night.

CONTINUE READING...

Stations of the Cross - Day 8

Today's station is "Jesus Consoles the Women."

Lord, teach me,
help me learn.
When I would snap at those
who hurt me with their ridicule,
those who misunderstand,
or hinder me with some misguided
helpfulness,
those who intrude upon my privacy –
then help me curb my tongue.

May gentleness become my cloak.

(From Everyone’s Way of the Cross by Clarence Enzler)

Luke 13:34
34"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

CONTINUE READING...

Stations of the Cross - Day 6 & 7

Ah, I've fallen a day behind, so here's two in one: Day 6 was " Veronica Helps Jesus."

Matthew 25:31-46
31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Day 7 is "Jesus Falls Again."

Psalm 37:23-28
23 If the LORD delights in a man's way,
he makes his steps firm;
24 though he stumble, he will not fall,
for the LORD upholds him with his hand.
25 I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
26 They are always generous and lend freely;
their children will be blessed.
27 Turn from evil and do good;
then you will dwell in the land forever.
28 For the LORD loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones.
They will be protected forever,
but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;

Blessings, all~

CONTINUE READING...

Stations of the Cross - Day 5

Today's station is "Simon Helps Jesus."

Lord, make me realize
that every time I wipe a dish,
pick up an object off the floor,
assist a child in some small task,
or give another preference
in traffic or the store;
each time I feed the hungry,
clothe the naked,
teach the ignorant,
or lend my hand in any way –
it matters not to whom –
my name is Simon.
And the kindness I extend to them
I really give to you.

(From Everyone's Way of the Cross)

Yes, Lord. There are so many who need a kind word, a bite of food, a hand across the street. Help me to see their need and meet it as You have given me the ability to.

Matthew 27:27-32
27Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said. 30They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

32As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.

CONTINUE READING...

Stations of the Cross - Day 4

Today's station is "Jesus Meets His Mother."

My Jesus, Lord,
I know what you are telling me.
To watch the pain of those we love
is harder than to bear our own.

To carry my cross after you,
I, too, must stand and watch
the sufferings of my dear ones –
the heartaches, sicknesses and grief
of those I love.

And I must let them watch mine, too.

These were powerful words for me today... watching a friend suffer with cancer, another whose illness has confounded all the specialists... but more... not just suffering from illnesses, but suffering from heartaches, too... broken hearts and homes, lost friendships and loves... and the grief... of deaths, of sins... and that special sorrow that comes from watching your child struggle through their own inevitable hurts.

Yes, carrying our cross definitely means watching those we love suffer. And letting them watch us, too.

Today I was inspired by this artist (or art playgroundist as she calls herself) and drew this little girl... standing and watching...

Feeling pretty icky right now, but praying to be able to go to the first meeting for a new women's Bible study at our church tonight.

CONTINUE READING...

Stations of the Cross - Day 3

Today's station is "Jesus Falls."

"Make me content with all my discontents, but give me strength to struggle after you."

2 Corinthians 12:7-10
7To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

CONTINUE READING...

Stations of the Cross - Day 2

Today's station is "Jesus Takes His Cross." Take the time to click over and read it. It's worth the two or three minutes. Oh, Lord, help me to take up my daily cross, as small as they may be...

Here's today's "station." Don't know if I can keep these up, but it's been so good to draw and pray... to ponder His mercy and grace... to think on the Cross and to ask for strength to carry what's been given to me... Oh, Lord, help me to take up my daily cross.

1 Peter 5:6-11
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

CONTINUE READING...

Stations of the Cross - Day 1

Hello, bloggy friends! Matt asked me what was wrong because I hadn't posted since Tuesday. I said, "Nothing." He said, "Yeah, right."

Well, really...nothing's wrong. Just catching up with a few other things right now.

14 days until Easter! Mmm.. I guess really it's 13. I like to read Everyone’s Way of the Cross during the two weeks leading up to Easter. I've posted about this in the past. Today's reading is about Christ before Pilate. Thinking, drawing, and praying today, I drew this "station."

Hebrews 13:17
Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.

I would love to be able to draw a new station each day until Easter. It does me good to be still and doodle.

Hoping you had a peaceful Sabbath~

CONTINUE READING...