While I was in Italy as part of our devotions we all shared
something we were waiting for. Whether it be; news on a church event going on
while we were away, news on the health of a relative, waiting for healing,
waiting for a suitcase to arrive from the airport. Then it came to me, I could
have talked about waiting to find a new job, knowing what God has as the next
step, but I talked about waiting for the other side of my future, for when my
relationship turns into a marriage.
Last night I went to an act of worship. I’d been involved in
setting it up. However I still managed to engage with it, much better than I’d
expected. We started by singing then there was space for people to go around
the 14 prayer stations. I’d like to share with you some of my thoughts as I
went around the stations, looking into some of the characters in the story and
taking an item to represent their part of the story.
Take a piece
of jewelled cloth...
... to remember Herod
dressing Jesus in a fine robe and mocking him.
This led me
to ponder on when I mock Jesus, when my faith is a joke, when I go through the
motions thinking I’m doing it right, when all I’m doing is going through the
motions.
Take a piece
of wood...
... to remember Simon of Cyrene carrying the
cross.
Is it me
helping Jesus or Jesus helping me? What is my cross, what is my burden, what is
it that I have to carry? Who journeys with me?
Take a
nail...
... to remember the Roman
soldiers nailing Jesus to the cross
An everyday
item, used in an extraordinary way.
Take a
shimmery blue stone...
...
to remember Pilate washing his hands when he handed Jesus over to die
How often do
I want to keep my hands clean? Make me dirty in your work Lord.
Take a piece
of sponge...
... to remember the person who offered Jesus a
drink.
Let me be
the one who feed the hungry, clothes the naked, houses the homeless and
quenches the thirsty.
Take a piece
of rough cloth...
... to remember
the criminals who died with Jesus
What can you
say? Those who died with him, one who understood who he was. Jesus’ act of
forgiveness while dying beside him.
Take a
heart...
... to remember the mother
Mary’s love and sorrow.
Here I
prayed for friends. Mothers who have lost their children, mothers who are
pregnant, mothers with new babies. A mixture of joy and sorrow – all surrounded
by love.
Take a
stone...
... to remember the stone that Joseph
of Arimathea rolled in front of the tomb.
I took the
stone to represent why Jesus needed to be there, and thought as it is rolled
away everything that it took with it – death and sin, thoughts, words and
deeds. Gone.
Take a strip
of cloth...
... to remember
Nicodemus wrapping up Jesus’ body.
A simple
bandage. Plasters in children fix many things, in this case Nicodemus did all
that he could.
Take a
coin...
... to remember Judas betraying
Jesus
How often do
I sell out? How often is money the most important thing?
Take a
feather...
... to remember Peter disowning
Jesus three times before the cock crowed.
 |
| The completed bag |
A feather,
so colourful, so free and so light – I love placing one on my outstretched hand
and blowing on it to make it float. Peter, Jesus’ best friend, disowning
him, saying I don’t know him. When it
comes down to the line can I stand up and say yes I know Jesus? I hope so.
Take a piece
of torn cloth...
... to remember
Caiaphas tearing his clothes in anger.
What do I do
when I’m angry, or break in spite? When things are out of my control...
Take some
cloves...
... to remember
the women who watched and waited.
I often feel
like I’m always waiting for something.
By living
simply during lent I’ve tried to live in the moment, not worry about what is
next, what I’m longing for and waiting for. But, here we are Holy Saturday. A
day of mourning and sadness. Waiting for the dawn. Waiting as we know what we
celebrate tomorrow. God who holds us while we wait, be our light. Amen
PS - you may have noticed that was 13 and not 14, the final one was about the people of the world and we took a cut out person to think about where we are in the story and write a prayer on a cross.
Happy Easter.
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