Stations of the Cross 2020

Interactive Prayer Guide

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STATIONS OF THE CROSS PRAYER GUIDE

elcome to Frazer’s Stations of the Cross Prayer Experience which is designed to help you contemplate and reflect on the Passion of Jesus Christ during the last hours of His life. We have chosen nine meditation and prayer stations that focus on the journey of Jesus from His time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane to His death on the cross. These devotions will take you down the “Via Dolorosa” or “Way of Sorrow” traveling with Jesus as he made his way to Golgotha. Each station has a passage of scripture to read.

Have your Bible handy to read the scriptures or follow the links to bible.com.

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.

The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Matthew 26:41

The Nine Stations 1 Jesus Prays in the Garden 2 Jesus Is Condemned to Death 3 Jesus Is Flogged and Mocked 4 Jesus Takes Up His Cross 5 Simon Carries the Cross 6 Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross 7 Jesus’s Promise to the Thief 8 Jesus Dies on the Cross 9 Jesus is Laid in the Tomb

1. Jesus Prays in the Garden R EA D Matthew 26:36-50 Notice in this passage how Jesus struggles in Gethsemane. See the blood drops produced in his great agony. Here we see Jesus’ humanity at its deepest level. There was a great conflict within Him as He willed to submit to the Father. He prayed three times that “the cup” might pass from Him. The cup represented our sin, his suffering, and the sacrifice he made to save us.

Ultimately Jesus modeled surrender by praying “Not my will but yours be done.”

AP PLY Is there some area of your life you need to surrender to God’s will? Ask God to give you the mind and heart of Jesus to be able to pray as he did for God’s will to be done and not your own.

E X P E RIE NCE Take a cup and pour grape juice or water, but mix in a small amount of vinegar. As you take in the acrid smell and bitter taste, ponder Jesus’s willingness to drink the bitter cup of suffering because of his love for you.

P RAY Gracious God, Help me to put aside my own desires and plans and yield completely to Your will for my life. Guide me through the process of surrendering all to You. I submit to the control and direction of Your Holy Spirit whom You have sent to live in me. Amen

2. Jesus Is Condemned to Death R EA D Matthew 27:11-31 Look at the angry crowd. Was it the Jews or the Romans who are to blame for Jesus’ crucifixion? How about Pilate who tries to distance himself from the decision by claiming innocence? He wanted to deny all responsibility yet he was the one who ultimately gave the order for the crucifixion.

AP PLY Like Pilate, do you ever fail to take responsibility for your actions? We can rationalize our sins, blaming them on others, faulting parents, society, bosses, spouses, friends or anyone but ourselves. As you look at your life, don’t be like Pilate and try to wash your hands of that which you have done wrong. God is never fooled. Be prepared to agree with God and confess any sin that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.

E X P E RIE NCE Find a place where you can make noise without disturbing others. Picture in your mind Jesus standing on trial. He is completely silent and does not answer any of the many false accusations against him. As loud as you can, begin to shout “Crucify him.” As difficult as it may be to say those words, continue to picture Christ before you with love in his eyes while you continue to shout at him as long as possible, as you allow it to sink in that it was your own sin just as much as anyone else’s that condemned Christ to death.

P RAY Lord, Forgive me when I follow the way of Pilate. Help me to admit my sins, both to myself and to You, rather than wallowing in my pointless excuses.

By Your Spirit, guide me to see clearly where I have missed Your mark, so that I might confess fully. Help me to experience Your forgiveness, and to live in the freedom of the cleansing You alone provide. Amen

3. Jesus is Flogged and Mocked R EA D Mark 15:15-20 Isaiah 53:2-6 See how Jesus’ suffering was foretold

by God through His prophet hundreds of years earlier. As payment for your sins and the sins of the whole world He endured great pain. He brought healing to us when we were dead in sin and made us alive in His Spirit.

AP PLY You have the opportunity to truly Hail Him as King, not in mocking as the Roman soldiers did, but as the Lord and King of your life. Is Jesus your King?

E X P E RIE NCE Take a sheet of blank paper and a red crayon or marker to an air conditioning vent. Place the paper over the vent and rub or color over it, so that stripes appear where the ridges of the vent were. If there is an area in your life that needs healing—physically, emotionally or spiritually—write it out on the stripes.

Thank God for providing healing for you through the whip lashes on Jesus’s back.

P RAY Jesus, Healer and King!

Thank you for loving me so much that You were willing to suffer torture and die in my place so that I could be forgiven and made whole. I acknowledge You as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Give me courage and strength to live each day yielded with You in control as the King of my life. Amen

4. Jesus Carries the Cross R EA D John 19:15-17 Jesus has already been beaten and flogged, wounded on his back. Then they laid the rough cross on His bloodied and torn back and led Him out to be crucified. We can hardly fathom the intensity of the struggle as He labored with and yet embraced the heavy cross.

He was fulfilling the Father’s will as he held on tightly to this instrument of death. Reflect on Jesus’ agony as He carried His cross and all of humanity’s sins.

AP PLY Spend a few moments giving thanks for Jesus’ willingness to take up that cross for you. Do you have a thankful heart? If our hearts are heavy, it may be because we have forgotten how Jesus already carried our burdens for us. If you have worries that come to mind which are weighing you down, cast them upon the Lord by remembering how he already carried them for you. Then take time to think of blessings in your life for which you can give thanks to God.

E X P E RIE NCE Place some weights, books, or other heavy objects into a pillow case and lift it up over your back. Walk around for a while feeling the weight. Then put the weight down and notice how you feel lighter. Praise God for exchanging the burden of sin with the blessings of Christ.

P RAY Lord Jesus, because You took up the cross, I can take up life in all its fullness.

Because You were led to die, I can be led into eternal life. Because You bore my sin, I can enjoy Your forgiveness.

Thank You for making the choice to suffer for my sins. Help me to live each day in ways that honor You and Your sacrifice. Amen

5. Simon Carries the Cross for Jesus R EA D Luke 23:26 Mark 15:21-22 Luke 9:23-24 Simon was forced to carry Jesus’ heavy cross. Unlike Simon, we aren’t forced to pick up the cross of Christ. Jesus invites us to take up our cross by following Him, but He doesn’t make us join Him against our will.

AP PLY Taking up the cross is simply being willing to follow Jesus no matter what. It may bring ridicule, persecution and for some, even death; but it also comes with a promise of abundant and eternal life.

Are you willing to daily carry the cross of Christ?

E X P E RIE NCE Write a note of encouragement to someone who has a burden they are carrying. If you don’t know someone personally, consider writing to a deployed soldier through a site like soldiersangels.org, to a child in the hospital through a site like stjude.org, or to an elderly person in a retirement center such as wesleygardens.org. As you write, ask God to help you take up the cross for others the way Simon did.

P RAY Jesus, the powerful example of Simon reminds me that I must take up my cross and follow You. I must die to self that I might live for You. Help me, Lord, to carry my cross, to follow You in every area of my life, so I might receive the abundant life of Your kingdom. Amen

6. Jesus is Nailed to the Cross R EA D Luke 23:32-38 Imagine the horrifying sound of Jesus being nailed to the cross. Consider the high price He paid for your sins. Visualize looking on as Jesus was pierced with those nails. He is taking the punishment for your sins.

AP PLY Read through one of the “sin lists� in the Bible such as Galatians 5:19-21, Ephesians 4:25-32, or Romans 1:2832, along with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17). Allow the Holy Spirit to reveal any areas of sin currently in your life, or past sins that you have never confessed. Then read Colossians 2:13-15 about how Jesus nailed your sin to the cross, and I John 1:9 about confession and forgiveness.

E X P E RIE NCE Using post-it notes or small strips of paper, write down any sins you need to confess. If possible, take a hammer and nail and find a piece of wood you can nail your paper to. After spending time in a prayer of repentance, take your paper down and burn it or tear it into shreds and throw it away as a reminder that the sin Jesus nailed to the cross is taken away forever.

P RAY Holy Father, I confess my sinful nature to You. Thank you for graciously forgiving all my sin; sins of pride, apathy, hardheartedness, unfaithfulness, deception, injustice, dishonesty and impurity to name a few. Help me to be quick to confess when sin overtakes me. Help me to show my thankfulness for your forgiveness and cleansing by living in ways that honor You. Amen

7. Jesus’s Promise to the Repentant Thief R EA D

E X P E RIE NCE

Google pictures of “tropical paradise” or “paradise garden.” Better yet, sketch your own picture of what comes to Two of the three men being crucified were criminals, deserving punishment. mind when you think of paradise. Then contrast that image with the gruesome One of them taunts Jesus, sarcastically calling out for salvation. The other, reality of crucifixion the theif was sensing Jesus’ greatness, defends Him undergoing alongside of Jesus as you as an innocent victim. In desperation, contemplate what it meant for Jeus he cried out to Jesus, “remember me to promise him that he would be in paradise that very day. when you come into your kingdom.”

Jesus assures him of Paradise that very day. The thief never prayed the “sinners P RAY prayer,” was baptized or did one act of Holy God, I am eternally grateful for service, yet was promised salvation.

Your matchless mercy. I know I am as

Luke 23:32-33, 39-43

AP PLY Our hope, like the thief’s, is not in our own goodness or works, but in the monumental mercy of God. All the thief did was demonstrate a small measure of faith. Like him, we are sinners who need only acknowledge Jesus and His saving grace in order to receive His forgiveness. How desperate are you for God’s mercy?

undeserving as the thief who hung near you. Help me each day to appreciate your love and mercy in my life. Amen

8. Jesus Dies on the Cross R EA D Matthew 27:45-51 John 19:28-30 Reflect on the depth of despair as Jesus hung on the cross for hours. He despaired but also had great joy which was motivated by the fact that his suffering would redeem His people. Hear His cry of victory as He takes His last breath: “It is finished!” The grand plan from eternity past is now accomplished.

AP PLY Bow before God, remembering the cross.

Reflect on what Jesus’ death provides for you as a believer and His follower.

Ponder the precious gift of access to the Father in this life and an eternity with Him in heaven. Do you stand in awe of God’s amazing love and grace?

E X P E RIE NCE Read Romans 6:1-4. Notice that the scripture says that part of the meaning of our baptism is that we participate in the death of Jesus; as we pass through the water, we re-enact his passing through the grave. Kneeling down on a towel, take a bowl or handful of water and let it pour over your head, as a way to remember your own baptism.* Give God praise that he has freed you from sin because you died with Christ to set you free from its power over you.

P RAY Gracious Father, how incredible that Your plan from ages past has now been fulfilled. Everything has been accomplished just as You ordained. Give me a greater understanding of the depth of the sacrifice that was made to atone for my sins. I bow before You in praise and thanksgiving for Your amazing love.

Amen

*(If you have never been baptized, be sure to reach out to our pastors to discuss this meaningful sacrament and sign of our faith. Contact info@frazerumc.org)

9. Jesus’s Body is Laid in the Tomb R EA D Luke 23:50-54 John 19:38-42 All four gospels tell of Jesus’ burial. Why is that so important? The burial makes it absolutely clear that He really died on the cross. He did not just appear to die nor was He instantly taken to heaven. Because He was buried, we understand that He was not merely resucitated or spiritually returned to earth, He was literally and bodily resurrected, which gives us hope that we too will be resurrected.

AP PLY Visualize Jesus lying in the tomb in His linen burial garment. Imagine how the disciples felt as they wrestled with the finality and hopelessness of Jesus’ death.

They thought all was lost, yet we know His death was not the end. Because His death was not final, neither will yours be, if you know Jesus as Lord and Savior. Do You? If not, you can today.

Pray right now, asking God to accept you on the basis of Jesus’ sacrifice.

P RAY God, I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I turn away from my sin and invite You into my life. I believe that Jesus died for my sins and was raised again, and I am forgiven, cleansed and made new in Him. From this moment I choose to trust and follow Jesus. I receive Your Holy Spirit, who gives me the power to love You with all my heart and love my neighbor as myself. Thank You, Heavenly Father, for giving me the gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ. Amen

RE S P O NS E If you have prayed a prayer of repentance like this one for the first time, please let us know! We want to rejoice with you. You can email us at: prayer@frazerumc.org.

E X P E RIE NCE As you lay yourself down to sleep this evening, reflect that Easter is coming. For those who have hope in Christ, the sting of death is gone, and we fear it no more than we fear falling asleep, knowing we will arise again in the New Day.

Remember that the Cross is not the end. On the third day, the first Easter Sunday, Jesus rose from the dead, defeating evil and death once and for all. Because he lives, we can have the hope of eternal life. All creation waits in eager anticipation for the resurrection of the children of God through the power of Jesus, when all things will be made right and every tear will be wiped away.

We encourage you to find a local church where you can celebrate Easter in worship, or watch one of our services live at frazer.church/live (9:30 or 11:00 a.m. Central Time every Sunday).

Frazer United Methodist Church