The Way of Sorrows

Winding through the Old City of Jerusalem, the Via Dolorosa represents the path to the cross. In Jerusalem, this route is marked by 14 Stations of the Cross, positioned from the Antonia Fortress to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. In church halls, sanctuaries, along corridors, and in gardens around the world, different versions of these stations have been created for centuries.

Of all the names for this - the Via Dolorosa or Via Crucis, the Stations of the Cross, the Way of the Cross – “The Way of Sorrows” is most striking to me. There are many instances in which we may feel we are walking our own way of sorrows, with circumstances entirely different from the ones that led to Jesus’ crucifixion, but nevertheless full of sorrow and sorrow and sorrow.

This season we are walking The Way of Sorrows by following in Peter’s steps through the Stations of Peter created by T. Denise Anderson. Peter is our guide through the 6 stations present in the First Church Narthex and office hallways, inviting us to imagine how we might have acted and behaved had we been there as one of Jesus’ followers and friends.

Anderson writes: “We will journey through Jesus’ final moments through the eyes of his disciple, Peter. In Peter, we see a little of all of us- he is devout and resolute, zealous and rash, and even fearful and flawed. If any of us can locate ourselves in the crucifixion story, it is likely we can see ourselves in Peter.

These are stations of confession, lament, and repentance. Through Peter’s experience, we consider our own. We look closely at the events of Good Friday to help us honestly assess who we are. As Jesus tells Peter the truth about himself, we consider the truth about ourselves.

James Baldwin once said, ‘Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.’ We journey together through this difficult day, trusting in God’s power and willingness to bind our wandering hearts to God’s own self.”

The first station is in the Narthex outside the Sanctuary. Each station is paired with scripture reading, artwork, an artist’s statement, and reflection exercises. You are invited to complete the stations in one sitting or to spread them out through the duration of Lent.

As you prepare to journey through the stations, hear this blessing from Jan Richardson that I have been praying at the beginning of each committee meeting this month: Beloved is Where We Begin.

If you would enter
into the wilderness,
do not begin
without a blessing.

Do not leave
without hearing
who you are:
Beloved,
named by the One
who has traveled this path
before you.

Do not go
without letting it echo
in your ears,
and if you find
it is hard
to let it into your heart,
do not despair.
That is what
this journey is for.

I cannot promise
this blessing will free you
from danger,
from fear,
from hunger
or thirst,
from the scorching
of sun
or the fall
of the night.

But I can tell you
that on this path
there will be help.

I can tell you
that on this way
there will be rest.
I can tell you
that you will know
the strange graces
that come to our aid
only on a road
such as this,
that fly to meet us
bearing comfort
and strength,
that come alongside us
for no other cause
than to lean themselves
toward our ear
and with their
curious insistence
whisper our name:

Beloved.
Beloved.
Beloved.

With love for all God’s beloved,
Pastor Karyn