Hertford stns

Station 4 - Jesus meets his mother

Mother,
you bore me
so that I
can bear the world
on my shoulders.

Mother,
you birthed me
so that I
can give birth
to God’s children.

Mother,
you sheltered me
so that others
can find shelter
under my wing.

Mother,
you carried me
so that I
can carry others
into heaven’s kingdom
on earth.

Mother,
you bore me,
birthed me,
sheltered me,
carried me,
to release me
and give me
in broken pieces
to the world.

Mother,
in a little while
you will not see me
and your heart
will break.

Mother,
in a little while
you will see me
and the shattered
shards of your heart
will be gathered up

and restored.

Station 7 - Jesus falls the second time

Gravity pulls at your head.
Sweating blood,
questioning
whether this cup can be taken from you.
Not your will, God’s will.

Gravity pulls at your shoulders.
Red raw,
wicked wood
splintering in lacerations.
Weight of wood pressing down.

Gravity pulls at your legs
having walked
the length and breath of the country,
having knelt
in prayer in Gethsemene,
having stood
while beaten and whipped.

Gravity pulls you down.

Station 9 - Jesus falls the third time

Falling …
when chained
when whipped
when bearing a cross

Falling …
through weakness
through tiredness
through failure

Falling …
when pushed
when pulled
when mocked

Falling …
from prestige
from riches
from grace

Falling …
by stumbling
by tripping
by leaping

Falling …
into sin
into poverty
into depravity

Falling …
into the grave
into debt
into grace

Falling …
through time
through space
through eternity

Falling …
in love

Falling …
into
the arms of God

Falling …

Up

Station 11 - Jesus is nailed to the cross

What holds you here?
The cruel nails
driven into wrists and feet?
Armed guards
ringing the base of your cross?
The crowd
mocking your purpose and pain?
The exhaustion
of a battered and beaten victim?
A willed commitment
to a loving, reconciling purpose?

Station 13 - Jesus is taken down from the cross

And a sword pierced her heart,
as the whip flayed his back,
as the cross made him fall,
as the nails pierced his wrists and feet,
as the spear pierced his side,
as she held the limp, lifeless adult body
she had once held, as a newborn babe, to her breast.

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John Coltrane- A Love Supreme Part 4 (Psalm).