Cross – photo John Kingery (c) 2013
Station 2: Jesus takes up his cross (Bethel Congregational UCC Main Entrance)
Theme: Jesus’ passion for justice and peace calls us to pray and to serve
Tema: La pasion de Jesus por la justicia y la paz nos llama a orar y a servir
Scripture: Luke 6: 27, 35
“To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them. Don’t pick on people; jump on their failures, criticize their faults – unless of course you want the same treatment. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back; but not just given back – given back with bonus and blessing. Generosity begets generosity.”
Reflection by The Reverend David Randall-Bodman, Bethel Congregational UCC: As we reenact Jesus walk to Gethsemane today, there is no greater, more radical teaching that binds all Christians together than Jesus’ call to “love your enemies. Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them.” Jesus was always turning the world upside down. Surprising us with a grace and love almost too huge and too divine to understand, let alone practice. And yet it is exactly this unbounded love, and the audacity to dare to live as Jesus taught us to live that keeps us walking in his shoes – serving as his hands and feet, as his heart and mind in the world in which we live now.
To walk the journey of faith we need to be fed. Over the centuries, we Christians have relied on prayer, worship, ritual, song, and sacrament to sustain us and to nurture our spiritual lives.
An ancient spiritual practice that has experienced a renaissance in recent years is called labyrinth walking. Labyrinths take many forms, but have one thing in common: they take us on a walk that symbolizes the journey of life. Labyrinths are pathways that circle about, go in many directions, but lead to one Center. Walking a labyrinth is a form of prayer that involves movement, thought and the senses.
Our labyrinth is unique. It is constructed out of canned goods and other food items. For us it combines our need to pray with the world’s need to be fed. An ancient spiritual discipline designed to strengthen our faith simultaneously stocks our food cupboard so that we can help those in our community who lack the basic human need for food. We have been gathering canned goods during the season of Lent. Today we walk the labyrinth. Tomorrow we stock the food cupboard. Prayer and service – the fruits of Jesus passion for justice and peace.
Prayer: Holy God, for the many ways you feed and nurture us: WE THANK YOU, LORD
Petitions: We pray for the courage to see our enemies and to respond to them as we would want them to respond to us. O GOD, HEAR OUR PRAYER
We ask for forgiveness from those whom we have ignored or looked past, hardened by our own sense of superiority or by our fear to be the change we long to see. O LORD, HELP US TO WALK IN YOUR WAYS
Bethel UCC Good Friday Labyrinth will be open from 12:00-1:30 if you would like to visit after the Walk of the Cross.
LET THE HOLY TRINITY CATHOLIC COMMUNITY TAKE UP THE CROSS
Song: Vengan a la Cruz, Adoremos (repeat as often as desired)