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\\u25fc\\ufe0eJourney Stations of the Cross: Sunday, March 21 \\u2013 Sunday, April 4 \\u25fc\\ufe0e

Our Stations of the Cross experience will take us on a journey following the footsteps of Christ, immersing us in the biblical account of the last hours and days of Jesus' life. Take a few minutes each day to watch a short video and to respond and reflect. Connect with Jesus and prepare your heart as we head into Good Friday and Easter.

The following is the script from the video. You may also follow along using the downloadable reflection booklet.

\\u25fc\\ufe0e Station 9: Blessing\\u25fc\\ufe0e
Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem
Luke 23:27\\u201331

Supplies: Bowl of water, pinch of salt

A great number of the people followed him, and among them were women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him. But Jesus turned to them and said, \\u201cDaughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For the days are surely coming when they will say, \\u2018Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.\\u2019 Then they will begin to say to the mountains, \\u2018Fall on us;\\u2019 and to the hills, \\u2018Cover us.\\u2019 For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?\\u201d
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Not everyone in the crowd surrounding Jesus was angry. Not everyone was shouting. Not everyone wanted to see him suffer.

Our stations take us from the kindness of Simon\\u2019s helping to the sorrow of these women lamenting. They were wailing for him.

Mourning women played a fundamental role in Jesus\\u2019 time and place, so common they could easily be ignored.

Jesus sees them, hears them, and addresses them. His words are not reassurance but warning: there are even more heartbreaking days ahead.

And yet Jesus\\u2019 pausing from his own pain, giving his attention in spite of his own agony, is itself a kind of blessing.

Mourning and blessing, lament and kindness, take up equal space in this scene.

Jesus even mentions a time when a usual lament will be understood as blessing.

Take a pinch of salt. Sprinkle it into the bowl of water. Use your finger to swirl it around.

Remember the tears of the women who followed Jesus on this path. Remember the tears Jesus shed as he looked out over the city. Think about the things over which you have shed tears.

Mourning is also a sign of profound care.

As you swirl your finger in the saltwater, imagine your own tears mixing with others, all part of the mourning for what is broken in our world.

Remember, too, the blessing of care poured out.