Are you surprised that Holy Week is almost here? The days leading up to Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday are usually when Christians prepare their hearts to experience Jesus more deeply.
But let’s be honest. This season often feels like a gust of wind that’s here one moment and gone the next. Especially for those in ministry. It’s easy for Holy Week to become just another message you share with others from the pulpit or during an outreach.
Are you longing to know Jesus more personally through his death and resurrection? More than a missionary or ministry leader — you are a child of God and a friend of Jesus!
The Apostle Paul was a missionary who also desired to know Jesus above all else (Philippians 3:8). He prayed that you, also, would experience the fullness of Jesus’ life and love deep in your heart as he’s formed fully in you (Ephesians 3:19, 4:13; Galatians 4:19).
Jesus’ journey to the cross and emergence from the tomb can be more than a sermon you preach. It can get deep inside of your heart and transform you from the inside out. You can walk and talk with Jesus as you participate in his pilgrimage (Philippians 3:10-11).
This makes the Good News of Easter even better news! The Risen Christ wants to meet you and minister this death and resurrection to you personally.
The love, forgiveness, and grace of Jesus are for you wherever you find yourself today. The Passion is not only an event on which to reflect but also a pathway to encountering and embracing the Person of Jesus Christ.
Imagine experiencing the Gospel stories of Holy Week in a new way. Unfathomable delight fills your heart. Divine mercy floods your body. Compassion flows into your soul.
Of course, not every interaction with Jesus is a “mountaintop moment.” He often works in subtle yet significant ways. There are times we don’t feel him at all.
Yet whatever your experience looks or feels like — you are invited to a personal and authentic encounter with Christ through the Stations of the Cross! You can trust Jesus is with you while meditating on the Gospel stories that detail his journey to the cross and his resurrection from the dead.
The Stations of the Cross are a walk into deeper love with your Savior and Best Friend (Philippians 3:10-11).
My Experience Walking the Stations of the Cross
You may not be familiar with the Stations of the Cross. Perhaps you’ve heard they’re only for Catholics.
That’s what I (Bill) assumed before learning that countless Christ-followers had practiced the Stations of the Cross for centuries before there were Protestants or Catholics. I discovered just how powerful they are when God invited me to start using them for personal devotions years ago.
Each station included a physical display of scriptures and pictures to help me meditate on Jesus’ story. God brought healing to my heart and strength to my soul as I prayerfully walked from one station to the next.
The Stations of the Cross enthrall us with the goodness and beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ! He died for us. He forgives us. He shows us how to fully submit to Abba’s love and care even when suffering. We can take up our cross, too, and live totally for God and his Kingdom.
Other friends of mine have cried tears of joy when they realized how much Jesus loves them and how they can become more like him because of his grace.
Disciplines that open our minds, imaginations, and hearts to the Gospel and Spirit are powerful to help us and those we serve grow closer to our Savior.
Let’s briefly walk with Jesus together and see how it works…
A Short Walk With Jesus
First, righteous Jesus is condemned to death by the religious and civil leaders. He’s given the opportunity to defend himself (Matthew 26:62-63; John 19:8-10). How does he remain silent while being slandered? His humility and strength draw me to him.
Now he’s forced to bear his own cross, falls under its weight, and needs help carrying it (John 19:17; Mark 15:21-22). I so often fall with Jesus. I fall in failure. I fall in discouragement. I fall in pain. How about you? Jesus never sinned but he knows the weakness and brokenness of our humanity.
The soldiers nail Jesus to the cross. He cries out in pain as he slowly suffocates for hours. Yet he is praying to Abba and receiving comfort and strength (Matthew 27:45-46; Psalm 22; Hebrews 12:2). It’s empowering him to love and care for those around him — his mother, disciples, and strangers alike (John 19:26-27; Luke 23:34, 43). I long to draw closer to God in my most painful trials like Jesus! In his agony, the Good Shepherd shows all of us how to become a wounded healer in ministry like him.
Jesus finishes the work to reconcile us to God — to redeem you and me — through his death on the cross (John 19:30). We are forgiven! But I’m confused when they place Jesus in the tomb. I need him. Thankfully when I go to pay my respects — he’s alive! We get to live a new life with him now and forever (Luke 24:1-12).
This is just a short summary of Jesus’ journey. But as you can see, the Stations of the Cross enthrall you with the goodness and beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Unforsaken: Journey with Jesus on the Stations of the Cross
Did you know you can also “walk” the stations of the cross in your daily devotions?
That’s why I wrote Unforsaken: Journey with Jesus on the Stations of the Cross. It includes Gospel meditations, reflection prompts, prayers, and artistic illustrations to prepare your heart for Holy Week and beyond.
We suggest using Unforsaken for your own personal devotions to get Jesus’ sacrificial love deep inside your heart. Then you can use it as a resource to guide your small group or help you prepare for your sermon on Good Friday or Easter Sunday.
We hope this book leads you and those you love to experience Jesus more personally as you engage the way of the cross with him.
You can get your copy today as we cultivate our hearts for Holy Week. This book can also be a blessing any time of the year as the Spirit of Jesus draws your heart to experience him more deeply.
