The Prayer Garden is a podcast from St Peter’s Bethnal Green to help you meet with God and help you pray for the world.
Today we invite you to join us in meditating on the stations of the cross, remembering 14 precious moments in the final stage of Jesus’ journey to the cross. This ancient practice of retracing Jesus’ steps is designed to help prepare us for Easter Sunday, when Christians celebrate the resurrection.
In this practice, we do not pass over the suffering of our Lord, but stay with Him in His suffering. While we often find it helpful to see where Jesus is present in our own lives, the stations of the cross are an invitation for us to be present with Him in His final hours; to follow in His footsteps, even unto death.
Each station will start with a reflection, followed by an opportunity to pray, and a collection of readings that pair with each moment in the story.
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A prayer before making the Stations of the Cross (Karl Rahner):
Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Redeemer, I kneel before your blessed cross. I want to open my spirit and my heart to contemplate your holy sufferings.
I want to place your cross before my poor soul that I may know it a little better, that I may receive more deeply into my heart all that you did and suffered, and that I may realise who it was for whom you suffered.
May your grace be with me, the grace to shake off the coldness and indifference of my heart, to forget my everyday life for at least this half hour, and to dwell with you in love, sorrow, and gratitude.
Amen.
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We are an eclectic church community at the heart of East London which worships Jesus in scripture, Spirit, and the sacraments. We hope to be a safe haven to whoever steps through our doors.
Although our church building is currently closed, we hope that we can meet you in many ways, including through this podcast.
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