A Deeper Devotion at the Cross
Nothing is more essential to the Christian life than what we make of Jesus’ cross.
As we grow in Christ, we do not move on to other, higher planes; rather, our perception of the cross deepens. Our fellowship with our crucified Messiah grows more intimate. The cross grows ever more beautiful in our eyes the longer we linger.
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The Difficulty in the Cross
In my first parish, New Creation Church (Anglican) in Hagerstown, Maryland, I made it my mission to center our communal life around devotion to the Lord’s Cross in various creative ways. The Stations of the Cross were displayed in our nave most Sundays throughout the year, and our Stations of the Cross services remain a joy to recall. (We even managed to hold them during COVID with my 10-year old walking the Stations by zoom!)
During those services, I often noticed something: many people found it difficult to express their gratitude for the work of Christ at each station. Awestruck and silent is not a bad place to start. In fact, it’s not a bad place to end! Even heaven is silent over the work of the Lamb, and I suppose we should be, too (Revelation 8:1).
However, alongside the chorus of heaven, our alleluia and amen should grow, too:
“Worthy are you to take the scroll
Revelation 5:9-10
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”
Whatever else Revelation reveals, its central unveiling is that the cross now lies at the heart of heaven’s praises. It is the only song that will never grow old.
To help others articulate our thankfulness for the cross—that is the heart of the book I’ve written, At the Cross: Reflections on the Stations of the Cross. Or, as my good friend Fr. Michael Koppola put it, the desire is that “each station [would] become a place of encounter with the slain and risen King.” Yes. Exactly. More of that!
But why did I write the book I did? Here, I want to trace a few additional lines of my thinking. We can discuss this in terms of the three “Ds”: Diet, Devotional, and Divergent.
A Thick Diet of the Cross
My aim in At the Cross was to give readers a thick diet of reflection on the cross.
So, first, this can be explained in relation to content. My desire was to go slightly deeper than a typical, pop-level devotional would and to press readers to go there with me. Not technical and unwieldy, but still, deeper. For example, for those who desire to go even deeper, I’ve left plenty of rabbit trails to chase in the footnotes. I like footnotes. You should read footnotes. Footnotes are life-changing!
Second, the book is thick in terms of the history of its subject. The Stations of the Cross is an ancient practice, and we can describe its origin in two ways. As I explain in the book:
First, there is the historicity of the cross…This did not happen “once upon a time,” but in a place you can visit today. It happened in our world. Christians are committed to history—God is committed to history—and the origins of this service are related to that commitment. In fact, this reality continues to be marked and celebrated in Jerusalem today through what’s known as the Via Dolorosa (Latin for “Sorrowful Way”). This processional route occurs in the Old City of Jerusalem, beginning at the Antonia Fortress and concluding at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Second, as Christian pilgrims began to visit this place and prayerfully trace these steps, they took the practice back to their homelands, thus cultivating the devotion we now know as the Stations of the Cross.
Christians have engaged in this practice for a long time. By participating, we step into something that predates us. The practice of the stations embodies the opposite of novelty. It isn’t a gimmick or a trendy spiritual technique. It’s deeply rooted, tried and true, based on Scripture, and fundamentally grounded!
A Deeper Devotion at the Cross
When discussing devotion and devotionals, one sometimes gets the impression that serious Christians don’t use them. However, the popular term devotional can carry various connotations, some positive and others less so.
But here is the everlasting devotion! As I wrote at the beginning of this article, nothing is more essential to the Christian life than what we make of Jesus’ cross.
As we grow in Christ, we do not move on to other, higher planes; rather, our perception of the cross deepens. Our fellowship with our crucified Messiah grows more intimate. The cross grows ever more beautiful in our eyes the longer we linger.
No devotion or meditation is more critical to the health of the Christian than a growing love for the cross. This is especially true for the church in America. As I write in the book,
Thinking on our particularly North American and Western vantage point, can one imagine any more pressing endeavor than for the Church of Jesus to reclaim and retain the cross of Christ in her ministry?… The Stations of the Cross give the Church a place to gather and reclaim the cross—all of it.
A Divergent Resource on the Cross
Lastly, this offering on the Stations of the Cross is somewhat divergent. As I began to consider the task of producing a (hopefully) thoughtful, rich, and engaging work on the stations, I noticed a lack of broader-based, contemporary resources. Of course, there are many good books on the cross. While I certainly do not seek to replace these (again, check the footnotes!), many of them are not arranged in a unified meditation in the way the stations’ devotion is.
Most written works on the stations are Roman Catholic in nature. While I am thankful for these works, they have a somewhat limited audience. I hope that At the Cross will serve to open up the gift of the stations to a new audience, gathering more of the Church into the train of the faithful treading the way of the Savior.
In its own small way, may this work be, as 19th century Englishman John Bowring wrote in his hymn “In the Cross of Christ I Glory,” for the increase of the cross in the daily lives of many:
In the cross of Christ I glory,
Towering o’er the wrecks of time;
All the light of sacred story
Gathers round its head sublime.When the woes of life o’er take me,
Hopes deceive, and fears annoy,
Never shall the cross forsake me,
Lo! It glows with peace and joy.When the sun of bliss is beaming
Light and love upon my way,
From the cross the radiance streaming
Adds more luster to the day.Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure,
By the cross are sanctified;
Peace is there that knows no measure,
Joys that through all time abide.
Purchase At the Cross in paperback or eBook now, exclusively on Amazon.
Image: Crucifixion Woodcut by Albrecht Durer, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Praise for At the Cross
Anglican Compass announces the release of Justin Clemente’s “At the Cross: Reflections on the Stations of the Cross,” available on Amazon. This book offers insightful reflections on the Biblical Stations, drawing from various theologians and artists, enhancing understanding of Christ’s Passion, and is suitable for individual or group devotion throughout the year.
The Stations of the Cross: A Rookie Anglican Guide
Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives…
