I attended my home church’s Stations of the Cross meditative prayer, a Holy Week experience. There were fewer people in the afternoon schedule, and this was good as it afforded my wife and me unhurried prayer. There were six stations, from the meditation of Gethsemane to Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross. Creative props, videos, still visuals, scriptures, music and specific prayer exercises and activities to awaken our senses to Jesus’ suffering.

I spent the most time pondering, writing, and nailing my sin on an actual wooden cross. The Spirit was present to move my heart with revelation of a weakness I was usually unaware of. I wrote my sin on a piece of Post-it sticky notes, took a hammer, and nailed it on a large cross on the floor. Then I sat before the Lord in quiet and peace.

The other station that I was absorbed with was the Prayer Wall. I brought the people and other matters in my monthly prayer list to the Lord in prayer.

The enlightening station was of Jesus carrying the cross. It was estimated that his wooden cross would weigh 50kg. So they had a prop that weighed 25 kg on both ends of a stick. I was to lift and carry this “cross” to the end of the room, which they calculate to be 1/100th of the actual Via Dolorosa. I was shocked that I could not carry it. I asked my wife to help, yet we struggled to drag it across the room. How did Jesus lift that cross for 600 metres after the flogging and beating he went through? No wonder Simon of Cyrene, a passerby, was coerced into helping Jesus carry the cross for part of the route.

I remember reading about a street evangelist, Arthur Blessit, who carried a 12-foot 45-pound cross and walked great distances through many countries(1968-2019). This aroused public curiosity and publicity through the media in all the nations he walked through. Wherever he went, he declared the good news whenever an opportunity opened. However, his heavy wooden cross had wheels at the base!

I felt a connection with God during the experience. I was glad I went.