Follow the Lord Once On the Path to the Cross
“Follow the Lord Once on the Path to the Cross”
I want to follow You, Lord,
On this path to the cross.
It’s the time when You were wounded
And You bore the cross.
Lord, I was not with You then,
But I want to use my heart,
In this time of contemplation,
To walk with You once.
Lord, I want to consider
With my whole heart Your wounds for me,
Your affliction, Your commitment,
Your sacrifice, Your love,
Your greatness, Your gentleness.
“Gethsemane”
O’ my Lord, where should I start?
Let me start from Gethsemane.
The disciples fell asleep;
In the night, You were praying alone
With loud cries and with tears.
You were in fear, and under stress.
You would be mocked and despised.
You’d be unclothed and convicted.
No one would give You a helping hand.
Had you thought about the pain of being whipped
And the agony of being pierced?
I believe You had.
You knew well wood and nails.
You were the son of a carpenter.
Lord, I don’t want You to die.
Now I understand why Peter held You back.
I can only follow You to go forth.
“Arrested”
I saw the troops coming close,
With torches and weapons.
Lord, You went forward and You answered in peace.
Judas came close to You the last time;
And then he forever left You.
He could not see You’re the most precious;
He could not realize Your deep love for him.
I want to come close and kiss You
At that moment when You were betrayed.
I want to let You know how much I love You.
I’m Your friend. I’m with You when You’re in need.
There may be trials, floods and fires waiting for me.
But Lord, all of these only make me closer to You.
There is no reason for me to leave You.
“The Trial”
I don’t want to go to the high priest’s courtyard.
I don’t want to go to Pilate’s headquarters.
There was only violence and hatred.
Their punches, their lashes, their slaps
Landed on Your body without mercy.
Many stood there. They watched and cried out loud,
“Crucify Him!” How ruthless they were!
Their mouths were filled with lies.
They bore false witness to condemn You.
Your disciples were not by Your side.
No one came up to say a word of comfort to You.
Your strength was draining away.
You were completely worn out.
You were covered with wounds, dripping with blood.
Your body was broken.
Please let me go to You.
I want to hold You.
O’ Lord, I am here in the crowd;
I’m deeply hurt, as You were hurt.
You would not choose not to die for me.
You love me and You gave Your life for me.
I cannot hold my tears.
In grief I follow Your footsteps to the cross.
“Carry the Cross to Golgotha”
~ The path to the cross
How did You carry Your own cross
Bleeding all the way to Golgotha?
How heavy was each step?
How feeble were Your feet?
You stumbled and fell down.
You struggled to get up again.
Why did they not take up and carry their own cross?
Did they not know they deserved the cross?
Shouldn’t we be the ones facing the righteous judgement?
Why did You not say a word?
Why did You not regret Golgotha?
~ The place of skull
On the hill that was the place of death,
You were pushed onto the cross.
The soldiers hammered the nails.
Without mercy, they drove in nail after nail.
The nails pierced through Your hands and feet.
With their cold nails, with their cold faces,
With their ruthless and cold-blooded hearts, they shed Your blood.
You were hung. You were lifted in the air.
Under the cross, many wagged their heads and mocked You.
They cursed and forsook You.
Under the sun, yet You were in darkness.
There was no salvation in heaven and on earth.
The journey to the cross is a path of loneliness.
The punishment on the cross is a mystery.
Who would know the pain of being forsaken by God,
The weight of God’s wrath?
~ He loved me and died for me
No one can fully realize the meaning of “He loved me and He died for me.”
I consider while we were sinners,
Christ died for the ungodly at the right time.
God shows His own love towards us through the cross.
