Station 11: Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross

When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals-one on his right, the other on his left. - Luke 23:33 (NIV)

Water
Have you ever stood in shower for a long time letting the water pour over you just waiting to feel "clean" again? Waiting for pain or hurt to wash away? Somewhere in that place, our brokeness cries out to be made whole again - to be restored to life.

Water, Blood & Grace
In the story of our redemption, blood and water are significant elements in atonement and purification. We find it in the rituals of the Old Testament and we find it in the sacraments of the New. We are baptised into into His death and through this baptism, raised to life in Him. There is a mingling of the two. Water representing blood, blood playing the role of the water.

"This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." [1]

"Since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." [2]

Are we willing, as we continue on this journey to accept the grace that we are offered? It is offered freely to us but it was not without cost. It is the costliest gift ever and this is the price that was paid for it.

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." [3]

There is a sketch pad and a charcoal pencil as part of this piece. You can trace the outline of your hand on a sheet from the pad and then push it on the nail above the pad. It is a way for us to, perhaps, count ourselves among one of those for whose transgressions He was pierced. An acknowledgement of the great cost that was the price of this grace. My prayer is that in this outward act, we accept inside of us this grace and that it brings purity, peace and healing into our lives in a new way.

Notes:
1. Matthew 26:28
2. Hebrews 10:21-22
3. Isaiah 53:5

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The photo above is a composite of the prints in my installation, along with the Artist's Statement that is displayed with the piece. A photo of the actual installation is shown below.

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"We cannot Wait.
We've seen mothers bury sons.
And we're begging You to come.
When the poor are thrown aside,
The sick are left to die,
We need Your grace oh God.
God come.
Your Kingdom come."

Music by The Robbie Seay Band.

Courtesy of The Work of the People.

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Christmas [is] changing the world from Living Water International on Vimeo.

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Just in case you somehow haven't seen this yet :-)

You can find out more about the Advent Conspiracy on the [AC] website.

Also, for a limited time I will be donating a portion of proceeds from sales of my photographic prints to Living Water Intl. as part of the Advent Conspiracy. Details are on my photography website.

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I stand by the door.
I neither go too far in, nor stay too far out,
The door is the most important door in the world-
It is the door through which people walk when they find God.
There's no use my going way inside, and staying there,
When so many are still outside and they, as much as I,
Crave to know where the door is.
And all that so many ever find
Is only the wall where a door ought to be.
They creep along the wall like blind people,
With outstretched, groping hands.
Feeling for a door, knowing there must be a door,
Yet they never find it ...
So I stand by the door.
The most tremendous thing in the world
Is for people to find that door--the door to God.
The most important thing any person can do
Is to take hold of one of those blind, groping hands,
And put it on the latch--the latch that only clicks
And opens to the person's own touch.
People die outside that door, as starving beggars die
On cold nights in cruel cities in the dead of winter--
Die for want of what is within their grasp.
They live, on the other side of it--live because they have not found it.
Nothing else matters compared to helping them find it,
And open it, and walk in, and find Him ...
So I stand by the door.

Go in, great saints, go all the way in--
Go way down into the cavernous cellars,
And way up into the spacious attics--
It is a vast roomy house, this house where God is.
Go into the deepest of hidden casements,
Of withdrawal, of silence, of sainthood.
Some must inhabit those inner rooms.
And know the depths and heights of God,
And call outside to the rest of us how wonderful it is.
Sometimes I take a deeper look in,
Sometimes venture in a little farther;
But my place seems closer to the opening ...
So I stand by the door.

There is another reason why I stand there.
Some people get part way in and become afraid
Lest God and the zeal of His house devour them
For God is so very great, and asks all of us.
And these people feel a cosmic claustrophobia,
And want to get out. "Let me out!" they cry,
And the people way inside only terrify, them more.
Somebody must be by the door to tell them that they are spoiled
For the old life, they have seen too much:
Once taste God, and nothing but God will do any more.
Somebody must be watching for the frightened
Who seek to sneak out just where they came in,
To tell them how much better it is inside.
The people too far in do not see how near these are
To leaving--preoccupied with the wonder of it all.
Somebody must watch for those who have entered the door,
But would like to run away. So for them, too,
I stand by the door.

I admire the people who go way in.
But I wish they would not forget how it was
Before they got in. Then they would be able to help
The people who have not, yet even found the door,
Or the people who want to run away again from God,
You can go in too deeply, and stay in too long,
And forget the people outside the door.
As for me, I shall take my old accustomed place,
Near enough to God to hear Him, and know He is there,
But not so far from people as not to hear them,
And remember they are there, too.
Where? Outside the door--
Thousands of them, millions of them.
But--more important for me--
One of them, two of them, ten of them,
Whose hands I am intended to put on the latch.
So I shall stand by the door and wait
For those who seek it.
"I had rather be a door-keeper ..."
So I stand by the door.

I Stand by the Door
by Sam Shoemaker

Sam Shoemaker, founder of Faith At Work at Calvary Episcopal Church in New York City, in 1926, was also one of the spiritual leaders who helped draft the 12 Steps of A.A.

Obtained from the Faith at Work website.

Posted by Deji Osinulu at 5:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As we leave this place, may grace meet us in in the places we are and make us uncomfortable there.  May love reach out to us and make us long for more than the satisfaction of our cravings and our comfort, to help us reach out to those in bondage, the lost, the suffering & oppressed. May God's presence draw us close to reveal our brokeness in His light and bring us to restoration and healing. 

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you now & always. Amen. 

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Some places in Houston that help the homeless, if you'd like to lend a hand:
* Bread of Life - breadoflifeinc.org
* Star of Hope Mission - www.sohmission.org
* Coalition for the Homeless, Houston - www.homelesshouston.org

For those of you not in Houston, I'm sure you can find places in your city as well.

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