Listen
Read
John 19: 6, 15-17 nrsv
When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, “Crucify
him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and
crucify him; I find no case against him.” They cried out, “Away with
him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Shall I crucify
your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but the
emperor.” Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.
Look
Observe the visual qualities of the image: line, shape, movement, and
texture. How do the visual elements connect to the scripture text?
What emotions emerge for you as you observe the art?
Reflect
“Jesus not only bears the physical weight of the cross, he bears the
weight of creation. I imagine his arms contorted behind him, grasping
the edges of the cross, trying to balance the weight of it all on his
back. Contemplating this great burden, I imagine his body twisted
and tied to the cross by the vines of the Garden of Eden, but also held
up and supported by the vines of the new creation.”
—Artist Lauren Wright Pittman
Pray
May I help carry the burden of the injustice in this world and work to
usher in the new creation. Amen.