Stations of the Cross IX: a woman

A great number of the people followed him, and among them were women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him. But Jesus turned to them and said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For the days are surely coming when they will say, “Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.” Then they will begin to say to the mountains, “Fall on us”; and to the hills, “Cover us.” For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?’

Luke 23:27-31 (NRSV)

9. a woman

He didn't really speak to us.
...did He?

there is no one
who speaks to us
except
to shoo us away

i have become so used to the harshness
the words spat at us to make us feel
like a nuisance
unwanted
unloved
outside

but here...

i cannot follow His words
i do weep for Him.

i will weep for Him
and i will weep for myself
for Him
who saw me as real
and for myself
who is about
to lose Him.

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Loving God, You have always shown Your favor to those society casts out.  Thank You for reaching out to us and bringing us to You.  Help us to keep seeking those who are on the margins in our time and places, that we might follow in Your example with abundant love.  Amen.

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Slats (they/them/theirs) is a queer/trans/nonbinary Presbyterian (PCUSA). They hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama and a Master of Divinity and they deeply love liturgy and hymnody.  They write, preach, teach and often work as a director and sound designer for live theater.  They are currently in the ordination process, and spend much of their time working toward claiming queer/trans space in Christianity.

Slats' website is https://www.slatsite.com and their book, Queering Lent, can be found at http://a.co/4nAGn29.