A Prayer Before the Crucified Lord
By +Brian Ernest Brown, CWC
O Christ, lifted up between heaven and earth,
we set our eyes upon thy Cross
and remember the love that would not turn away.
Here mercy is made visible,
here sacrifice speaks louder than words,
here death itself is undone by love poured out.
As these angels kneel in silent wonder,
so we kneel with them,
awed, unworthy, yet welcomed.
Teach us to linger at the foot of thy Cross,
not rushing past the cost of grace,
not averting our gaze from suffering,
but allowing thy wounds to heal our own.
From this holy sign, gather our scattered hearts.
Where we are proud, make us humble.
Where we are weary, give us rest.
Where we are afraid, breathe courage into our bones.
Let the memory of thy Passion steady our steps
and shape our days with gratitude and mercy.
May every burden we carry
be laid here without shame;
may every prayer we cannot name
be held in thy pierced hands.
And as we rise from this place,
send us forth marked by the Cross,
to love without condition,
to forgive without counting the cost,
and to hope even in the shadow of death.
All this we ask, O Crucified and Risen Lord,
who reigns in glory yet abides with the lowly,
now and for ever.
Amen.