Reflection on 1st Station Jesus is Condemned to Death and “In Christ Alone” by Keith Getty and Stuart Townsend The word “alone” appears in both the hymn “In Christ Alone” and in the image of the 1st Station of the Cross: the image of Jesus standing alone, having been scourged and abandoned by His disciples, before Pilate. In our human need for society, the concept of being alone is uncomfortable and sometimes frightening. We find comfort and joy in relationships with friends and family. In helping others in our community, we live the Gospel. But this earthly world also is uncertain and can be painful. By contrast, the notion of “alone” in the hymn is the belief in Christ as our one certain source of hope and love and peace and comfort and salvation. As Jesus stands before his accusers, alone, and faces execution, there is our redemption. Christ is the center of our faith, and “here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.”
In “Take Up Your Cross” by Jaime Cortez, the refrain’s repetition reminds us of Jesus’ struggle and our own struggle when carrying a cross. Like a slow death march, the refrain urges us forward: Take Up Your Cross, Take Up Your Cross, Take Up Your Cross, And then, the reminder, the why: And Follow Me. Lest we forget, the refrain repeats before moving onto the verse: Take Up Your Cross, Take Up Your Cross, Take Up Your Cross, And Follow Me.