Journey the Stations of the Cross with Ryan Dunn—prayer, scripture, and reflection in a spiritual, podcast experience.
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Let's go on a meditative, experiential journey through the Stations of the Cross—an ancient Christian practice reimagined for our everyday lives. In this reflective episode, Ryan gently guides listeners through each pivotal moment of Jesus’s final hours, weaving together scripture, prayer, and powerful questions of the heart. Whether you’re walking, driving, or sitting quietly, this episode invites you to pause, breathe, and engage with the story in a way that connects deeply to your own experiences of fear, pain, grace, and hope.
In this episode:
(00:00) Stations of the Cross
(01:02) Station 1: Praying in the Garden
(02:54) Station 2: Betrayed and arrested
(04:21) Station 3: Jesus is condemned
(06:00) Station 4: Peter denies Jesus
(07:42) Station 5: Pilate judges Jesus
(09:58) Station 6: Scourging of Jesus
(11:04) Station 7: Jesus takes up his cross
(12:24) Sation 8: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus
(13:21) Station 9: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
(14:42) Station 10: Jesus is crucified
(15:45) Station 11: Jesus promised the Kingdom
(17:14) Station 12: Jesus speaks to his mother and disciple
(18:16) Station 13: Jesus dies on the cross
(19:37) Station 14: Jesus is laid in the tomb
(20:38) The biblical story becomes our story
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This episode posted on April 1, 2026
Episode Transcript:
Ryan Dunn [00:00:01]:
Hey there, and welcome to Compass. Finding Spirituality in the Everyday. I'm your host, Ryan Dunn. Today's episode is a little bit of a departure from our normal format. Instead of a conversation, I want to guide you through a practice that's been a part of Christian tradition, really for generations. It's called the Stations of the Cross. A station is simply a stopping place. It's a moment of to pause and reflect.
Ryan Dunn [00:00:28]:
So yes, we can do this in a podcast. And in this practice, we walk step by step through the final hours of Jesus's life. Not just to remember what happened then, but to notice what's happening in us right now. So wherever you are, you could be walking, driving, sitting quietly. I invite you to take a breath, listen, notice and be present. We'll move slowly through this. There will be space for silence and reflection. And with that, let's begin.
Ryan Dunn [00:01:05]:
Station one. Jesus prays in the garden. Scripture is Matthew 26:36, 41. Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane. He said to them, sit here while I go over there and pray. He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him. He began to be sad and troubled. Then he said to them, my soul is very sad.
Ryan Dunn [00:01:31]:
I feel close to death. Stay here, keep watch with me. He went a little further. Then he fell with his face to the ground. He prayed, my Father, if it is possible, take this cup of suffering away from me, but let what you want to be done be done, not what I want. Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. Couldn't you men keep watch with me for one hour? He asked Peter. Watch and pray.
Ryan Dunn [00:01:58]:
Then you won't fall into sin when you are tempted. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak. Here we witness the fully human side of Jesus. Jesus is overwhelmed. He can see what is coming and he is a little bit afraid. He doesn't hide it. He prays honestly. Our question is, where are you feeling overwhelmed right now? Lets pray together.
Ryan Dunn [00:02:40]:
God, meet us in our fears. Help us to trust you even when we don't understand. Station 2. Jesus is betrayed and arrested. Scripture reading Mark 14:43, 46. While Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived, accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs who had come from the chief priests, the scribes and the elders. His betrayer had arranged a signal with them, saying, the man I shall kiss is the one. Arrest him and lead him away securely.
Ryan Dunn [00:03:26]:
He came and immediately went over to him and said, rabbi, and he kissed him. At this they laid hands on him and arrested him. Our reflection. A kiss becomes betrayal, a friend lets him down. And there's much to consider. How have we too turned on Jesus? Or when have our friends let us down? Where have trust and pain intersected in your life? Let's pray together. God, hold what feels broken in us. Station 3.
Ryan Dunn [00:04:24]:
Jesus is condemned by the Sanhedrin. Our reading is Luke 22, verses 66 through 71. When day came, the council of elders of the people met both chief priests and scribes, and they brought him before the Sanhedrin. They said, if you are the Messiah, tell us. But he replied to them, if I tell you, you will not believe, and if I question, you will not respond. But from this time on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God. They all asked, are you then the Son of God? He replied to them, you say that I am. Then they said, what further need have we for testimony? We have heard it from his own mouth.
Ryan Dunn [00:05:11]:
A reflection. Instead of being received as Messiah or deliverer, Jesus is condemned as a criminal worthy of death. We fail to see Jesus for what he is, and instead Jesus is mocked and diminished. Have you ever misjudged like that? How or when? Have you perhaps failed to see the fullness of Jesus presence? Let's pray together. God, give us compassion for ourselves and for others. Station 4. Jesus is denied by Peter. Our reading is Matthew 26, verses 69 through 75.
Ryan Dunn [00:06:10]:
Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. One of the maids came over to him and said, you too were with Jesus the Galilean. But Peter denied it in front of everyone, saying, I do not know what you're talking about. As he went out to the gate, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, this man was with Jesus the Nazarene. Again, he denied it with an oath. I do not know the man. A little later, the bystanders came over and said to Peter, surely you too are one of them. Even your speech gives you away.
Ryan Dunn [00:06:44]:
At that he began to curse and to swear, I do not know the man. And immediately a cock crowed. Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken. Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times. He went out and began to weep bitterly. A reflection. Peter is afraid. In these verses.
Ryan Dunn [00:07:08]:
There is a time when truly following Jesus makes life more difficult, not easier. So Peter denies Jesus place in his life. Have you ever experienced a time when your fear of people has outweighed your trust in God? Let us pray together. God help us to trust you more. Station 5. Jesus is judged by Pilate. Our reading is Luke 23, verses 15 through 25. Pilate then called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people and said to them, you brought me this man as one who was inciting the people.
Ryan Dunn [00:08:04]:
And here I have examined him in your presence and have not found this man guilty of any of your charges against him. Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us. Indeed, he has done nothing to deserve death. I will therefore have him flogged and release him. Then they all shouted out together, away with this fellow. Release Barabbas for us. This was a man who had been put in prison for an insurrection that had taken place in the city and for murder. Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again, but they kept shouting, crucify him.
Ryan Dunn [00:08:39]:
Crucify him. A third time. He said to them, why, what evil has he done? I found in him no ground for the sentence of death. I will therefore have him flogged and then release him. But they kept urgently demanding with loud shouts that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. So Pilate gave his verdict that their demand should be granted. He released the man that they asked for, the one who had been put in prison for insurrection and murder.
Ryan Dunn [00:09:07]:
And he handed Jesus over as they wished. Our reflection. Pilate washes his hands, saying, this isn't my problem. It's an alluring response. When we're faced with injustice, we might say, that's someone else's fault. There's nothing that I can do about this. Or sometimes we choose to blame others for our own sin. Can you recall a time when you've done so? Let's pray together.
Ryan Dunn [00:09:47]:
God help us to seek confession of sin, that we might receive the forgiveness that you offer freely. Station 6. Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns. Our reading is John 19:1:3. Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and placed it on his head and clothed him in a purple cloak. And they came to him and said, hail, King of the Jews. And they struck him repeatedly.
Ryan Dunn [00:10:23]:
A reflection. Pain, mockery, violence. Even when people were hurting him, Jesus did not fight back. He kept doing what he knew he needed to do. Where in your life are you being called to exhibit this kind of strength? Let's pray together. God teach us strength rooted in love. Station 7. Jesus takes up his cross.
Ryan Dunn [00:11:08]:
Our reading is John 19, verse 6, and verses 15 through 17. When the chief priests and the guards saw Jesus, they cried out, crucify him. Crucify Him. Pilate said to them, take him yourselves and crucify him. I find no guilt in him. They cried out, take him away. Take him away. Crucify him.
Ryan Dunn [00:11:28]:
Pilate said to them, shall I crucify your king? The chief priests answered, we have no, no king but Caesar. Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, and carrying the cross himself, he went out to what is called the place of the skull. In Hebrew, Golgotha. A reflection. In these verses Jesus carries when he must, the names, the cruel intent, the physical weight of the instrument of his own execution. What are you carrying today? Let's pray. God, walk with us in what we must carry.
Ryan Dunn [00:12:24]:
Station 8. Jesus is helped by Simon of Cyrene. Mark 15:21. They pressed into service a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry Jesus cross. A reflection. Even Jesus needed help. Where can you receive help? Where can you offer help? Where is Jesus asking you to pick up the burden and help? Prayer God, open us up to shared burdens. Station 9.
Ryan Dunn [00:13:21]:
Jesus meets the of Jerusalem. A reading is Luke 23, verses 27 through 31. A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented him. Jesus turned to them and said, daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me. Weep instead for yourselves and for your children. For indeed the days are coming when people will say, blessed are the barren, the weeping wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nurse. At that time, people will say to the mountains, fall upon us, into the hills, cover us. For if these things are done when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry? Reflection Even in suffering, Jesus notices others.
Ryan Dunn [00:14:08]:
He asks the women not necessarily to weep for him, but to weep for themselves. What does compassion look like for you right now? How does your own suffering open you up to the suffering of others? Let's pray. God keep our hearts open to others. Station 10. Jesus is crucified. Our reading is Luke 23, verses 33 and 34. When they came to the place that is called the skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Then Jesus said, father, forgive them, for they do not know what they're doing.
Ryan Dunn [00:15:05]:
And they cast lots to divide his clothing. Here Jesus is stripped and nailed to the cross. He was lifted up to be crucified between two criminals. And here violence meets love, and love responds with forgiveness. A prayer. God, help us take one step toward forgiveness. Station 11. Jesus promises the kingdom.
Ryan Dunn [00:15:50]:
Our reading is Luke 23:39, 43. One of the criminals who were hanging there kept deriding him and saying, are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us. But the other rebuked him, saying, do you not fear God? So since you're under the same sentence of condemnation, and we indeed have been condemned justly, for we're getting what we deserve for our deeds. But this man has done nothing wrong. Then he said, jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus replied, truly, I tell you today you will be with me in paradise. A reflection Grace is there for whomever wills to accept it. In the moment we just read.
Ryan Dunn [00:16:34]:
There's no ritual of initiation, there's no elaborate prayer, just a humble willingness to accept. It's never too late to accept that grace. So let me ask, what guilt are you hanging on to? Where might you be refusing mercy? Foreign. Let's pray. God help us receive your mercy. Station 12. Jesus speaks to his mother and disciple. Our reading is John 19, verses 25 through 27.
Ryan Dunn [00:17:24]:
Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister Mary, the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, woman, here is your son. Then he said to the disciple, here is your mother. And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. A reflection even in suffering. Jesus creates community. Who has been given to you? Who are you given to? Let's pray. God help us care for those around us.
Ryan Dunn [00:18:19]:
Station 13. Jesus dies on the cross. Our reading is Luke 23, verses 44 through 46. It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon while the sun's light failed and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus crying out with a loud voice, said, father, into your hands. I commend my spirit. Having said this, he breathed his last. A reflection, a final breath.
Ryan Dunn [00:18:52]:
Sit with this thought of Jesus. Finished work on the cross. At this moment, the veil that represented the barrier between God's holy presence and the rest of the world is ripped in two. In the darkest moment, the barrier is removed. God be present with us in the quiet. Station 14 Jesus is laid in the tomb. Reading is Matthew 27, verses 57 through 60. When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who was himself a disciple of Jesus.
Ryan Dunn [00:19:53]:
He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be handed over taking the body, Joseph wrapped it in clean linen and and laid it in his new tomb that he had hewn in the rock. Then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the tomb and departed. A reflection. The stone is rolled this feels like the end. God help us to trust you in our waiting. In the biblical story, we leave off at the point where it feels like the end. We've walked the stations of the cross and maybe you noticed that this isn't just Jesus story, that we enter this story as well.
Ryan Dunn [00:20:55]:
We can be participants in this story. There are moments of fear, moments of failure. There are moments of grace. There are moments of love. That love that refuses to give up. And through it all we see that God is present. And we know the good news that comes after this story ends. That God is present.
Ryan Dunn [00:21:17]:
And not in a distant way, not in an absent way, but that God is resurrected and being present with us. If something stirred in you today, I invite you to return to that feeling. Maybe sit with one station later and reflect on it once again. And if this episode meant something to you, I'd love for you to subscribe to leave a rating or review and share it with someone who might need this kind of moment. You can find more stuff like this and more episodes of Compass at umc. Org Compass. Thank you for walking this path with me, and until next time, take care and keep exploring.
