Each year on Good Friday, my church experiences the Stations of the Cross together as a community, and it’s always extremely meaningful. If you’re unfamiliar with the stations, they’re usually artistic representations of the scriptural story from Christ’s condemnation to death, following the last events of Christ’s life on earth, culminating in Jesus being laid in the tomb (or, in some cases, with the resurrection). Through art and readings, we enter into those dark hours and allow ourselves to be immersed in what Christ did for us through his suffering on the cross.
Our church has done this a number of ways. One year we simply read the scriptures and blew out candles after each reading until the room was completely dark. Another year we partnered with another local church to do a series of larger exhibits along the local train line, each stop on the train was a station. Another year we used small pieces of art from church history along with the scriptural readings at stations throughout our worship space.
If your community is planning to do something with the Stations of the Cross this Good Friday, you may want to look at a couple of really great media packages to help you walk through the service.
Stations of the Cross from illuminate – This set of ten stills depicts the scenes from that good and terrible day, and would be great to have on the screens in your service as you walk through the stations.
The Way of Suffering Experience Kit from Journey Box Media – Brand new this year, this is a very cool package that includes a reflective video, PDF resources for stations, and a promo video to show your congregation before Good Friday.
How does your church experience the Stations of the Cross?
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