Outdoor Stations of the Cross Available for All

Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?
   Look and see
if there is any sorrow like my sorrow,
   which was brought upon me,
which the Lord inflicted
   on the day of his fierce anger.

This Holy Week, passersby may notice something new on our lawn.  The sidewalks along Grange and Chadwick roads are lined with lawn signs depicting the fourteen stations of the cross using contemporary imagery. The public is invited to walk by and pray anytime between Palm Sunday (April 13th) and Holy Saturday (April 19th) and/or join us for a service on Good Friday (April 18th) at noon.

Modeled after the Via Delarosa, the route Jesus was said to have taken through the streets of Jerusalem before his crucifixion, the stations of the cross are a sequence of images, usually around the perimeter of a church interior. During Lent and Holy Week, Christians gather for a kinetic service of readings and prayers, moving from one station to the next, that retells the story of His final hours.

Walking the Way of the Cross; Stations of the Present Moment was born out of necessity during Lent of 2020 when the COVID pandemic meant a group gathering in the narrow side aisles of our sanctuary was not possible. Instead we met on Zoom, and prayed the stations together from our homes, following a new text that was written within the context of our worry and isolation.

The images, by contemporary artists, were chosen to give the viewer latitude to create his or her own “story” while hearing the related bible verse at each station.  Each year, the text has been revised to reflect our gradual return to public gatherings, with the attendant anxieties that brought.  After three years on Zoom, starting in 2023 we prayed the stations outside in the church property.

This year, we decided to set them up early to give more people the opportunity to participate either on their own or with others. This current edition of the prayers references the  social dichotomy which has impacted so many individuals, families and relationships.

We encourage you to come by, pray the stations and spend time in our gardens. There are leaflets available in the Little Library on the Chadwick Road side of the property.

PHOTO CREDIT: Marsha Mackey