Stations of the Cross

Tonight we celebrated Good Friday by walking the Stations of the Cross. I know this is something Protestants don't often do, but we thought we'd take advantage of worshipping in a Roman Catholic space where the stations are along the walls of the sanctuary.



Over the traditional rendering of each station is an additional piece of artwork (created by the lovely and talented Jessica Kelley) representing the emotional impact of each station. We photographed them after tonight's service, and they will remain through Easter Sunday. Come see them in person if you're in the Clarksville area this weekend!

Station 1- Jesus is Condemned by Pilate


the words on the surface of the water in the bowl are a selection of the sins of humanity for which Jesus died

Station 2- Jesus is given his cross

Station 3- Jesus falls for the first time

Station 4- Jesus meets his Mother

Station 5- Simon of Cyrene carries the cross

Station 6- Veronica wipes the face of Jesus 

Tradition says that the cloth Veronica used to wipe Jesus' face retained his image, creating one of the treasures of the early church. We used this one to remind ourselves that we are all created in the image of God, and are called to serve as his representatives in the world.

Station 7- Jesus falls the second time

Station 8- Jesus meets the daughters of Jerusalem

Station 9- Jesus falls the third time

Station 10- Jesus is stripped of his garment

Station 11- Jesus is nailed to the cross

Station 12- Jesus dies on the cross

Station 13a 

In the Catholic tradition, this station recalls Jesus being removed from the cross and being mourned, usually by his mother, we made a slightly different choice, as you will see in a moment)

Station 13b- Jesus is laid in the tomb

Station 14 (wide shot)- we thought it would be cool to have this one on the altar

Station 14 (close-up)- The Empty Tomb

Our final station ends with the Resurrection, because Jesus' death is not the end of the story, and Sin, Evil, and Death do not have the last word.