Begin at Lakewood Alliance Church (4001 - 5th Ave)
between 10 & 11am on Good Friday
Introduction to Stations
Pilgrimage is a lost spiritual discipline in the life of modern Christians. In the Middle Ages, every authentic Christ follower was encouraged to travel to Jerusalem and walk in Christ’s footsteps. The earliest surviving narrative of this practice appears in the early 4th century account by the anonymous “Pilgrim of Bordeaux.” Over the centuries, a winding route emerged in Jerusalem, leading from the ruins of the Antonia Fortress to the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre. But not all aspiring pilgrims could manage this arduous and costly trip, therefore pictures or sculptures representing the stages of Christ’s journey to the cross were erected in or near local churches or other public venues.
As a spiritual exercise, the stations of the cross developed organically from the devotional lives of medieval Christ followers. The sixteenth century Dutch geographer and priest, Christian van Adrichem, reminded his readers that they could follow this way of the cross “within the temple or chamber of the spirit,” without leaving home.
Stations is a self-directed, reflective time intended to focus on the cross of Jesus and our own journey with him. There are 9 of the Stations of the Cross in this booklet, and the intent is that you drive to the stated locations around town and engage in the reflection for that station in the booklet.
This year’s experience of Stations will walk us through the story of Jesus’ betrayal, trial, and execution as recounted in the Gospel of Mark, Chapters 14-15.
For each of the stations, this booklet contains:
a scripture reading
a reflection
instructions for what to do or focus on at each station
a prayer
Take all the time you need as you go through the stations. After all, a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in the Middle Ages would have lasted over two months. Slow down and allow God to speak to you as you spend this time with him. Feel free to do this as an individual or a family.
As you prepare to walk beside Christ on the Way of the Cross, take a moment to breathe and then quiet yourself before Jesus and ask him to meet you as you go through this experience today.
And now your journey begins…