For the first time in living memory, Christians will not be able to gather in groups to celebrate Easter weekend.
While church leaders are doing everything they can to provide a meaningful worship experience for us, watching a live stream cannot replace the physical act of worship. To make matters worse, for many of us, the line separating work life from home life has disappeared.
The same screens we use to teach our children or video conference at work are now the only places we have to go for corporate worship or small group fellowship.
Many of us are starting to experience the kind of screen-based nausea that could easily be labeled “Zoom fatigue.”
Walking the Stations of the Cross outdoors
The past is full of hidden treasures and traditions. One of these is the Christian tradition of prayerfully walking the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday.
The idea behind this practice is to use physical movement and a series of Gospel readings to slow down time and imaginatively trace the events that ultimately led to Jesus’ death on the cross. Although this practice is often carried out within church buildings, it can (and has been) adapted to outdoor environments as well.
This is especially helpful during the pandemic…when much of America is restricted to staying home or walking around the neighborhood or park. of Biblical The Stations of the Cross is a way for ordinary Christians to escape their living rooms and have an outdoor worship experience without compromising social distancing.
5 easy steps to an outdoor worship walk
The steps below can be used by individuals or families and can be performed in your own backyard, walking around your local neighborhood, or visiting a quiet park or public place. Of course, you will need to adapt your practices to suit local protocols.
Step 1: Choose your departure location
Choose a starting location. If you’re walking around your neighborhood, a stop sign is fine. If you are at home, choose a corner of your garden.
Step 2: Take the first read
If you are alone, prayerfully imagine the scene as it is narrated. Smell the air, hear the crickets, feel the moonlight on your skin. If you have children with you, feel free to ask questions and discuss details of the story together.
Step 3: Select the next location and perform the next read.
Once step 2 is complete, select a second location and walk to it. This could be another stop sign or another shady spot in your yard. The important thing is physically moveThis will free up some mental space for you to read another book.
Step 4: Perform readings and associated songs at each stop.
Every time you stop, read it again. Note: Some readings (included below) have links to songs on YouTube. Use these songs to think more deeply about the suffering and death of Jesus.
Step 5: Go to station 14 and read on
Continue to follow these instructions until you complete all 14 stations. The benefit of spiritual practice is that you can relive in your mind all the important moments from Gethsemane to Golgotha. The entire activity takes less than 1 hour.
This spiritual exercise is best done on Good Friday or Holy Saturday in preparation for Easter Sunday. At the end, worshipers remain in front of Jesus’ tomb. The reason for this is not to spoil the climactic moment of the Resurrection, but to leave room for reflection to ponder the suffering and death of Jesus so that we can feel the full hope and joy of the Resurrection.
Remember the spiritual rules found in the Psalms. Those who sow with tears will reap with joy (Psalm 126:5).
Reading of the Fourteen Stations of the Biblical Cross
Station 1: The Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-41)
Second Station: Jesus’ Betrayal and Arrest (Mark 14:43-46)
Third Station: Jesus is Condemned by the Sanhedrin (Luke 66-71)
Station 4: Peter Denies Jesus (Matthew 26:69-75)
Station 5: Jesus handed over to Pilate (Mark 15:1-5, Mark 15:15)
Station 6: Jesus is scourged (John 19:1-3)
If you want to go deeper, listen to “Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted.”
Station 7: Jesus Carrying the Cross (John 19:6, John:15-17)
Station 8: Simon of Cyrene carries the cross (Mark 15:21)
Station 9: Jesus’ encounter with the women of Jerusalem (Luke 23:27-31)
10th Station: Jesus is Crucified (Luke 23:33-34)
If you want to go deeper, listen to “O Sacred Head Now Wounded.”
11th Station: The Repentant Thief (Luke 23:39-43)
Station 12: Jesus speaks to Mary and John (John 19:25-27)
13th Station: Jesus Dies on the Cross (Luke 23:44-46)
If you want to go deeper, listen to “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.”
Station 14: Jesus is laid in the tomb (Matthew 27:57-60)
Listen to “Man of Sorrows” to conclude your outdoor service at the Stations of the Cross
Enjoy the glory of Easter even during difficult times of social distancing. For He is indeed risen, and He deserves to be remembered with reverence and reverence.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/McIninch
Joe Bernard is director of Cross Training Ministries and author of The Way Forward: a Road-map of Spiritual Growth for Men in the 21st Century (Christian Focus Publications).
