Good Friday Stations of the Cross

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​The name “Good Friday” really seems like a misnomer, the name doesn’t match what it is. Because on Good Friday we come together as a community to remember Jesus’ arrest, trial, crucifixion, suffering, death and burial. The purpose of Holy Week is to experience the story of Jesus; about putting ourselves in the place of his disciples, of the people in Jerusalem, the people who witnessed the end of his life. The Journey of Holy week is a journey of preparing ourselves for Easter, of remembering Jesus’ final days, of feeling the joy, the pain, the suffering, that knot in the pit of our stomachs, those things that we imagine those who were there might have felt.Notusually things we associate with the word “good”. But I’m here to tell you today that this is good news for us, that Good Friday is good because it makes Easter Sunday possible. That through Jesus’ death, God set in motion all that we would ever need for our sins to be forgiven and for our relationship with God to be restored. But we’re all aware that we still sin, that we’re still in need of God’s forgiveness so tonight we’re going to take our sin on a journey to the cross. Tonight I want to invite you to think of something in your life that’s separating you from God, because that’s what sin is, it’s something that separates us from God. That thing could be a habit or a behavior or an attitude that keeps distance between you and God, it could be a hurt or a fear or a distrust of God, it might be just plain not knowing what’s between you and God. You’ll find in your bulletin a piece of paper; we want you to take a moment to write down that thing that’s separating you from God right now. Write it down and fold it up, this is for you and God we’re not sharing these. I want you to hold that thing, that sin in your hand as we take this walk together tonight.

This walk we’re taking is traditionally called the stations of the cross of the via dolorosa which means “the painful way.” Christians throughout history have taken time to stop at these 14 stations to remember these parts of Jesus’ story, to give them a chance to feel what it might have been like, to prepare themselves for Easter. Tonight we’ll be projecting on the screen artistic representations of each of the stations, take your sin to each of these stations tonight, spend a moment reflection on the image and responding to Jesus.

(Please click on the individual pictures for source information)

Mount of Olives (Luke 22):  “When he reached the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.” Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.”"

Jesus betrayed by Judas (Luke 22): While he was still speaking, suddenly a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him; but Jesus said to him, “Judas, is it with a kiss that you are betraying the Son of Man?”

Jesus is condemned by the Sanhedrin (Luke 22:66-71): All of them asked, “Are you, then, the Son of God?” He said to them, “You say that I am.” Then they said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips!”

Peter denies Jesus (Luke 22:54-62): Then a servant-girl, seeing him in the firelight, stared at him and said, “This man also was with him.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” A little later someone else, on seeing him, said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” Then about an hour later still another kept insisting, “Surely this man also was with him; for he is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about!”

Jesus judged by Pilate (Luke 23:13-15): Then they all shouted out together, “Away with this fellow! Release Barabbas for us!” (This was a man who had been put in prison for an insurrection that had taken place in the city, and for murder.) Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again; but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” A third time he said to them, “Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no ground for the sentence of death; I will therefore have him flogged and then release him.” But they kept urgently demanding with loud shouts that he should be crucified; and their voices prevailed. So Pilate gave his verdict that their demand should be granted.

Jesus crowned with thorns (Luke 22:63-65): And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. They kept coming up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking him on the face.

Jesus takes up the cross (Mark 15:20): After mocking him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.

Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus (Luke 23:26): As they led him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus.

Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem (Luke 23: 27-31): A great number of the people followed him, and among them were women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him. But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For the days are surely coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ 

Jesus is crucified (Luke 23:33-4; 47): When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots to divide his clothing.

Jesus promises his kingdom to the good thief (Luke 23:39-43): One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”  But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?  And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.”  Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”  He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

Jesus on the cross, his mother and his disciple (John 19:25-27): When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.”  Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

Jesus dies on the cross (Luke 23:44-47): It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon,  while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two.  Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last.

Jesus in placed in the tomb (Luke 23:50-54, Mark 16:1-4): Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph…He came from the Jewish town of Arimathea, and he was waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God.  This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb where no one had ever been laid. It was the day of Preparation, and the sabbath was beginning.

Friends, Jesus went on this journey for our sins, for that very sin that you wrote down, so that you don’t have to live with it anymore. During this time, you’re invited to come forward with that piece of paper and nail it to the cross, and leave it there. You’re welcome to spend some time at the kneelers if you’d like and I’ll be available over here to anoint you as you leave, but only if you want. In the United Methodist Church we believe that anointing is an act of invoking God’s healing love, it’s an act of asking for God’s love to make us whole: body, mind and spirit. This is an outward sign of a spiritual grace through Christ.

Pastor Jen

(c) Jen Hibben 2014