Simon Bears the Cross, Jerusalem. Photo by Rev. Erin Jones.
Every Lent Christians around the world engage in devotional activities that deepen their faith and understanding of the gift of the Cross and the call to follow Jesus as disciples. One such devotional practice that has captured the imaginations of Christians for centuries is the “Stations of the Cross.” In this practice, artwork depicting different tableaus of the passion of Christ are paired with reflections and prayers. While the practice can take many forms, the traditional set of 14 stations can be traced to “The Way of the Cross” at Leuven from 1505.
While such practices have not always been a part of Lutheran liturgical practice, there has been a resurgence in recent decades in exploring the myriad of prayer practices from the Christian tradition. Stations of the Cross provide an opportunity for public embodiment of prayers, both for individual disciples and for faith communities. For example, pilgrims to Jerusalem often walk the Via Dolorosa, a set of Stations placed throughout the city, culminating in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
“I remember stumbling across the station ‘Simon of Cyrene bears the Cross’ within minutes of entering the Old City,” said the Rev. Erin Jones, LAMPa communications and advocacy engagement manager. “The reminder that the ground on which I walked was sacred was a powerful moment connecting me more deeply to the story of Jesus and the call I have as a disciple,” reflected the Rev. Erin Jones, Communications and Advocacy Engagement Manager.
The Welcome Church in Philadelphia walks the Stations of the Cross during Lent at the Suburban Station. In that practice, the stations are transferred from places in the Passion story to places in Penn Center, from the bathrooms to closed storefronts to places where the homeless community finds refuge. The hope, as their liturgy points out, is that this public walking of the way of the cross “reminds us that God is here with us, in this place, right now.”
Other churches have found ways to bring this meaningful devotional practice into the public sphere, from placing stations on woodland trails to ecumenical partnerships with different congregations hosting different stations to walking as a worshipping community to different places in their neighborhood, this practice has the potential to transform hearts and communities and their understanding of how to be disciples in the world.
With the addition of the proposed Social Statement on Civic Life and Faith, the ELCA will have 14 Social Statements. LAMPa has taken this opportunity to compile reflections on the traditional 14 stations of the cross that enter into conversation with the rich social teaching of our church, helping us understand how our faith can take shape in the public sphere. LAMPa will distribute these devotions both as stations formatted for communities to engage in this practice in worship and public spaces, and as daily email devotionals starting on April 5. Sign up to receive daily devotions here.
We hope that this resource will inspire communities to more boldly live into a public witness — as Lutherans, with ecumenical partners, and as disciples following the way of the cross.
Three Formats for Devotions
