Stations of the Cross Online

Sometimes the ministry practices that we want to do online don’t seem to fit.

Especially when they are annual traditions we live into each and every year.

How are we supposed to do things like Lent, Holy Week, and Easter online?

We actually tackled that question last week, but we saved this week to discuss Stations of the Cross a bit deeper.

Included below is a brief history and explanation of the Stations, examples of how your church could share them online, and even a brief walkthrough to give you more context.

Click here for the video version of this post!

History of Stations of the Cross

A long standing worship practice in the Catholic church held on Fridays throughout Lent, and definitely on Good Friday, is Stations of the Cross, or Way of the Cross. 

There are variations of this practice held in Protestant traditions as well. The Catholic tradition typically recognizes 14 stations, though only 8 or so in other Protestant traditions.

The number of stations is not as important as the overall spiritual significance it has during the time of Lent. 

Historically, the Stations began in the early centuries after the time of Christ as a pilgrimage where visitors would walk the path Jesus took from Pilate’s house to Calvary, praying and meditating at each ‘station’.

The popular practice was embellished over the years until it found its way into formal church services and became a powerful and solemn witness on Good Friday.

It can be a profoundly deep and meaningful journey inside our own hearts as we come face to face with the suffering Jesus on His way to crucifixion. 

It can help us in our faith walks as we come to understand how His journey then transforms us now

Taking this practice online offers some wonderfully unique opportunities for worship and connection in this time of social distance and quarantines. 

Let’s be real, though… it’s also a bit scary!

The Stations of the Cross have a lot of power and significance behind them – certainly you want to give them the presentation they deserve.

And you will.

Whatever you choose to do will not only bless your people who might not have any connection to the Stations in 2021 otherwise. But it will also serve you in the years to come as you carry your digital footprint forward and have the potential of sharing it again and again.

So what is a Station?

The stations call us into a time of meditation and prayer at significant points during Jesus’ journey on His way to crucifixion. 

The framework is generally:

  1. Visual 
  2. Definition
  3. Reading
  4. Meditation
  5. Prayer

How to Bring a Station Online?

You’ve got some options.

Photo Station

You could create each station as a collage of photos. 

Bring in a slew of images for the visual section and consider creating graphics on a free site like Canva to showcase the definition, reading, meditation, and prayer in a more visual way.

In fact, that is the perfect task to try to outsource. 

If your congregation truly wants to see the Stations of the Cross this year, someone might just have to help organize some photos. 

Be sure to make that ask if you need or want some help.

Links Station

Each station could also be a collection of links.

Perhaps they are YouTube videos, puzzles, photos, websites with valuable causes. 

Together, these links can focus around the topic of each of your stations.

These links might take people places they aren’t used to be taken during the Stations of the Cross, but sometimes the best spiritual experiences happen when we are pushed outside our comfort zones a bit.

Take that risk.

DIY At-Home Stations

Another way to try your hand at the Stations of the Cross in these pandemic times is to encourage your people to set up their own Stations.

Don’t make these overly complicated and do keep in mind the type of household objects your people may or may not have.

A good way to foster community if you try this version of the Stations is to encourage people to take photos of their DIY stations each day or week.

Some people will go all-out and others will keep it fairly basic, but everyone will value seeing the various ways their faith community interprets the Station visually.

Encourage creativity and prepare to be amazed at what your people come up with!

At-Church Stations

You could also physically set up the Stations at your church.

Once they are set up, consider live streaming or filming and posting a tour of each station. If you do, demonstrate each piece clearly and consider providing time for people to reflect and pray as they are watching the video.

You could also take photos of your set up and materials and share them on social media for any and all to engage with. 

If you share photos, try to make them higher quality with decent lighting. If you’re not sure how to do this, this is yet another opportunity for you to invite someone else into the process!

Many congregations have at least someone who knows their way around a camera.

Consider asking them to use their gift for the benefit of your church and beyond.

To stay covid-safe, you could also actually set these stations up and invite people to schedule their visit to your church to walk through them.

 

If you do this, you will want to reinforce that they should not touch the stations and provide plenty of time for airing out the area before someone new comes in.

Podcast Stations

For those of you more comfortable with technology, consider recording an auditory tour into a ‘podcast’ format – whether or not the stations are actually physically set up.

You can then encourage members to ‘walk the way of the cross’ during their own time walking, exercising, meditating, or even meandering around the church grounds.

If you don’t have the best voice for a meditative podcast, write up the script and ask someone else (or a few others!) to help record it.

Spread the Word

If you are putting in all of this work to bring your Stations of the Cross online, you want to make sure you effectively let people know.

Don’t just post about this once on Facebook or let it die in your email newsletter.

Repeatedly share video sneak peaks, behind-the-scenes photos, and reminders about what is and will be available to people.

Invite them into the process as much as possible.

If you need some images to capture more attention than a text-only post would do, we have over 25 images for Facebook and over 25 images for Instagram available in our Lent and Holy Week Social Media Image Pack.

It is available for $15 and will not only offer you images to help spread the word about your Stations opportunities, but it will help you when it comes to Holy Week, Lent, and Easter too.

You won’t have to search for the images you will post each day, think of what to put on the images, or edit them yourselves – it’s all done-for-you and ready to go.

Download them now, start scheduling your images on social media, and reach your people where they are at: online.

Let’s walk through an example of a Station:

Visual:

As Pilate was said to wash his hands of Jesus’ death sentence, perhaps a bowl of water and towel. 

Definition:

Narrator: Jesus is condemned to death

Reading:

The scripture verse that applies is then read aloud. For this station, Matthew 27: 11-14, 24-26

Meditation:

Narrator: Jesus, as you silently and humbly accept your destiny, I am reminded of the power of my voice for the voiceless; have I used it to your glory? Have I spoken up for the marginalized and outcast? Have I worked toward a more equitable justice for all? I pray to have your humility and courage that I may walk in your ways and live out your example.

The reflection can be specific to the time of Jesus, focused on Jesus, more abstract or more focused on current day life, how to live out Jesus’ example today. There are really no ‘rules’ around this other than finding and deepening your spiritual journey.

Prayer:

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world

In place of or an addition to this verse, the same chorus of an appropriate song could be played as a transition, or movement from one station to the next. 

…on to the next station…and so on..

Stations of the Cross Sources

A quick google search of “stations of the cross Protestant” will yield a variety of online options from which to choose.  

Use the list for inspiration but feel free to adjust it to be more personal to your faith tradition or church culture. 

Be sure to check the copyright rules for whatever sources you utilize.

You can also develop your own! 

Consider asking your members to contribute individually or as a family. Assign them each a “station,” give them the basic framework and see where the spirit will lead them.

In recent years, stations have been augmented with reflections that focus on the resurrected Christ and not the suffering Christ. Instead of focusing on the journey to the cross, they are looking beyond the cross. 

Whatever your faith tradition calls you to, do it with love, with intentionality, and most of all with the true desire to reach people with the incredible story that is Christ Jesus. 

To reach your people even more ways this Lent, be sure to download our Lent + Holy Week Social Media Image Pack here!