Episode 227 | Good Friday Bonus Episode: Experiencing the Stations of the Cross

This Good Word With Steve Wiens

A custom of our Christian tradition is to keep vigil with Christ at different times and in different ways during Holy Week. One of the places from which we draw this custom is Jesus’ request to his disciples to keep watch while he prayed and agonized in the Garden of Gethsemane. We also know that there were those few—including Mary Magdalene, Jesus’ mother Mary, and the apostle John—who stayed near the cross and kept watch as Jesus suffered and died. Despite the horror of what was taking place, those most intimate with Jesus stayed with him to the end.

Walking and praying through the stations of the cross is one way we can keep vigil with Christ during these holy days. Traditionally, there are fourteen Stations of the Cross—most of them taken directly from Scripture, along with a few that have been passed down in Christian tradition.

This episode is based on An Invitation to Walk with Christ: Stations of the Cross Prayer Guide by Ruth Haley Barton.

Exploring Further: Transforming Resources; Lent Resources Transforming Community Ruth Haley Barton

Music Credit: Lead me to Calvary performed by Don Moen, from the album Hymns of Hope Were you There, performed by The Vigil Project (featuring Andrea Thomas), from the album Vigil, Series 1 When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, performed by Sandra McCracken, from the album She Reads Truth: Hymns