Prayer Service – Stations of the Cross

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Creative Commons License Photo Credit: David Gunter via Compfight

STATIONS OF THE CROSS

We are here today, to follow Jesus, our friend

and the One who saved us, along the road to Calvary.

On our way we will learn a little more about His love for us

and what he did to save us.

We will learn a little more about what Jesus was like,

so we can be more like Jesus.

 

Jesus will be with us if we watch very quietly

Jesus will be with us if we listen very carefully

Jesus will be with us if we sing and pray with all our hearts.

 

THE FIRST STATION: JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH

Pontius Pilate was the governor appointed by the emperor in Rome.

The leaders of the Jews said to Pilate,

“This man Jesus says he is a king.

This makes him an enemy of the Roman emperor.

If you let this man go, you will be an enemy of the Roman emperor too.”

He knew Jesus had done nothing wrong.

But Pilate was afraid and ordered that Jesus be crucified.

 

THE SECOND STATION: JESUS IS GIVEN THE CROSS

The cross was big and heavy.

He was hardly able to carry the cross

but he took it because he loved us.

 

THE THIRD STATION: JESUS FALLS THE FIRST TIME

The cross was too heavy.

Jesus fell.

He got up and took the cross again

 

THE FOURTH STATION: JESUS MEETS HIS MOTHER

When Mary saw Jesus she may have thought of all the happy days

they had in their home in Nazareth

She may have remembered too all the kind things he had done for others.

When Jesus grew to be a man

He was both good and kind

He healed those who were ill and sad

And gave sight to the blind.

Mary  knew better than anyone else

that Jesus did not deserve what was happening to him now.

 

THE FIFTH STATION: SIMON HELPS JESUS TO CARRY HIS CROSS

Jesus was not able to carry his cross by himself.

He needed help.

Simon had come up to the city of Jerusalem for the day.

The soldiers made him carry the cross with Jesus.

The people who had been jeering Jesus started jeering Simon now.

Poor Simon!

 

THE SIXTH STATION: VERONICA WIPES THE FACE OF JESUS

One person at least, Veronica,

did not care about the people

who are jeering and shouting.

She knows that they will jeer her as well

but she does what she knows to be right. S

he steps out from the crowd.

She goes over to Jesus and wipes the blood from his face.

 

THE SEVENTH STATION: JESUS FALLS THE SECOND TIME

The cross seemed to get heavier with every step.

Jesus fell again.

But he got up, and took the cross again.

 

THE EIGHTH STATION: JESUS SPEAKS TO THE WOMEN AND THE CHILDREN

Jesus was always gentle and kind.

He put other people before himself.

He had time to stop and listen to others and to help them.

The road to Calvary did not change him.

Even there, he stopped to listen to the women and children,

and to talk to them

 

THE NINTH STATION: JESUS FALLS THE THIRD TIME

His strength was gone.

He was not able to carry the cross but he still wanted to go on.

It was what His Father wanted Him to do,

and He was doing it for us.

Nothing could change that.

 

THE TENTH STATION: JESUS IS STRIPPED OF HIS CLOTHES

The soldiers take Jesus’s clothes.

Jesus is left with nothing but His Love for us.

They could not take that away.

 

THE ELEVENTH STATION: JESUS IS CRUCIFIED

Jesus is nailed to the cross.

The soldiers fixed a sign above his head saying

‘Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews’.

They were right though they didn’t know.

 

THE TWELFTH STATION: JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS

The sky grew dark: it might have seemed that only bad would live.

But Jesus looked upon the world and said to God, ‘Forgive’.

 

THE THIRTEENTH STATION: JESUS IS TAKEN DOWN FROM THE CROSS

Jesus does not have to suffer any more.

It is finished.

The friends of Jesus take him down from the cross.

 

THE FOURTEENTH STATION: THE BURIAL OF JESUS

Then Jesus’ friends, all weeping laid his body in a tomb.

They rolled the stone door closed and spent the next day deep in gloom.

 

ON THE FIRST EASTER MORNING,

THE FRIENDS OF JESUS HEARD THE INCREDIBLE GOOD NEWS

Another day: the friends returned to say a last good bye,

but who had rolled the stone door back before dawn had lit the sky.

 

And  then they saw them; angels bright, who said,

‘You must not cry. For Jesus is alive again -God’s love can never die.’

 

So celebrate glad Easter news: all bad things are forgiven.

God’s gentle love fills all the world.

 

Sing, because all badness is beaten. Alleluia

Sing, because God’s love is so strong. Alleluia

Sing, because Jesus as brought the world joy. Alleluia

 

And Jesus Christ is risen

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