Stations of the Cross

Stations of the Cross

A Resource for All-Age Worship during Holy Week.

These ‘Stations’ were originally used as part of an all-age family service on Good Friday. The stations were set up around the church in order, but people were free to travel to stations in any order they wanted and to come and go without time restriction. Corporate worship was used to mark the beginning and end of the service and around 30 minutes was given for people to visit the stations.

Everything we used is set out in this pack so that it can be easily re-created. There is nothing very complicated and the stations can easily be adapted according to the availability of your spaces. Some additional ideas that we might’ve used but didn’t are included throughout.

The sheets in the pack can be printed and pinned up strategically to give people the information they need and any additional notes set out here.

Note on Bibles: Each station gives a bible quote to look up and read. We wanted to encourage families to participate together in reading. We wanted the story to be as accessible to as wide a variety of age groups as possible so we provided a range of Bibles to include children’s Bibles, bible storybooks, graphic bibles (including ‘See With Me Bible’) and picture books aimed at a variety of age groups.

Opening page ‘Stations’, pages 2 and 3.

These are the ‘Introductory’ pages that need to be pinned up wherever the official ‘start’ of the journey is. Above the ‘tickets’ table might be a good place. We used pictures of Oxford & Radley stations as these are ones our children use, plus Thomas and Underground Ernie so that even very small children could make a link. (If you’ve never seen Underground Ernie visit CBeebies TV or Web).

Pages 4, 5 & 6 – ‘Tickets’

These different pictures of Jesus were printed out in colour, laminated and cut up. They were laid out on a table with 3 copies of each sheet (depending on the numbers you expect) so that there was a good a choice and some people could have the same picture.

Pages 7-13 – ‘Station symbol’

These were printed in black & white on A3 coloured paper pinned by every station to give each a name.

Station 1 – The Upper Room: The Last Supper (Matt 26:26-30)

Needed for this station;

Small table with cloth on.

Communion cup & plate,

Big picture of communion behind.

Loaves of bread cut up in a basket or bowl – amount depends on numbers expected.

Themes: Bread, wine, fellowship

Invitation - come and eat bread

Look, feel, smell, taste – notice nice things about bread.

Activity as set out on page 14. Have the communion cup & plate on the table too.

Hot Cross Buns – symbolic of Easter, the bread reminds us of Jesus’, the cross reminds of his taking our sin, the spices remind of his death. (We had refreshments including Hot Cross Buns after the service)

Jesus said ‘I am the bread of life’ – what do you think this means?

Jesus broke the bread and said ‘Do this in memory of me’?

Look at your picture of Jesus. I wonder what memory you have of Jesus.

Further Ideas:

Pictures of breads/ bread products (small, cut out). Outline of a basket (to stick favourite breads into). Stick your favourite bread into the basket .

Why were they celebrating the Passover? (Susie Poole book).

Play & Pray through Lent p59 – Baa Baa Black Sheep Song

Station 2 - Gethsemene: The Garden of Gethsemene (Matt 26: 36-48)

Needed for this station;

Post-it notes

Pens/ pencils

Board, paper or card to stick post-it’s on to.

Themes: Prayer, sleep, kiss

Activity as set out on page 15.

Further Ideas:

Make a simple prayer garden – use paper plates, sand paper, twigs, lolly sticks or pipe cleaners (+ plastercine or blu tack) for crosses, self adhesive ‘jewels’ with card petals for flowers, or a damp tissue & cress seed to grow ‘grass’.

Think about doing something we don’t want to do

Station 3 – TempleCourtyard: The Denial (Matt 26:69-75)

Needed for this station;

Cockeral template p16 copied onto card.

Glue (PVA is best)

Coloured feathers

(Coloured pens ?)

Themes: The Fire, the fear, the feathers

Activity as set out on page 17.

Colour, stick, make picture of cockerel.

Further Ideas:

Take a feather to the cross to say sorry to Jesus for the times we’ve denied knowing him.

Station 4 – Pilate’s Palace: The Trial (John 19:12-16)

Needed for this station;

Print out of the picture on page 19

Bowl of water

A ‘squirty’ handwash – it’s best to get a sensitive skin one.

Hand towel

Themes: Purple robes, crown of thorns, ‘not my fault’/’I didn’t do it’.

Activity as set out on page 18.

Further Ideas:

Make a crown to really glorify Jesus – Remember Palm Sunday

Station 5- The Road: The Way of the Cross (Luke 23:26-31)

Needed for this station;

Basket, holdall or rucksack with several heavy books (not too heavy though – think about children!)

Make a paper palm cross an outline can be found at this address;

Or template in ‘Multi-sensory Seasons’ p19

A CD Player and suitable song about the cross – I used ‘Above All’ on

The Best Worship Songs Album

Lenny Leblanc & Paul Baloche

Themes: Jesus falls, Simon helps, Jesus speaks to the women.

Activity as set out on page 20.

Pick up the heavy load – what does it feel like?

Loads can be physical but they can be inside us too –things we worry about or that make us sad. Jesus can help carry these loads too.

Carrying a heavy load ‘My heavy load he chose to bear’ write prayer on the strips and follow the pattern to make into Cross shape.

Listen to the song ‘Above All’ hear the words. (We had the CD playing on repeat in the vestry with a few chairs and the words printed out for people to read. This meant it didn’t disturb people in the main church)

Above all powers above all kings

Above all nature and all created things

Above all wisdom and all the ways of man

You were here before the world began

Above all kingdoms above all thrones

Above all wonders the world has ever known

Above all wealth and treasures of the earth

There’s no way to measure what You’re worth

Crucified laid behind the stone

You lived to die, rejected and alone

Like a rose, trampled on the ground

You took the fall, and thought of me

Above all

Further Ideas:

Falling down hurts. Mr Bump pads, plasters, dolly’s. Remember what it is like to fall over. But someone helped Jesus just as someone helps us. Who helps you and how? Draw a picture of them?

Station 6 – Skull Hill: The events at the cross (Matt 27:35-44 & John 19:25-27)

Needed for this station;

Playsand

Trays of sand (We had 5 trays available placed around the cross)

Printout of the prayer on p23

Large free standing cross

Themes: Drawing lots for Jesus’ robes, the criminals, Jesus’ mother.

Activity as set out on page 22.

Sand box confession & Absolution (Father forgive them).

‘On that Good Friday, Lord,

They tried everything.

They tried to quench your love with insults,

To drown your love in jeering,

to kill your love by nailing it to a cross.

But your love was not beaten.

you forgave them the jeering,

you forgave them the piercing,

and in your forgiveness

your love conquered all

and rose into a new and everlasting life. Amen’.

Further Ideas:

Other suitable ways of confession

Station 7 – The Tomb: The death & the tomb (John 19:28-42)

Needed for this station;

Oil burner, candle

Myrrh Oil (available from Culpeper Shops or

A ‘tomb’ (we draped a parachute over some screen to make an enclosed space, you could use the pulpit with a blanket over the top (if your pulpit is the right design), or a tent, or make a papier-mache tomb).

Playdough

Paper or card (to put individual models on – these can be named)

White cloth to sit in the tomb.

Print out of page 26 in the tomb

Themes:Sour taste, the death, the burial

Activities as set out on page 24 and 25.

Myrrh incense stick

Myrrh oil burned in an oil burner but beware hot water and candle needed for this with children moving around. I put ours up on a high windowsill. It was very worth having this smell near where the tomb was.

The tomb – screens, parachute

‘In the darkest moments of our lives, O God,

Remind us that you are light,

That you are hope,

That you are love. Amen’

What’s it like in the dark place?

Further Ideas:

Sour sweets – taste the bitterness!