United Methodist Church Displays "Stations of the Cross"

NASHVILLE, TN – Walking the "Stations of the Cross" is an ancient Christian practice that reminds participants of the suffering Jesus endured on the day of his death. In the Roman Catholic Church, walking and praying the stations is a well-established tradition. This year, a United Methodist Church in Hillsboro Village is offering a new tradition- a protestant version.

Visual representations of fourteen pivotal events in Jesus’ journey to the cross will be on display in the Sanctuary of Belmont United Methodist Church (at the corner of Acklen Ave and 21st Ave S) daily during the week before Easter, April 2 - 6. To create the visual representations of each event, members of the congregation reflected prayerfully on events leading to the crucifixion as described in scripture. Then they interpreted the historical events in terms of their significance for their present-day faith. The resulting displays are original artworks of mixed media including stained glass, photography, interactive dioramas, and crafts.

Although they tell the same story, the subject matter of the stations differs from the traditional ones used by the Roman Catholic Church. Jesus never falls in this version, and Veronica does not appear. Seven of the stations will sound familiar to Catholics: Pilate tries Jesus, Jesus carries his cross, Simon carries the cross, Jesus speaks to the women, Jesus speaks to his mother, Jesus dies on the cross, Jesus is laid in the tomb. The distinctively protestant stations are: Jesus prays alone, Jesus is arrested, The Sanhedrin tries Jesus, Pilate sentences Jesus, Jesus wears the crown, Jesus is crucified, and Criminals speak to Jesus.

Belmont’s sanctuary will be open 7:30am to 7:30pm April 2 - 6 for persons to visit the Stations of the Cross.

For more information visit the church’s website at www.belmontumc.org or contact Alison Schmied, at alison@belmontumc.org or 383-0832, ext. 13.