Children act in silhouetted living stations of the cross in Mars
MARS — Children from St. John Lutheran Church worked with church leaders this Good Friday to perform a set of living stations, reenacting the Passion step by step with sheets and silhouettes.
The stations of the cross tableaux began at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, April 18, and walked the congregation through nine readings from the Gospel of John. It recounted nine key moments behind Jesus’ death, from arrest to burial. Each of the stations offered a quick vignette of the scripture.
“I love that we are diving into spaces so we can make the story accessible in different ways,” the Rev. Katie McNeal, presiding minister, said. “Not everyone is going to attend every service where we have the candles and the reading, and not everyone is going to appreciate this. When we do all of these different things, it gives everyone an entry point to the story.”
McNeal especially focused on the involvement of children in the day’s activities, as four children took on roles as silhouetted figures of Jesus, Mary, Peter and more. She said she believes active participation enables the children to connect with the stories, even if they are too young for readings.
“Sometimes, we find something they enjoy doing and they get to do it in this space, and we find that as they keep practicing this, they hear the stories, they learn the stories and they embody the stories,” McNeal said. “They can deepen their faith through these actions, through that participation.”
McNeal said one of her favorite parts of the congregation is the importance members place on their children participating.
“The kids are not only present, but they are active in the church,” McNeal said. “They’re not just the future of the church — they’re the current church.”
The living stations were just one of many events part of St. John Lutheran Church, being nestled between the Good Friday Kid’s Cross Walk and the Seven Last Words Tenebrae Service. McNeal said the inclusion of the tableaux was a last minute pivot.
“A couple years back, when we had our 25th anniversary, we were going through all these old pictures, and we found one of the tableaux. We were like, ‘do you remember that? We should do that,’” McNeal said. “So, when we were planning the Kid’s Cross Walk, someone asked if we could do that again.”
The brainchild behind the return of the stations was Denise Hager, the leader of the volunteer force for the day. She, alongside roughly 20 volunteers, worked together to bring the day’s events to life.
“One thing I learned is that you can’t ask people to do things by calling their home or whatever,” Hager said. “You need to ask face to face.”
She had her grandson get involved, despite not attending the church. He acted as Jesus during some of the stations. She said the church functions more like a family than a congregation.
“We have somebody right now that is sick, so I set up a meal train for the month of April and May. Last I looked, I had two spots left,” Hager said. “That’s what we do. We’re a church family.”
