Open Your Eyes: Palm Sunday

Last Sunday we worshipped at the Kirche zur Heimat in Berlin, Germany. The service was, naturally, in German, and while Charles and I knew enough to follow along, our children comprehended nothing. They sat quietly; their eyes wandered. The early spring sun streamed through the window and fell onto images in stone relief along the wall. There, in fifteen panels by Waldemar Otto, was the story of God's saving work through Israel. Can you identify the story told in this image? (Those are waves above the slaves' heads.) Will and Nan had an hour to ponder the beautiful pictures and let the German sermon go right over their heads.

I thought of the many generations of churchgoers who for centuries--from early Christian times until 1962-- worshipped God through the Roman Catholic Latin mass. Many of these humble saints were illiterate, I'm sure, and may have known little Latin. But in their churches they were surrounded, as my children were, by images of the Biblical stories. We see much of this sacred art during our semester here in Europe, pictures created across ages to tell timeless truths to us all.

With Palm Sunday we begin Holy Week and follow Christ's footsteps through his Passion, death and, at last, to his glorious Resurrection. Christians of many traditions enter their church sanctuaries to focus again on pictures along the wall, on the images that compose the Way of the Cross.

The Way of the Cross dates back to medieval times, when Christians unable to make the physical journey to the Holy Land made an imaginary pilgrimage through art depicting Christ's Passion. The Stations of the Cross, traditionally fourteen sculptures or panels ranged along the church walls, invite pilgrims then and now to slow down, pray, reflect, and seek to walk along with Christ, remembering his sacrificial journey for us.

If, in the coming days, you find yourself near the door of a church, particularly an Anglican, Episcopal or Roman Catholic church, step inside and open your eyes and your spirit to the Pascal mystery told through the Stations of the Cross.

There are number of internet resources presenting the Way of the Cross in creative and fresh ways. I invite you to explore them, too:

The College of the Resurrection, Mirfield, West Yorkshire, England, offers the Stations of the Cross with art, readings and prayers from the Iona Community in both text and audio.

Collaborative Ministry of Creighton University presents the Stations of the Cross with a focus on this devotion as prayer that leads us to gratitude. Art, text and audio. Not a very fancy website, but the readings are imaginatively done.

The BBC has posted the Stations of the Cross in beautifully simple art and some historical notes. Click on each small image to see it enlarged with accompanying text.

The Poor Clares of the Ty Mam Duw community in Wales offer a unique take on the tradition with their Gospel Way of the Passion with Francis and Clare. They combine Gospel readings from The Message with words from Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi.