Holy Week
Fellowship Hall
Thursday, April 13, 2017, 9:00 a.m. to 7:00* p.m.
Friday, April 14, 2017, 9:00 a.m. to 8:00* p.m.
Saturday, April 15, 2017, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00* p.m.
Please enter the Fellowship Hall through the doors facing the front plaza.
Labyrinth Walk & Personal Meditation
* Please begin a labyrinth meditation 45 to 60 minutes before the ending times listed above.
On the floors of several European cathedrals are drawings, now often unnoticed, that served an important function during life in the Middle Ages. Called labyrinths, the spiraling pathways provided an opportunity for the faithful to “go on pilgrimage.” Though sometimes used as a form of penance, more generally the labyrinth served as an occasion for a walking meditation as a “pilgrim” slowly moved toward the center and then returned with a renewed sense of focus about God and the responsibility of the self in God’s world.
Our canvas labyrinth is a replica of the one originally laid in the 12th century in the floor of the Chartres Cathedral in France. As Holy Week comes to a close, River Road Church cordially invites you to experience a meditative walk. Written material about the labyrinth’s history and symbolism will be available. Bring a friend or come alone. We suggest that you allow approximately 45-60 minutes for the labyrinth experience.
Stations of the Cross
From the earliest days of the church, Christians have journeyed to Jerusalem to retrace the path Jesus took as he carried his cross from Pilate’s house to Golgotha. This path has become known as the Via Dolorosa or “Way of Sorrow” St. Jerome (325-420CE) who translated the Bible into Latin wrote of hundreds of pilgrims in Jerusalem who walked this devotional path in his day. Markers were put into place where Jesus started, received the cross, stopped and fell, met his mother, and was assisted by Simon of Cyrene. There was no set number of stations in Jerusalem, but eventually the number was generalized in Europe to 14 stations.
These 14 stations are routinely walked and meditated upon during Lent and especially during Holy Week. Our lives are about following the Way of Christ, including the taking up of our own crosses. The 14 Stations of the Cross trace Jesus’ path from Pilate’s house to Golgotha to his tomb, mixing some events that we find in Scripture with some that come to us via the tradition of the church.
RRCB’s Stations of the Cross
We will have the Stations of the Cross set up in the Fellowship Hall during the times listed above. The walk takes no longer than a lunch break. Each station will have a written explanation and prayer. You may walk and read these to yourself or come in a group and have a person read at each station.
This journey is a walk of prayer and reflection. At every point along the way where we stop and pray, is a station on the journey of Jesus to the Cross. The stations provide space for worshipers to reflect on the passion of Christ, from the moment of his condemnation to his body being laid rest in the tomb. The movement between stations, the meditation on the scriptural narrative, and the prayers uttered as one walks the stations, create a spiritual environment that will provide a special place to experience the power and sorrow of the week leading to a joyous resurrection on Easter morning.