“Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
- Matthew 11:28
Stations of the Cross
We live in a tumultuous world.
Following in the way of Jesus doesn’t make us immune from that turbulence, but teaches us how to navigate suffering and hardship. That’s what the Stations of the Cross are about: they invite us to contemplate Jesus’ final journey to the cross and what it teaches us about grace and the immensity of God’s love for us.
Each station is heavy. Take your time.
May you encounter in these stations something of God’s unfathomable closeness and goodness.
Before you start:
Begin by prayerfully centering yourself in God’s presence.
Slowly immerse yourself in each image, each Scripture, each question.
Listen. What might God be speaking to you? What might God be wanting to illuminate for you or within you?
There is no need to rush. Be good to your heart.
A prayer to ground you:
Holy Spirit, be close to me. Reveal yourself to me in these stations.
You know what it is that I need for my own journey.
Speak to me.
Shape me.
Guide me.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
If you’re local to West Vancouver, the 14 illustrations are hanging in the West Van United sanctuary, open from 9am to 4pm for prayer and contemplation through Holy Week.
Station I.
Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to feel sorrow and distress. Then he said to them, "My soul is sorrowful even to death. Remain here and keep watch with me." He advanced a little and fell prostrate in prayer, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will." When he returned to his disciples he found them asleep. He said to Peter, "So you could not keep watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Matthew 26:36-41
Station I. In the Garden. Claire Watts
Where do I feel resistance between my will and God’s—and what am I afraid surrender will cost me?
From the artist:
Jesus knew what was to come and found a place in the garden to pray alone. His hands are raised in prayer, surrounded by olive trees, in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Station II.
Jesus is Betrayed by Judas and Arrested
While Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived, accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs, who had come from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. His betrayer had arranged a signal with them, saying, "the man I shall kiss is the one; arrest him and lead him away securely." He came and immediately went over to him and said, "Rabbi." And he kissed him. At this they laid hands on him and arrested him.
Mark 14:43-46
Station II. God in Moonlight. Evangeline LeSieur
Where have I been wounded by betrayal—and how has it shaped the way I love or withhold love?
From the artist:
This is the station when Jesus is arrested. I included a little etching of God in the moon to remind us that God is always looking over us. It’s a reminder that God will always love us, even when we betray him.
Station III.
Jesus is Condemned by the Sanhedrin
When day came the council of elders of the people met, both chief priests and scribes, and they brought him before their Sanhedrin. They said, "If you are the Messiah, tell us," but he replied to them, "If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I question, you will not respond. But from this time on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God." They all asked, "Are you then the Son of God?" He replied to them, "You say that I am." Then they said, "What further need have we for testimony? We have heard it from his own mouth.”
Luke 22:66-71
Station III. Deny the Light. Meghan LeSieur
Where in my life am I complicit in denying Light—externally or within myself?
From the artist:
Reading the Scripture of the Sanhedrin condemning Jesus brought to mind the life‑full things we intentionally choke or deny. I chose to depict Jesus as a radiating flower—capturing, living, and embodying the Light. The surrounding blocks represent the Sanhedrin’s power to block and suppress the Life Jesus offers. The scattered blocks leading toward the viewer invite reflection on the ways we, too, box in or block out who Jesus truly is.
Station IV.
Jesus is Denied by Peter
Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. One of the maids came over to him and said, "You too were with Jesus the Galilean." But he denied it in front of everyone, saying, "I do not know what you are talking about!" As he went out to the gate, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, "This man was with Jesus the Nazorean." Again he denied it with an oath, "I do not know the man!" A little later the bystanders came over and said to Peter, "Surely you too are one of them; even your speech gives you away." At that he began to curse and to swear, "I do not know the man." And immediately a cock crowed. Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken: "Before the cock crows you will deny me three times." He went out and began to weep bitterly.
Matthew 26:69-75
Station IV. Denied. Katherine Ives
In what ways do I deny Jesus by how I live?
From the artist:
This station is about Peter’s denial of Jesus. The climax of this story is right after Peter’s third denial when the text says “And immediately a cock crowed.” The sentence is simple but powerful in its meaning and I felt a simple line drawing of the rooster and the sun rising would represent this moment.
Station V.
Jesus is Judged by Pontius Pilate
The chief priests with the elders and the scribes, that is, the whole Sanhedrin, held a council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. Pilate questioned him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" He said to him in reply, "You say so." The chief priests accused him of many things. Again Pilate questioned him, "Have you no answer? See how many things they accuse you of." Jesus gave him no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.... Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas and handed Jesus over to be crucified.
Mark 15:1-5, 15
Station V. Of Torment + Truth. Simon LeSieur
In what ways am I part of the crowd, complicit in injustice?
From the artist:
As I sat with the passage, the line, “the chief priests accused him of many things,” kept ringing in my head. I imagined the torment of Jesus’ accusers contrasted by his silence in the face of encroaching darkness. All of this held within a drop of water to capture Pilate’s attempt to wash his hands of what cannot be cleansed.
Station VI.
Jesus is Scourged at the Pillar and Crowned with Thorns
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged. And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head, and clothed him in a purple cloak, and they came to him and said, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they struck him repeatedly.
John 19:1-3
Station VI. How Great a Love. Patti Howard
Where have others distorted my capacity to love?
From the artist:
With my lines I tried to convey Jesus’ surrender to God’s will. His dignity while receiving abuse. The arrows signifying the attack and pain he suffered. His heart of love for us reminding us he’s with us in our times of suffering. The promise of Isaiah 43: 2: When you pass through the waters I will be with you.v3 for I am the Lord, your God the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour.
When the chief priests and the guards saw [Jesus] they cried out, "Crucify him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and crucify him. I find no guilt in him." ... They cried out, "Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your king?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar." Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, and carrying the cross himself he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha.
John 19:6, 15-17
Station VII.
Jesus Bears the Cross
Station VII. The Light Carried into the Darkness. Cecilia Jie
What helps me keep walking when the way is difficult?
From the artist:
Jesus bears the cross and walks into the darkness toward death. What seems like suffering may also hold light. To me, the cross carries the light of God. In life I have often seen suffering turn into grace and wisdom. What first appears as struggle and darkness may later reveal blessing and renewal. In God’s faithfulness, and in our obedience, God is with us.
Station VIII.
Jesus is Helped by Simon the Cyrenian to Carry the Cross
They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.
Mark 15:21
Station VIII. Light in Darkness. Nova Nofziger
Where is God inviting me to help alleviate someone else’s burden?
From the artist:
When I read this passage it made me think of how we can share God’s light with others who are in a dark time by reaching out and being there for them.
Station IX.
Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem
A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented him. Jesus turned to them and said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children, for indeed, the days are coming when people will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed.' At that time, people will say to the mountains, ‘Fall upon us!' and to the hills, ‘Cover us!' for if these things are done when the wood is green what will happen when it is dry?"
Luke 23:27-31
Station IX. Weep. Katie Nofziger
Where am I consuming suffering rather than being shaped by it?
From the artist:
Jesus tells the women to weep not for him, but instead for themselves and their children. While I think of fears I have for my own children in this unstable world, I think particularly of Palestinian women who are enduring unimaginable suffering and weep for their children. We consume tragedy and devastation via our cell phones and it strikes me that if Jesus were crucified today, that's how I would witness it.
Station X.
Jesus is Crucified
When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left. [Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”]
Luke 23:33-34
Station X. Antonym. Kelly McIntyre
How does contemplating love and suffering together impact my understanding of God?
From the artist:
While creating this image, I keep returning to Jesus’ eyes and contemplating all that he may have been holding moment by moment during his crucifixion. Above, I considered faith, forgiveness, love and light… Below, I considered torture, pain, suffering and sadness… Although the image has been carved and printed and framed and hung on a wall, my contemplating remains ongoing.
Station XI.
Jesus Promises His Kingdom to the Good Thief
Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us." The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, "Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
Luke 23:39-43
Station XI. Held in Grace. Claire Freyvogel
Where in my life do I need to receive God’s unconditional grace?
From the artist:
I chose to keep my interpretation of Jesus promising His kingdom to the good thief simple, reflecting the quiet power of that moment. The three crosses rest within a heart, symbolizing openness, love, and trust, and the belief that grace is offered to all. The heart remains open at its base, suggesting the presence of choice - the two paths revealed in the story: turning away or turning toward mercy.
Station XII.
Jesus Speaks to His Mother and the Beloved Disciple
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son." Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
John 19:25-27
Station XII. Carve Light. Christopher Frigon
Looking back at my life, where do I see God’s light and presence in the midst of difficult moments?
From the artist:
I wanted to capture an image of Jesus on the cross as he transferred the care of his mother to his beloved disciple. What this love and sacrifice looked like from a long distance away with the light of Jesus reaching down from the cross and the light of Mary and his disciple reaching up. The image is centered on an oval that represents the Eucharist, a seed, a womb, a tear…
It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon because of an eclipse of the sun. Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle. Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit"; and when he had said this he breathed his last.
Luke 23:44-46
Station XIII.
Jesus Dies on the Cross
Station XII. Transformation. Cora van Wyck
What within me do I need to release to make room for new life?
From the artist:
In my early years, I was terrified of God because I believed I had to be perfect. In my late thirties everything changed. I heard the voice of God — a voice of indescribable love, closer than my breath. I was overwhelmed to realize that there was nothing I could do, good or bad, that would ever change God’s love for me. I’ve used the image of a phoenix, the mythological bird that is reborn out of ashes. Even on the cross Jesus is God’s promise of our transformation and resurrection.
Station XIV.
Jesus is Placed in the Tomb
When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who was himself a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be handed over. Taking the body, Joseph wrapped it [in] clean linen and laid it in his new tomb that he had hewn in the rock. Then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the tomb and departed.
Matthew 27:57-60
Station XIV. When It Was Evening. Jane Matthews
Where am I being asked to wait and entrust myself to stillness and uncertainty?
From the artist:
This image reflects the moment in Matthew 27:57–60 when evening falls and Jesus is laid in the tomb. The rocky limestone hillside evokes the terrain, where tombs were carved into the stone outside Jerusalem. The horizontal lines of the sky suggest the quiet descent of evening, while the setting sun marks the close of the day. The tomb entrance sits in shadow beneath the hillside, sealed by the stone and surrounded by stillness. By focusing on the landscape rather than the figures, the work invites the viewer into the peaceful silence and solemnity of this moment — the final pause before the story continues.
“By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
- Genesis 3:19