Easter Icons a walk about exhibition with things to do and see that will help you to contemplate, reflect, question and wonder at the easter story (suitable for all ages). That's how I described it. We used readings, pictures (Christ We Share / Pictures of Jesus A + B / plus others) and sculptures and symbolic actions. These were designed to help people take a fresh view of the easter story, shake us out of our Western picture of Jesus and engage and involve us in the easter drama. We were open from 12-8pm yesterday and we had over 100 people come and visit. You can see photos and some of the stuff used here.
1. The Last Supper (Luke 22.14-30) - Sarah and Naomi Hollands
2. The garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22.39-46) - Jude Purvey | symbolic action: draw round your hand and write of prayer of thanks
3. Jesus is disowned by Peter (Luke 22.54.62) - Andy Goodliff | reading: 'I did not know the man' from Open to Judgement: Sermons and Addresses, by Rowan Williams (1994, DLT) | symbolic action: Peter leaves his fishing nets to follow Jesus, walks on water, is called Satan, is named the future leader of the church, denies knowing Jesus, and is forgiven and reaffirmed. With Peter what you see is what get. This man has strengths and weakness. In saying ‘I am Peter’ we recognise that we are disciples-in-training, people whose lives bear fruit and also live among weeds. Write down your strengths and weaknesses around the statement ‘I AM PETER’ acknowledging and accepting who you are and asking God to continue the work of transforming us in to the image of Christ.
4. Jesus before Pilate (John 18.33-19.16a) - Helen Swinyard | symbolic action: Pilate asks Jesus what is truth? He wants Jesus to explain truth in propositional terms – statements which can be proved or disproved. Jesus remains silent, because he is truth: the truth of God, who reveals the truth about he world and humanity, who reveals the truth about ourselves (see John 3.16-21). Jesus gives Pilate his answer not in words, but (ironically) in crucifixion and resurrection. Jesus is truth embodied, truth given flesh. We encounter the truth of God not in following a scientific theorem or philosophical argument, but in facing the face of the crucified and risen Christ and following on his coat-tails. As a reminder, write the name Jesus using any of the materials on the table and take it home with you.
5. Judas betrays (Matt. 26.14-16, 47-50; 27.3-10) - Hannah Goodliff | reading: 'the Judas I Never Knew' by Kester Brewin (Complex Christ blog) | symbolic action: The tradition of the church has been prone to making Judas one-dimensional, to make him something less than human. Judas’ moment of betrayal is also a moment of revelation as he finally recognises completely that Jesus will not be made to fit Judas’ expectations of the Messiah (hat-tip to Kester Brewin). When Judas throws the money back at the chief priests, it is a sign that he has let go of his agenda for Jesus. As you are invited to throw the coins into the baptistry, let it be a sign of repentance, a sign that we let go of our attempts to mould Jesus into our image and rather we allow Jesus to mould us into his image. 
6. Simon of Cyrene helps carry the cross (Luke 23.26) - Miriam and Ella Pugh | symbolic action: Jesus did not just talk about ‘taking up your cross’, but picked up his cross and carried the means of his death through the narrow streets of Jerusalem to Golgotha. As a sign of your commitment to walk the way of the cross, lift up the piece of wood (it was heavy!) and pray. 
7. Jesus on the cross (Mark 15.36 [24-36]) - Hannah Goodliff | symbolic action: Golgotha where Jesus was crucified would have had the smell and taste of death, a place where hope appears absent, a place where God appears absent (the cry of Jesus is the cry of abandonment). Soak a piece of sponge in the bowl, smell and taste the vinegar as you read the passage. Do you identify with Jesus’ cry of abandonment? The story of Easter, the story of the Christian faith is a story where hope can appear absent, where God appears absent. Yet the words of Jesus before he dies ‘It is finished/complete/accomplished’ are a flicker in the deep darkness that hope is not lost.
8. The passion of Christ (a flash video) - Steve Goodliff
9. Seven words from the cross (Mark 15.34; Luke 23.43, 46; John 19.26-27, 28, 30) - Helen Swinyard
10. The curtain is torn (Mark 15.37-38) - Helen Swinyard | symbolic action: The temple curtain tearing into is a sign that the way to God is open, through Jesus we die to sin and self and live for God. On the piece of paper draw or write anything that gets in the way of your relationship with God. Then tear it in half as a sign that through Jesus you are accepted and forgiven.
11. Facing the face of Christ (2 Cor 3.18; 4.6) | symbolic action: As we face the crucified and risen Jesus, as we live our lives before him, as we seek to follow in his footsteps, so we believe we are transformed. Salvation is not just a saving from sin and death, but a saving for a life that ‘loves mercy, acts justly and walks humbly with our God’ (Micah 6.8). Take a picture of the face of Jesus home with you and stick it on your fridge or bathroom mirror to help you live before, and seek, the face of God.
I also did some readings based round key words: face / icon / servant / choices / salvation / betrayal / denial / death / devotion / suffering / guilty / facing the face of Christ - I got this idea from Chris Curtis
Some comments:
'Thought-provoking'
'An engagement of the senses'
'good to be brought out of our "good" non-conformist evangelical mould to face Jesus in more unexpected ways'
'thankyou also for the opportunity to share this as a family, particularly hands on/visual aspects for us all'
'the atmosphere on entering the church was awesome'
Thanks to my awesome team - Hannah, Helen, Ashley and Richard (we were at the church setting up thursday night from 9pm-1.30am) and those who contributed artistically - Sarah and Naomi, Jude, Rosie, Edna, Freda, Steve and also my dad for helping me with some of the reflections.
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