Introduction

Welcome to this year’s Lent retreat, ‘The Jerusalem Journey'. Over the course of this season, we will be zooming in on Jesus’ final steps towards his Crucifixion and Resurrection.


Holy Week is a sacred and precious time for us in our yearly prayer rhythms. But so rarely do we stay with these holy days and scripture passages. We are often ushered onto the next day without savouring the moments, and treasuring what the Lord might want to show us.


Therefore, we will spend these next weeks in a longer time of reflection, lingering on some of the most powerful moments that made salvation make a home in us.


We invite you on this imaginative journey with us. Each session will last about 15-20 minutes.


You might like to choose a particular place of prayer to return to each week. This might be somewhere in your home; a church or quiet place; on a walk or a particular bench, somewhere you enjoy sitting. We recommend picking a place, and sticking to that place, as much as you can.


It’s also good to choose a time that is right for you each week. We recommend not forcing yourself to pray at a time of day that doesn’t work for you.


If you get distracted, don’t panic! Just return to the last thought, prayer, idea or even the last breath you took. God longs to spend this time with you, and it is guaranteed that God will delight in the fact that you are here.


After you have prayed the session, you might like to sit with the material as much as you can throughout the rest of the week. Notice each day what returns to you. Stay with what is drawing you into a deeper sense of life with the Lord.


We are praying for everyone around the world taking part in this retreat, that you will experience the consolation of God and the closeness of Jesus on this journey through Jerusalem.