When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.” Matthew 26:1-5
When you read the Bible, or when you have heard it read in church, have you ever wondered the following when you come across a place name: “Where is that?” “Why is this place important?” “Where are they going?” “How do I pronounce that?” At some point or another, we have wondered some, if not all, these questions.
As we begin the season of Lent, we go on a journey. We go on a journey with Jesus through His passion. We walk with Him through His trial, beatings, crucifixion, and resurrection. We accompany Him as he goes to the cross for us, and ends at the empty tomb.
This year for Lent, we will follow in the footsteps of our Savior, Jesus, contemplating the places where Jesus stood on His path for our salvation. We will hear about all of the places that Jesus went for us, and how the Gospel shines forth in them. We’ll go to such places like Bethany, the Mount of Olives, Bethphage, and Pilate’s Judgment Hall. We’ll go to familiar spots like the Upper Room, Golgotha, and Gethsemane. We’ll end at a place most treasured and precious: the empty tomb.
With Lent just around the corner, I invite you to join us on Jesus’ journey to the cross and empty tomb for you, for me, and for our salvation. The schedule is as follows.
Ash Wednesday: Jerusalem (Mt 26:1-5)
Midweek 1: Bethany (26:6-13)
Midweek 2: Mount of Olives (26:30-35)
Midweek 3: Gethsemane (26:47-56)
Midweek 4: The Courtyard (26:69-75)
Midweek 5: Pilate’s Judgment Hall (27:11-23)
Palm Sunday: Bethphage (21:1-11)
Maundy Thursday: The Upper Room (26:17-29)
Good Friday: Golgotha
Easter: The Garden Tomb (28:1-11)
In Christ,
Pastor Nick Kooi
Join us for the Places of the Passion special service for Week 1 of Lent, as we follow in the footsteps of our Savior, contemplating the places where Jesus stood on his path to salvation. In this service we go to Bethany to remember that Jesus is anointed for burial by his friend Mary, at her home in this small town. We are called to prepare our hearts for Christ’s death as well, while still looking toward the fragrant surprise of the empty tomb.
(Originally published in Emmaus Footprints, Vol. XXIV, Number 7, February 2023.)