Following Jesus in the Holy Land: Pathways of Discipleship through Advent and Lent

by Stephen W. Need

Publisher:

Sacristy Press

, 2019

Overview

Following Jesus in the Holy Land is a study book for individual and group use during the Church’s seasons of Advent and Lent. It provides ten chapters (four for Advent, six for Lent) that can be used by individuals or church groups for stimulation and discussion on a week-by-week basis. Each of the ten chapters chooses a location with particular associations from the life of Jesus, so that this book is a kind of “armchair pilgrimage” through the Holy Land. The chapters each cover something of the history of the places concerned before delving into a connected biblical text, and then drawing out key implications and teaching for contemporary faith. The chapters include suggestions for Bible study and worship as well as ideas of how modern-day disciples can respond to what they have learned from their pilgrimage, real or in their imagination.

Key Features

• Includes suggestions for Bible study and worship.
• Provides ideas of how modern-day disciples can respond.
• Concludes with suggestions for Bible study, worship, action, discussion, and further reading.

Praise for the Print Edition

Stephen Need explores ten holy sites’ pasts and presents, deftly weaving New Testament hermeneutic and church doctrine to cheer and challenge contemporary mores. Spanning Advent and Lent, each chapter concludes with suggestions for Bible study, worship, action, discussion, and further reading, marking an immense but accessible breadth of scholarship. Throughout, locus is subordinate to Gospel imperative: transfiguration (often over-spiritualised) is boldly rooted in transforming action such as Kids4Peace and Barenboim’s West-Eastern Divan Orchestra; stooping to enter Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity, Philippians 2 rings in your ears; the heat of Caesarea Philippi is terrific, with the cults of Pan and Augustus in the crucible, melting before Peter’s confession. It is all as if I sat in a boat in the midst of a silent Galilee, each surrounding village heavy with Christ, who comes as close as touch in Need’s astounding book.

--The Rt Revd David Wilbourne, The Church Times

If we just read our Bibles through weekly or daily snippets from the lectionary, we may miss out on some important perspectives. The geography of the Holy Land is important in providing a lens to focus not only on the reality of events in Jesus’ life, but also their meaning. Through knowledge of location and setting we see Jesus ‘more clearly and follow him more nearly’ as disciples. Stephen Need’s book is a useful and knowledgeable guide to the Holy Land. You do not need to have been there – it is, as he states, ‘an armchair pilgrimage’, designed for spiritual refreshment in both Advent and Lent. … This book is a welcome addition to the options for both private study and devotion, and to group discussions during these liturgical seasons. Each short chapter provides a week of Bible passages, worship options and discussion questions. Practical and profound, this book is recommended as a sound Christian antidote to the superficial distractions of life as we journey towards Christmas, and onward to Easter.

--Alice Burdett, The Reader

I am sure that being part of an actual pilgrimage party travelling through the Holy Lands, led by Stephen Need, would be an exhilarating and enlightening experience. Having lived in Jerusalem, he demonstrates a detailed knowledge of the main pilgrimage sites, and the book reads like an expanded script of the things he might have said at each of them. … I would certainly recommend the book as an aid to preachers. … There is a wealth of insight and glimpses of the author’s passion, showing his knowledge not only of the land but also of the Bible and Christian tradition.

--John Holdsworth, Rural Theology

Product Details

• Title: Following Jesus in the Holy Land: Pathways of Discipleship through Advent and Lent
• Author: Stephen W. Need
• Publisher: Sacristy Press
• Print Publication Date: 2019
• Logos Release Date: 2024
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• Subjects: Spiritual life › Christianity; Bible Gospels; Bible › Geography; Advent; Lent
• Resource ID: LLS:FLLWNGJSSDVNLNT
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-09-05T22:38:30Z

About Stephen W. Need

Stephen W. Need was born in Nottingham and studied theology at King’s College, London. Whilst training to be a teacher, he visited the Holy Land and became captivated by the historical, archaeological and religious elements there. His interests in the Holy Places and the archaeological sites deepened over the years, and the relation of biblical texts to the places named in the Bible became a serious interest. After teaching New Testament and Early Christianity as well as systematic and philosophical theology in several colleges, he was appointed as a lecturer at St George’s College, Jerusalem. This gave him the opportunity to get to know the historical and archaeological background to the biblical texts at first hand. He also developed an on-the-ground interest in and experience of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Stephen was ordained in 2008 at St George’s Cathedral in Jerusalem and served in the staff there for three years. From 2005 to 2011, he was Dean of St George’s College in Jerusalem.

Stephen and his wife live in Essex where Stephen is Priest in Charge of two small villages: Stock and West Hanningfield.