Itinerary

Day 1 Monday March 11th

Journeying to the Holy Land

We gather at Heathrow for our flight to Tel Aviv. We will land mid-afternoon, and be transferred to our kibbutz hotel on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, arriving in time for our evening meal. Dinner and overnight by Galilee..

Day 2 Tuesday March 12th

Revelation and Annunciation

Our pilgrimage begins at Mount Tabor, traditionally associated with the Transfiguration and where we celebrate the Eucharist. After visiting the glorious Basilica on the summit of the mount, and enjoying wonderful views of the Jezreel Valley, we will drive to Cana, the site of Jesus’ first sign, according to the Fourth Gospel. Finally, we will come to Nazareth, the town in which the gospel story begins. In addition to visiting the Basilica of the Annunciation, we will see how the Good News is lived out today in a remarkable school run by the Anglican diocese. We will return to our hotel in time to freshen up for our evening meal. Dinner and overnight by Galilee.

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Day 3 Wednesday March 13th

Teaching and Feeding

Today we will focus on the principal sites of Jesus’ ministry around the home he made for himself by the Sea of Galilee. After commemorating the call of the first disciples in a Eucharist by the Sea itself, we will visit the excavated ruins of Capernaum, as well as sites associated with the Feeding of the 5000, the recommissioning of Peter, and the giving of the Sermon on the Mount. In addition we will have a chance to sail on the Sea itself in a modern replica of a First Century fishing boat. At the end of the day, we will visit the River Jordan, and have the opportunity to renew our baptism vows, as preparation for our journey south towards Jerusalem and all that lies ahead on our pilgrimage. Dinner and overnight stay by Galilee.

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Day 4 Thursday March 14th

An ancient pilgrimage route

This morning we bid farewell to Galilee, and begin our journey south. We come first to the city of Nablus in which is found Jacob’s Well - a site which Jesus himself visited on a journey to Jerusalem. From here we drive through the heart of the West Bank, and are able to see something of the nature of the Israeli Occupation and consequent building of illegal settlements. We will visit the village of Taybeh, the only entirely Christian village in Palestine, before heading up hill through the Judean wilderness towards Jerusalem. Here we will learn more about the lives of local Christians as we visit the ecumenical theological institute Sabeel, founded by Canon Naim Ateek, before heading the short distance south to the vast concrete wall surrounding Bethlehem. Passing through the checkpoint, we make our way to our hotel situated on Manger Square.

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Day 5 Friday March 15th

Incarnation and abundant life

Today will give us the chance not only to see the places associated with the birth of Jesus, but to see the implications of the Incarnation as lived out by the Christians of Bethlehem. During the course of the day we will visit the Shepherds Fields and the Church of the Nativity, as well as seeing the work of two remarkable Christian institutions endeavouring to bring something of the abundant life promised in the gospel to those living under the restrictions of the Occupation. We hope to visit the Holy Family Hospital, which offers the only neo-natal care in the southern West Bank, and the remarkable International Center of Bethlehem, founded by the Lutheran Pastor Mitri Raheb. Dinner and overnight stay in Bethlehem.

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Day 6 Saturday March 16th

Tears and Prayers

Leaving Bethlehem, we return to the outskirts of Jerusalem, to the summit of the Mount of Olives, where we will spend the morning recalling the Palm Sunday route, and visiting places associated with particular events in the gospels as we slowly make our way downhill. We start at Bethphage, the traditional starting point of the procession of palms, and in the course of our journey will visit the church of the Pater Noster, where we recall Jesus’ teaching of the Lord’s Prayer to his disciples, and the church of Dominus Flevit, where Jesus wept over the fate of the city. Finally, we reach the Garden of Gethsemane, and the dark and brooding Church of All Nations, where we recall Jesus’ agonized prayers prior to his arrest, and reflect on the failure of his closest friends to keep awake and watch with him. For lunch, we visit Bethany, the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, and in the afternoon we will visit the Israel Museum, to see a model of Jerusalem as it was at the time of Jesus, before checking in to our hotel in the Christian Quarter of the Old City. Dinner and overnight stay in Jerusalem.

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Day 7 Sunday March 17th

The First Day of the Week

This morning we will visit St George’s Cathedral, the Mother Church of the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem, and worship with some of the local Christian community. Later in the day, we will have the chance of making a brief visit to the Western Wall, before heading to Ein Karem, a beautiful suburb of Jerusalem, home to the world-famous Hadassah Hospital. Here we will have a chance to see Marc Chagall’s remarkable stained glass depictions of the twelve sons of Jacob in the hospital synagogue. Ein Karem is also venerated as the birthplace of John the Baptist, and we will end the day by visiting a church associated with Mary’s meeting with her cousin Elizabeth, so that we, too, can sing Magnificat as the first day of the week draws to its close. Dinner and overnight stay in Jerusalem.

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Day 8 Monday March 18th

I do not know the man

The first part of today will be spent exploring the holy sites located on Mount Zion, where the earliest Christian community lived in the days following the resurrection. Here we will find a site commemorating both the Upper Room used for the Last Supper as well as the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and a striking abbey in honour of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. The principal focus of the morning, however, will be a visit to the church of St Peter in Gallicantu, built at the top of an ancient set of steps which leads up from the City of David to what is believed to have been the residence of the Jewish High Priest. Many believe that Jesus himself was led up these steps to his trial by the Jewish authorities after his arrest. Here we will celebrate the Eucharist, as we recall not only Jesus’ incarceration over the last night of his life, but also Peter’s faithless threefold denial of Jesus. The rest of the day will be devoted to an exploration of the Jordan Valley, with lunch in Jericho, before a visit to the historic site of Qumran, and, finally, the chance to experience the unique sensation of floating in the mineral-laden waters of the Dead Sea. Return to Jerusalem. Dinner and overnight stay in Jerusalem.

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Day 9 Tuesday March 19th

Taking up the cross

If permitted, we will start our day by visiting the Temple Mount, where we can see close up (but not enter) the glorious Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque. This will lead us to the remarkable church of St Anne and the Pools of Bethesda, which we will visit, before coming to the start of the Via Dolorosa. Here we will celebrate the Eucharist, and then wind our way through the narrow alleys of the Old City, following the traditional Way of the Cross, culminating in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. After a simple lunch in the Old City, the afternoon will be free, to allow some time for rest, reflection, shopping or the option of visiting the Garden Tomb Farewell dinner and overnight stay in Jerusalem.

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Day 10 Wednesday March 20th

Telling what had happened on the road

After breakfast, we will check out of our hotel, and start heading west, towards the airport. After seven miles, we will stop at the village of Abu Ghosh, one of the sites associated with the village of Emmaus in the gospels, to celebrate our final Eucharist together. After a stop for lunch, we will arrive at Ben Gurion airport, to board our flight back to London, and our journey to our own homes. And we hope that each one of us will continue to tell our friends all that has happened to us on the road...