As Christians, we know that Easter is perhaps the most important day of the year. But when we wake up on Easter Sunday, we often struggle to grasp the significance of the day and find ourselves on the outside of the celebration looking in.
Journey to the Cross moves us closer to the heart of Easter through forty days of Bible readings, prayers of confession and thanksgiving, and daily devotional readings. This forty-day devotional takes a deeper look into six central themes of the Christian life: repentance, humility, suffering, lament, sacrifice, and death. Journey to the Cross moves beyond "doing penance" and helps Christians focus on Christ's sacrifice for us—the real meaning of Easter and the reason we celebrate.
Journey to the Cross serves as a combined liturgical guide and devotional—presenting a call to worship, confessional, gospel reading, and daily devotional with application. This compact devotional guide meets the needs of Christians who want to prepare their hearts for Easter but don't know how, and it answers the growing desire of many to be connected to the broader history of the church.
At its heart, Lent is all about Jesus—his suffering and sacrifice, all powered by his love for his people. Taking the time to meditate on the cross will give readers the opportunity to re-center their hearts, reframe their lives, and rekindle their love for Christ this Easter.
"With their Lenten devotional, Will Walker and Kendal Haug have beautifully answered questions Protestant disciples often ask: What is Lent? How should I observe Lent? Journey to the Cross is a wise, pastoral, and Christ-centered approach to Lent. It focuses on Jesus's journey to the cross. It points to Jesus's love, devotion, and sacrifice, and so enriches our preparation to receive his gracious redemption."
Rev. Dan Doriani, Professor and Vice President, Covenant Seminary
"This is the most helpful resource for Lent I have found. If you are looking for something to guide you through the Lent season—to serve as a tool of preparation and repentance as you immerse in the story of the gospel—I highly recommend this guide."
Ben Peays, PhD, Executive Director, The Gospel Coalition
"In one of my favorite hymns, Isaac Watts invites us to 'survey the wonders of the cross.' Many thanks to Kendal Haug and Will Walker, for helping us enter that grace-laden exploration. Journey to the Cross is the newest, and now the finest, devotional resource in my library for the season of Lent. These daily meditations will help you see more of the beauty of Jesus; understand afresh the depth of your need; and marvel at the immeasurable riches of grace—freely ours, through the costly work of the cross. Thank you, my brothers, for helping me understand a little better, what 'boasting in the cross' is all about. Buy a copy for yourself, and several for friends."
Scotty Ward Smith, Teacher in Residence – West End Community Church, Nashville, TN
"If you're skeptical of Lent, if you doubt the relevance of the church calendar for gospel-loving Christians, this resource is for you. Will and Kendal helped awaken me to the richness of the Lenten season as a time for gospel renewal. This isn't stuffy, archaic liturgy; it's gospel-saturated reflection that will deepen your affection for Christ."
Bob Thune, Founding Pastor of Coram Deo Church, Omaha, NE; author of Gospel Eldership; coauthor of The Gospel-Centered Life
"Journey to the Cross makes Lent accessible and meaningful to those unfamiliar with its place in the Christian calendar. Its simple structure, biblical focus, and reflective tone make it a spiritually formative tool to anticipate the sin-forgiving, death-defeating, and evil-trouncing event of the resurrection."
Jonathan K. Dodson, Founding Pastor of City Life Church, Austin; author of Gospel-Centered Discipleship, Raised? Finding Jesus by Doubting the Resurrection, and The Unbelievable Gospel: Say Something Worth Believing
"The importance of gospel rhythms for liturgical observances like Lent cannot be overstated. This Lenten guide will take you into that season of preparation for Easter through readings from Scripture, confession of sin, prayers of thanksgiving, devotionals, and questions for reflection. Prepare yourself to be a sojourner on a journey to the cross."
Gregg R. Allison, Professor of Christian Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
"Skillfully designed and reader accessible, this markedly poignant devotional will root Christians in a rich heritage that has been eroded over recent centuries by modern and postmodern impulses. I found reading it a delight to my mind and refreshment to my soul."
John Hannah, Professor at Dallas Theological Seminary
Loved this book. Have bought it and done it multiple times! Also a great gift!
This Lenten devotional changed my life by changing my relationship with Jesus. The reflections helped me remove walls that unintentionally kept Jesus out. I highly recommend!!
Very well written and presented. Very inspirational. It will give new depth to your Lenten journey as we walk with Jesus to the cross.
i used this devotional for Lent and found it to be thoughtful, inspiring and informative all at once. I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a means to enhance and deepen their Lenten spiritual journey.
The authors go deeper into what Lent is all about and can mean to one personally than anything I’ve ever read. I look forward to each days reading, knowing that I will sink deeper into the meaning of lent, and my life will not only be enriched, but changed.
This was a great book to help remind you what Lent is all about. I love the emphasis on how we don’t have to do Lent to get in good standing with God, but it’s something that is good for everybody to just get focused on what Easter is all about.
Nice daily reflection book for lent
I've gone through the first week and I'm loving the layout. The Daily prayers and devotionals are so encouraging. Journey to the Cross makes for a great devotional during the season of Lent.
This is my favorite Lenten resource! I love that the Scripture readings are written out. I love how the prayers come out of those Scriptures. I love that it is all about Jesus in a way that draws me to Him instead of making feel I need to perform better for Him. In other words, it’s a good devotional to help me find my delight in Christ!
We are using this devotional in a small group and are really enjoying it.