This Full-Color edition brings the Holy Land journey to life through color photographs of the biblical sites and landscapes discussed throughout the book.

Two disciples walked the road to Emmaus believing that their journey with Jesus had ended. Instead, they discovered that Christ had been walking beside them all along.

Closed for Renovation: On the Road to Emmaus invites readers to make that journey their own.

Drawing on Scripture, geography, history, reflection, creative interpretation, and prayer, Peter E. Sabella accompanies readers through the sacred places of the Holy Land in search of something deeper than simply visiting the places where biblical events occurred: an encounter with the Christ who still walks with the pilgrim.

Written from the perspective of a Jerusalem Christian and longtime licensed Holy Land tour guide, Closed for Renovation challenges the distinction between tourist and pilgrim. A tourist may see the holy places, photograph them, and return home. A pilgrimage asks for something more: that the places, stories, and encounters keep working within us long after the physical journey ends.

Whether traveling through the Holy Land or making the journey from home, readers are invited to move beyond religious tourism and the temptation to consume sacred places merely as destinations. The book can accompany pilgrims before, during, and after a Holy Land journey, while also offering individuals, prayer groups, retreats, and Christian communities a way to experience the spiritual landscape of the Holy Land from wherever they are.

What if the purpose of visiting the Holy Land is not simply to walk where Jesus walked, but to learn to recognize him walking with us?

Closed for Renovation offers the Holy Land not as the end of a pilgrimage, but as the beginning of a permanent one.

Endorsed Across Christian TraditionsChristian leaders from the Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, and Reformed traditions have endorsed Closed for Renovation, reflecting its ecumenical approach to Christian pilgrimage.

"The present volume is a guidebook with a difference. The reader is confronted with the thought-provoking and deeply emotional challenges of the holy places... selected passages from the Word of God, thoughtful reflections and questions, instructions and prayers... to enter a more intimate union with God and foster a deeper commitment to practice the faith."

Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch Emeritus of Jerusalem

"This book is an opportunity to experience the Holy Land in a deeper way... a recommended spiritual alternative to the usual guidebook."

Munib Younan, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land

"This is a book that speaks of resilience and hope in a fallen world... to hear afresh the call of Jesus to follow..."

Nigel Stock, former Bishop at Lambeth

"This book will help countless pilgrims navigate this land with a unique and spiritual approach."

Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem

"This is a unique guidebook, thoughtful, valuable, and beneficial."

Peter Makari, Executive for the M E & Europe, Global Ministries of the United Church of Christ and Christian Church

"...a good instrument to help accomplish a pilgrimage in an authentic sense... the historical annotations, abundant texts of Holy Scriptures, the reflections and prayers, are truly enriching and can be fruitful in a Christian pilgrimage to the Holy Land."

Pierbattista Pizzaballa, OFM, Custos of the Holy Land