I love books. In fact, I live in them. I have lived in books more than anywhere else. That is saying something considering that I have lived in Asia for over 20 years now. For this post, I wanted to reflect on authors that I hold in great esteem and how their work affected me. Travel along as I review three works that worked their magic in me.
I received As Kingfishers Catch Fire as a Christmas present last year. This is the last book poet-pastor Eugene Peterson published before he passed away. It's a rare piece of depth and grace, contemplation on what it means to a Christian, and exposition on how Peterson went from someone who didn't know how to preach to someone who was able to pull people into the stories of the Bible, into the biblical imagination, and allow that pull or contemplation to transform his congregants.
Eugene Peterson called his pastoral transformation congruence. Living a life where there was little slippage between what one is saying and what one is doing. He picked a poem of Gerald Manley Hopkins to explain it:
Eugene Peterson called his pastoral transformation congruence. Living a life where there was little slippage between what one is saying and what one is doing. He picked a poem of Gerald Manley Hopkins to explain it:
Without going into an exposition on the poem, we can understand that the Christian life is the lifelong practice of attending to the details of congruence. "...congruence ... between what we do and the way we do it, congruence between what is written in Scripture and our living out what is written, congruence between a ship and its prow, congruence between preaching and living..." (Preface)
Preaching is the weekly verbal witness to the essential congruence of what Christ is with His work that "plays" in us. Everything that we do during the week, the prayers, conversations, interactions with children, students, colleagues, everyone are a part of the good news. The "Word ... made flesh" (John 1:14, KJV) is the word becoming our flesh, our limbs, our eyes, our hands.
The sermons in the book represent his three decades of collaboration and conversation with his congregants. It is his on-going narrative with his people and his contemplation on many biblical heroes.
You do not get to hear his voice as this is not a listening opportunity, but a reading opportunity. These are his "kingfisher" sermons. It is Peterson at his best and in the company of his conversations with Moses, David, Isaiah, Solomon, Peter, Paul, and John.
There is so much richness here that you should not miss. The section on Isaiah is stunning and worth the price of the book. And if that doesn't catch your attention, this amazing picture of a kingfisher really should.
Preaching is the weekly verbal witness to the essential congruence of what Christ is with His work that "plays" in us. Everything that we do during the week, the prayers, conversations, interactions with children, students, colleagues, everyone are a part of the good news. The "Word ... made flesh" (John 1:14, KJV) is the word becoming our flesh, our limbs, our eyes, our hands.
The sermons in the book represent his three decades of collaboration and conversation with his congregants. It is his on-going narrative with his people and his contemplation on many biblical heroes.
You do not get to hear his voice as this is not a listening opportunity, but a reading opportunity. These are his "kingfisher" sermons. It is Peterson at his best and in the company of his conversations with Moses, David, Isaiah, Solomon, Peter, Paul, and John.
There is so much richness here that you should not miss. The section on Isaiah is stunning and worth the price of the book. And if that doesn't catch your attention, this amazing picture of a kingfisher really should.
Do you want to whet your imagination and close the gap between what you believe and what you do? Start this intense reading journey with the master poet-pastor.
Another book that rocked my little world this winter was Advent: The Once & Future Coming of Jesus Christ by Fleming Rutledge. I will be revisiting this writer every winter for as long I breathe.
Another book that rocked my little world this winter was Advent: The Once & Future Coming of Jesus Christ by Fleming Rutledge. I will be revisiting this writer every winter for as long I breathe.
Just in case you are muttered under your breath, who?, I'll tell you a little bit about her. Fleming Rutledge is one of the first women to be ordained to the priesthood of the Episcopal Church. She is recognized in North America and the UK as a preacher, lecturer, and teacher of other preachers. Her sermons have been widely praised and her book The Crucifixion was named Christianity Today’s Book of the Year in 2017. (That book is a topic of a upcoming blog post!)
She makes many a comment on John the Baptist who we all know prepared the way for Christ. "Advent is the season of the uncovering: 'Bear fruit that befits repentance ... Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees'!"
Advent is the right time root out the cover-ups in our lives as we wait with bated breath for the lights to come on and the announcement of the angel that God is not against us but for us.
This book is a collection of her sermons and thoughts, and it is written in three sections, writings, sermons, and a service of lessons and carols for advent. The section on sermons is organized into nine parts: waiting and hastening the king yet to come (Pre-Advent), the universal grip of the enemy (Pre-advent), justice and the final judgement (Pre-advent), God's apocalyptic war (the feast of Saint Michael), the coming of the Lord (Last Sunday of the church year: Feast of Christ the king), Advent begins in the dark (Advent I), the armor of light (Advent II), bearing witness on the brink (Advent III), the king of last things (Advent IV). The other two sections are much shorter but just as rich. She has the rare ability of allowing Bible text to speak to present day political realities.
This is not a book you read to give yourself a warm, cozy, Christmas-y feeling. There is so much here about waiting, turning, repenting ... in getting ready to meet Jesus as King and redeemer. It's just beautiful and I am not even close to forging the depths of it.
Another one I want to mention quickly is The Mystery of Holy Night by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer, a Christian theologian, was killed by the Nazis in Flossenburg on April 9, 1945 for his role in a conspiracy to murder Hitler. He was 39 years old.
She makes many a comment on John the Baptist who we all know prepared the way for Christ. "Advent is the season of the uncovering: 'Bear fruit that befits repentance ... Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees'!"
Advent is the right time root out the cover-ups in our lives as we wait with bated breath for the lights to come on and the announcement of the angel that God is not against us but for us.
This book is a collection of her sermons and thoughts, and it is written in three sections, writings, sermons, and a service of lessons and carols for advent. The section on sermons is organized into nine parts: waiting and hastening the king yet to come (Pre-Advent), the universal grip of the enemy (Pre-advent), justice and the final judgement (Pre-advent), God's apocalyptic war (the feast of Saint Michael), the coming of the Lord (Last Sunday of the church year: Feast of Christ the king), Advent begins in the dark (Advent I), the armor of light (Advent II), bearing witness on the brink (Advent III), the king of last things (Advent IV). The other two sections are much shorter but just as rich. She has the rare ability of allowing Bible text to speak to present day political realities.
This is not a book you read to give yourself a warm, cozy, Christmas-y feeling. There is so much here about waiting, turning, repenting ... in getting ready to meet Jesus as King and redeemer. It's just beautiful and I am not even close to forging the depths of it.
Another one I want to mention quickly is The Mystery of Holy Night by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer, a Christian theologian, was killed by the Nazis in Flossenburg on April 9, 1945 for his role in a conspiracy to murder Hitler. He was 39 years old.
This short but profound gem is a meditation on the significance of the birth of Jesus to the lives of all Christians. He wants to unite the religious and the secular in an ethical humanism.
The nativity of Christ in the manger speaks directly to this unity: it addresses a Christian's attitude toward the lowly, Christian experience--being humble in facing God and the world.
"Who among us will celebrate Christmas right?" Bonhoeffer asks. He answers, "those who finally lay down all their power, honor, and prestige, all their vanity, pride, and self-will at the manger." Brief, poetic selections from two Bonhoeffer sermons provides material for meditation on the meaning of Christmas and of Christianity. As well, the art work has been carefully selected and enhances what has been written. But what makes this special is that it is an Advent-hymn, a collection of his writings put together in such a way as to call out of the soul the same hope he was experiencing in his prison-cell. The Mystery of Holy Night weaves the Christmas story, theology, history, and art into an amazing Advent-hymn.
And what am I looking forward to reading in 2019? Here we go...
The nativity of Christ in the manger speaks directly to this unity: it addresses a Christian's attitude toward the lowly, Christian experience--being humble in facing God and the world.
"Who among us will celebrate Christmas right?" Bonhoeffer asks. He answers, "those who finally lay down all their power, honor, and prestige, all their vanity, pride, and self-will at the manger." Brief, poetic selections from two Bonhoeffer sermons provides material for meditation on the meaning of Christmas and of Christianity. As well, the art work has been carefully selected and enhances what has been written. But what makes this special is that it is an Advent-hymn, a collection of his writings put together in such a way as to call out of the soul the same hope he was experiencing in his prison-cell. The Mystery of Holy Night weaves the Christmas story, theology, history, and art into an amazing Advent-hymn.
And what am I looking forward to reading in 2019? Here we go...
I am looking forward to re-reading Fujimura's Refractions, The Gospel of Ruth, A Million Little Ways, and Holy Luck. The new books include A Velocity of Being, Hind's Feet in High Places, Creative Ministry, The Memoir Project, Writing Down the Bones, and the Wounded Healer.
What books will you be reading in 2019? What great books did you read in 2018? I'd love to hear from you...
What books will you be reading in 2019? What great books did you read in 2018? I'd love to hear from you...
RSS Feed