Author Tom Wright
Publisher SPCK £7.99
Format pbk
ISBN 9780281079674
This is Tom Wright’s latest contribution to the SPCK’s ‘For Everyone’ guides to the New Testament so the format will be familiar to many. This book for Advent comprises 28 readings for the four weeks of Advent divided into four themes – Encouragement, Renewal, Justice and Celebration. The passages are carefully selected from the first twenty chapters of Luke’s Gospel using Tom Wright’s New Testament for Everyone to illustrate each week’s theme. The brief introduction explains that Luke gives the ‘backstory’ to the account of ‘what it looks like when God comes back to reign’. Luke describes Jesus’ disappointment that the Jewish religious mainstream did not seem to appreciate what God’s reign would be like, but adhered to their misconception that it would entail a violent overthrow of the latest (i.e. Roman) series of occupying powers in the land promised exclusively to Israel.
After each reading, which is reproduced in full, Wright provides links to the present day in the form of personal anecdotes, a reference to contemporary life or an explanation of the context of Jesus’ day (sitz im leben). Then follows a passage of more specific commentary with eye-catching and thought provoking remarks, concluding with a crisp sentence headed ‘For Reflection or Discussion’ which includes challenges to personal behaviour and contemporary church life and practice.
Most of the commentary will already be familiar to Readers but then comes the question of how the book might be used with groups. The format implies a Sunday session with follow-ups for each of the next six days for four solid weeks of Advent. Each of the 28 readings and its following text is self-contained and so the four themes could be explored in weekly Advent house groups with a leader selecting two or three of the sections for each session. However, I read the whole book over a couple of days and found it stimulating and challenging and will definitely return to it as a sermon resource.
DAVID SELLICK
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