THE GLORY OF THE CROSS
By Tim Chester
The Good Book Company. 141 pages. £6.99
ISBN 978 1 784 982 560
Two words sum up the contents of this little book: ‘deep simplicity’. Too often books about the cross take us way out of our depth, only to leave us floundering; but not so this one.
Without in any way minimising the depth and wonder of what happened on Calvary, Dr Chester opens up its significance through the lens of John’s Gospel. In a series of 47 short ‘reflections’ he combines scholarly insight with fresh and penetrating explanation and application as an aid to meditating on the death of Christ. All of which serves to deepen our appreciation of what it accomplished.
Ancient writers
All kinds of things struck me while reading through these pages. One was the fact that the book is intended for use as daily readings for the season of Lent. Another was the way Dr Chester draws from such rich and varied sources as the Early Church Fathers, the Reformers, the Book of Common Prayer, as well as classic hymns and meditations on this great theme. There seems to be a growing rediscovery of the value of ancient authors and classic liturgies among today’s church leaders and that is surely a good thing.
Here is a book that lends itself not only to being an aid to private meditation, but also as a book for those who want to know more about the Christian faith. It would be an excellent resource for churches to use in preparation for Easter – getting the entire congregation to read through the book during Lent.
Instead of giving something up for the Lenten season, why not take something up instead: the challenge of going through these readings!
