REVIEWS

TOGETHER WE PRAY

Pray Now Prayers, Devotions, Blessings and Reflections on ‘The Sound of Prayer’

Published by: Saint Andrew Press

Price: £9.99

Ahead of the Church of Scotland’s day of prayer ‘Together We Pray’, the church’s annual prayer book, Pray Now, has been themed to support the national prayer initiative which is launched this month (November).

The book, which is suitable for individual prayer or meditation or for group use is divided into two sections: the first contains meditations and prayers, whilst the second half carries reflections centred around ‘The Sound of Prayer’.

The first part of the book contains 52 chapters arranged under seven headings. The second part of the book contains a dozen reflections exploring different aspects of how prayer might sound.

Endorsing the work, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rt Rev Susan Brown writes: “As Christians in the 21st century, we need to practise prayer – individually and as communities of God’s people. Those prayers may well take on different forms depending on where we are and what’s happening around us, but looking personally, locally and globally, we have a God with whom we can share all our thoughts and concerns, our hopes, dreams, fears and joys.”

As always, the prayers are of the highest standard and embrace a broad theology, offering a first-class and helpful resource for those engaged in both public and private prayer.

THE CULTURE OF GOD

Written by: Nadim Nassar

Published by: Hodder & Stoughton

Price: £14.99

Written by the Church of England’s only Syrian priest, this is a fascination reflection that seeks to encourage western Christian churches to recognise their roots of their faith in the Middle East.

It also endeavours to encourage readers to consider the challenge of today’s society which is global and multi-cultural and to focus on the loving culture of God.

He draws on his own experience: growing up in Syria, studying in war-torn Lebanon, living in Germany and then the UK in reaching into the heart of God-like culture.

The premise of the book is perhaps best summed up by the author himself: ‘The culture of God tells us that the heart and the passion of God is a dynamic and active love that is expressed eternally and continuously in the service of humanity; God is always serving us. If we take this approach, the approach of the Trinity, and we apply it in any region around the world, to seek a dialogue that has love for humanity in its very essence, and the aim of which is to serve humanity, then we would never fail to solve our conflicts through entirely peaceful means.”

THE LAST JOURNEY

Reflections for the time of Grieving (including a CD of 17 songs) Written by: John L Bell

Published by: SPCK

Price: £14.99

This pocket-sized book is a must-have for the collection of anyone involved in the privilege of pastoral care of the bereaved.

This beautiful illustrated volume draws together scripture and the words and some of the music of John Bell to create a beautiful publication designed to bring comfort to those on the path of grief.

Split into individual chapters designed to represent the different stages of loss and grief, each contains not just the words to the hymns, but scripture, a prayer and a short reflection.

The CD offers audio comfort by way of the words and music referenced in the book.

The premise of the work represents all that is good in the Christian church – a desire to bring comfort to those suffering the deepest and most painful of losses and to support them on their journey.

It draws on Bell’s many years of compassionate experience, talent and understanding of the impact of words and music on the spiritual path of those suffering the deepest of losses.

Drawing also on his musical work (but not exclusively) the publishers have created a volume that can also be appreciated alone by those coming to terms with loss.

The volume is not text heavy, but will undoubtedly be a helpful tool, not just for those involved in the work of caring for the bereaved but also for the bereaved as it offers multi-sensory comfort.

Lynne McNeil

This article appears in the November 2018 Issue of Life and Work

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