Preach Magazine Issue 1 - Creativity and innovation in preaching | Page 34
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REVIEWS
JESUS: A GOSPEL
THE GOOD GOD
Henri Nouwen, Edited by Michael O’Laughlin,
Orbis Books/Alban Books (2013)
Michael Reeves,
Paternoster (2012)
Henri Nouwen died in 1996, but his legacy continues
to grow as new readers discover his simple, profound
and raw writing. A Harvard academic who moved to
live in a community of those with physical and learning
disabilities, L’Arche, his incisive intellect became tempered
by a gentle humility and acceptance of the love of God.
I was given this book by a close friend and it has proved
invaluable. The Trinity is fundamental to our faith; it is
something we sometimes attempt to grapple with, but more
often than not put to one side as one of those things that we
will never really understand. How is it that God is one and yet
three? In fact, the subject is so notoriously difficult that when
Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury, he insisted
that it must be preached upon by the church on Trinity
Sunday.
Jesus: A Gospel is a selection of extracts taken from 29 of
Nouwen’s books and articles. While Nouwen never wrote
a book about the life of Jesus, Jesus was central to all of
them. Here we have his reflections on Christ gathered
together, and organised around scenes from the gospels
and general concepts. Each section has a Bible quotation,
a reflection and a more general remark, and can be read
alone and used as a meditation. The book is beautifully
illustrated with Rembrandt’s drawings of the life of Christ.
My first response to the concept of this book was cynical:
what a clever money-spinner for Nouwen’s estate! But
once I began reading, I repented, and felt so grateful
to whoever first had the idea. To revisit the accounts
of Jesus’ life with Nouwen as a guide has been a
transformative experience. Every single page has opened
my eyes to new aspects of the Messiah and new challenges
to my understanding of what life as his disciple means.
If you have yet to explore the spirituality and writings of
Henri Nouwen, this would be a wonderful place to begin.
If you are a staunch Protestant, you will need to overcome
the hurdle of his adoration of Mary; if you can, you will be
glad you did.
JO SWINNEY
LWPT8173 - Preach Magazine - Issue 1 v3.indd 34
The Good God, subtitled Enjoying Father, Son and Spirit,
helps us to explore the mystery. Michael Reeves says in his
introduction, ‘God is love because God is a Trinity’. Far from
regarding the Trinity as a problem, he believes to know the
Trinity is to know God; we are not passing into unchartered
waters, but rather we are gazing upon the beauty of the Lord.
Reeves explains in lucid detail why it is that God is and must
be Trinitarian. If God is unchanging, how could he have
been loving before creation if he were solitary? To be loving,
you must have others to love, others who reciprocate that
love. And that is the essence of this book. Reeves continues
onwards with the nature of the Father, the Son and the Spirit;
what they are and what they each offer to us.
I found the argument appealing; I doubt that any of us can
truly comprehend the Trinity but this definitely helped me to
come closer to understanding and appreciating the nature of
God. It is a very readable book, not a ‘heavy’ tome but at the
same time profound and enlightening. To know God is to love
him; and to know him you must know Father, Son and Spirit.
JANE BROOKER
17/10/2014 12:54:04