Picturing the gospel

IMAGES OF GRACE:
A Journey from Darkness to Light at Easter
By Amy Scott Robinson
Bible Reading Fellowship. 176 pages. £9.99
ISBN 978 1 800 391 185

Buying a Lent book can be a little like choosing a coffee at our favourite café. We are confronted with a range of sizes, styles,
milks and toppings. My preference is for a double espresso; it’s short, has a depth of flavour and usually hits the spot.

This book of Lent readings has a similar effect. There are six weeks of daily readings, each no more than a few pages long. Each reading contains three elements: a Biblical reflection, a question. and a prayer; just enough to kick-start your day with something stimulating.

There are two things that stand out in this collection. The first is the most obvious: each of the six main sections, Repentance, Forgiveness, Atonement, Restoration, Reconciliation, and Holy Week, are based on a daily Biblical passage that amplifies the theme of grace, starting with Psalm 51 and concluding with readings telling the story of Easter week. Each of the six sections concludes with a moment to pause, with questions for further reflection.

The second feature is less obvious, but most welcome: these daily readings move beyond the abstraction of certain Biblical terms – love, sin, forgiveness and grace – to provide concrete images that help the reader visualise these concepts in a more embodied form. Using the stain of David’s sin, the empty stomach of the prodigal, and the torn curtain in the temple, we are helped to imagine God’s gracious work of restoration. These down-to-earth devotions are an excellent way to prepare the heart during Lent for the celebration of Easter. All readers will find illumination here; preachers in particular might find the imagination recalibrated for their Easter preaching.