Surprised by Hope (N.
T. Wright), was published in 2008. I came
across it about a year later and was so impacted by it that I immediately put
together a series of messages on the resurrection and the profound truths that
flowed from it. It wasn’t that I didn’t
have some understanding of these things prior to the book, but Wright
presented the resurrection in a comprehensive, interlocking way that united the
biblical story in ways I’d never imagined. We moved in 2010 and I shared the
same series (give or take), with the congregation I’m now with. I also learned of another minister in the area
who was doing the same thing.
This week I’m talking about the death of Jesus and yes, next
week I’ll have something to say about the resurrection. In preparation for that, I was looking over
the notes I had taken from the book—a Word document ten pages long w/1.15
spacing. That in itself is a note taking
record for me. And although that shows
how influential the book has been to me, that’s not the point. The point is that as I looked over these
notes, I was overwhelmed (again) by all the book had to say; how wide-ranging
it is in it implications and applications.
And, I also noted how much more there was for me to absorb despite the
fact I’ve plowed through it a few times.
As anyone who reads much knows, there are very few
books that continue to speak to you like this. I’ve lived long enough that a lot of books I come across now are simply
rewrites of books written twenty or thirty years ago but now out of print. The “new” book simply becomes this generation’s
version of whatever its message is. Then
there are a fair amount of books with some useful things to say, but you could
sum them up in a few sentences. Books like Wright’s don’t come along very
often. That’s why I thought I’d share
some juicy quotes with you if you haven’t yet had the pleasure of reading SBH.
That’s just a little taste of what the book has to
offer. It offers insight, encouragement,
and transforming hope all—anchored in the resurrection of Christ!
Back to Read about it
Back to Home
|
Home > Read about it >