by Rowan Williams
Wm. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Mich. 96 pages
REVIEWED BY SHELBY ETHERIDGE
I wish someone had handed me this book before I started seminary. In his newest book, the former Archbishop of Canterbury writes about the recognizable things that make Christians a community (baptism, Bible, Eucharist and prayer) and what those actions tell us about the essence of the Christian life. His writing is based on talks that he gave during a Holy Week lecture series.
Williams lifts up baptism, Bible, Eucharist and prayer in ways that are both eloquent and relatable, both invitational and devotional. He captures the essence of life together as a church, both the intentional community that gathers together for worship regularly, and the larger church community that identifies across denominational boundaries. Focused on the sacraments that bring us together, baptism and communion, Williams brings our worship practices out into the world, and ties together the actions of Sunday morning with our call to discipleship as Christians, encouraging readers to live life sacramentally.
This book could be a beginner’s guide to being a Christian, or being a Christian again. With so many folks coming into my congregation from various backgrounds, there is a hunger to know what our church “believes,” and this book could be a starting point for deep conversation. Each chapter finishes with three questions for reflection that could be explored personally or within a group: a Sunday school class, officer training or Committee on Preparation for Ministry. Williams reminds us that the gathering of baptized people is not a gathering of those who are privileged, separate and elite, but a gathering of those who have accepted what it means to be in the heart of a needy, messy, contaminated world. He beautifully describes our call as Christians to be in that world, active and working as God is also active and working. In this book, he calls us to step into solidarity with other Christians around the world, reminding us of the things that bind us together and strengthen our faith.
Why do I wish I had this book before I started seminary? Because of the way Williams describes the four aspects of Christian faith: clearly grounded in study of Bible, theology and sacramental practice. This wouldn’t have replaced my education; it would have made it stronger. The descriptions have the raw nature of the life of the church woven throughout, and it is books, lectures, professors and classes like these that I carry from seminary into my ministry today. As a strong believer in the power and wonder of celebrating weekly communion, Rowan Williams puts to words what I feel each time I stand behind the table:
“After receiving Holy Communion … I have a sensation that I can only sum up as this is it — this is the moment when people see one another and the world properly: when they are filled with the Holy Spirit and when they are equipped to go and do God’s work. It may only last a few seconds, but there it is. It has happened and it happens again and again.”
Rowan Williams speaks with a passion for the church, her people and her practices. So pastors, seminarians, lay leaders, people who love the church: read this book, keep it on your shelf and read it again.
SHELBY ETHERIDGE is associate pastor of Saint Mark Presbyterian Church in North Bethesda, Maryland.
