Lent is a journey of hope. During Lent we reflect on Jesus’ journey to the cross and hope for his resurrection. In Wild Bright Hope twelve Anglican writers examine Christian hope in their different ministries.
Each of the twelve writers has an association with the ministry of the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, which gives an interesting glimpse into the breadth of work the archbishop was involved in. From schools to parliament, and from arts to the United Nations, each chapter gives a unique insight to hope in different contexts of the ministry of the Church.
One of the writers offers a vision for hope in politics – an area where many people have lost trust in recent years. Keziah Patterson, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Parliamentary and Public Affairs Advisor and Researcher, writes about how the Christian faith permeates the foundations of our political system and the power prayer meetings have had on politicians. She sees hope in the unique way Christians in politics can put “kingdom over tribe” and build bridges between factions.
Another writer, Hannah Spiers, is an Anglican consecrated sister in the Chemin Neuf Community, a Roman Catholic community with an ecumenical vocation. She reflects on her call to live in a community and the commitment each member of the community must give to ensure the community flourishes. Living in a community means living with and learning to understand difference. For Hannah, her image of Roman Catholics as people “who recited prayers without meaning them, worshipped Mary and blindly obeyed the Pope” was challenged through sharing life with them and encountering them “as people who loved Jesus”. Hope is in understanding others and seeing beyond differences.
Throughout each chapter there are reflection questions for the reader to reflect on the topics discussed either on their own or perhaps as part of a small group. Wild Bright Hope does not shy away from the complex questions about faith in the modern world and does not present having hope in Jesus as easy but rather as a journey that we are all on. This well curated collection will inspire and challenge Christians this Lent and beyond.