From Wilderness to Glory: Lent and Easter for Everyone

In the introduction to his astute and challenging Lent and Easter devotional, renowned theologian and author N. T. Wright explains that the early Christians were different from people in the culture around them because they kept what is now called Lent: “a time to abstain, to fast, to clear the mental, spiritual, and physical horizon to focus on prayer, penitence, holiness, and hope in the days and weeks before Easter.” After the period of Lent, Wright explains, the early Christians celebrated Easter for 40 days until the observance of Jesus’s ascension into heaven. Keeping this early tradition in mind, Wright structures his book with Lenten devotions followed by a week of Easter devotions.

Wright points out the church has always been aware that the best way for Christians to be shaped into the kind of people who please God in their daily lives and activities is to spend time reflecting on, praying about, and studying the stories of Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection. Therefore, Wright organizes his devotions to reflect that wisdom. Readers will spend time “with” Jesus in the wilderness, among the crowds, in prayer, among his friends, among his enemies, in the city, on the cross, and in glory.

Each devotion includes the entire Scripture passage being reflected on, a meditation in which Wright skillfully includes anecdotes from his own life and other sources, and invariably reveals fresh insights into the biblical text, and concludes with compelling questions for personal reflection. For example, in his devotional about loving enemies, Wright asks, “How can you cultivate an attitude of heart and a lightness of spirit that reflect the generosity and mercy of God? In what practical ways can you demonstrate love, forgiveness, and generosity to others, even when it seems difficult or goes against social norms?”

From Wilderness to Glory is a devotional worth returning to year after year during Lent and Easter. Written with a Christian audience in mind, it could also prove to be a door through which to invite a seeking person to encounter Jesus and his radical story of salvation for the entire cosmos. (Westminster John Knox Press)