Some people collect stamps. Many are passionate coin collectors. I love books. Of all the types of books I love, those on the topics of prayer and the devotional life are at the top of my list.
When I heard of Ancient Christian Devotional: A Year of Weekly Readings (Lectionary Cycle C), I was excited. One of the problems for people to faithfully meet with God in prayer and in his Word is that they don’t know where to start. I have heard that comment from many people throughout the years.
Following the Common Lectionary is one way to eliminate that problem. The Lectionary recommends 52 weeks of Old Testament readings, New Testament (gospels and epistles).
The Ancient Christian Devotional, General Editor Thomas C. Oden, Edited by Cindy Crosby, guides the reader through Cycle C. More than that, it combines snippets of wisdom from the writings of the Early Church Fathers and a simple daily rule of the readings, reflection and prayer. The simple opening and closing prayers for each week are taken from the prayers and hymns of the ancient church.
I appreciated the opening paragraph of each week’s readings. It summarizes the theme tying the scriptures for that week together. I feel that that simple format of the Devotional allowed me to personalize the readings and prayers to fit the needs of my day.
It is a benefit for modern readers to hear from ancient Christian leaders such as Augustine, Jerome, Chrysostom and others. We have a lot to learn from them, although that is something easily overlooked in our churches. Having a perspective on the vast sweep of history keeps us humble. We can see that we don’t have all the answers, and that much of what challenges us today challenged the early Church as well. They can help us with their wise insights into the scriptures and how it applies to real life.
Another feature of interest in the book is the brief biographies of the Early Church Fathers in the back that in a sense puts faces to the names.
Although I would have liked to see some writings by the Early Church mothers included in this Devotional, it is still one that will go on my shelf of “keepers”.
Reviewed by Joan Tyvoll
