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Meeting Jesus
Elizabeth Rundle  (CWR, 2007, £5-99)

What’s in it?
Six sessions each based around various individuals who had significant encounters with Jesus, eg Jairus daughter, the rich young ruler, Blind Bartimaeus, and Nicodemus. The author suggests these individuals might have been present in Jerusalem during Holy Week, and imagines how their previous meeting with Jesus would have given them a particular perspective on the various events of that week.

Each session includes; An icebreaker question or exercise, various prayers & worship suggestions, 2 bible readings and some background information on those passages, discussion questions plus some reflections and challenges arising from the individual and their encounter with Jesus, plus suggested further bible passages for later study. Sessions are designed to last from 60 to 90 minutes.

Who’s it for?
A resource for groups, which is likely to be particularly appealing for anyone prepared to use some imagination, and engage with a creative novel approach to considering the events of Holy Week and their significance for us today. It should be usable with a wide age range.

Strengths/Useful features

• The course material is readable, engaging and well presented.

• The text of the bible readings is included in the book

• Includes a useful section of leader’s notes, with both general comments on small group leadership and specific advice on preparing for and delivering the course material.

• It is not essential for everyone to have a copy of the book, and there is no preparation reading required by group members

Potential Weaknesses

• Group leaders will need to undertake some (but not a huge amount of) preparation before each session. They may need to be selective as there is more than enough material in each session for the suggested length.

Life Calling a 5-session course on vocation for Lent
Robert Warren & Kate Bruce (Church House Publishing, 2007, £4.50)

What’s in it?
Five 90-minute group sessions on the theme of vocation:

1. ‘Called by God’ – vocation in Scripture and in our lives

2. ‘Called from within’ – vocation is the expression of who we really are

3. ‘Called Out’ – vocation brings freedom, but with a cost

4. ‘Called up’ – vocation means joining in with God’s care of the world

5. ‘Called on’ – vocation is an adventurous journey

Each session has teaching input, a Bible passage, prompts to prayer, reflection and imaginative response, and for ‘living out the truths that have been explored’. There are suggestions for using clips from the film Billy Elliott, and pointers to books, other films, music and images.

Who’s it for?
You could profit from reading this on your own, but it is very much designed for group work.

Strengths and useful features

• It sees vocation as the call of God to each person in the whole of their life: it is not a camouflaged recruitment exercise for more clergy or church workers

• There is thorough guidance for an inexperienced group leader, and preparatory material for each session; structure and flow are clearly indicated

• It stresses and facilitates different ways of learning: you need not be bookish

• It can work as a self-contained course, but has suggestions for how it can be the heart of a wider observance of Lent

• It can work as a group-only course, but has suggestions for a ‘whole-church process’, perhaps leading up to Vocation Sunday on the 4^th Sunday of Easter

• It should appeal across church traditions, and indeed across denominations

Potential weaknesses

• Would not work for those wanting more of a ‘book group’ experience

• Billy Elliot contains some strong language (the book flags this up) – think about who might be in the group

Southwark flag-waver – the course was tried out with the cell group of Sheridan James, a curate in the Diocese.

The Journey to Wisdom
Kate Hayes (Scripture Union, 2007, £3-99)

What’s in it?
Six sessions exploring what it means “to live wisely”, covering areas like; learning & growing,  making choices/decisions, the way we speak, and relationships. Each session includes; opening questions and exercises to introduce the subject, lots of discussion questions arising from biblical passages, some prayer/worship suggestions, and a ‘further afield’ section for deeper follow-up reflection between sessions.

Who’s it for?
Produced as an ‘individual or small group resource’, but probably more effective for the latter, however each session does include some material specifically for the ‘solitary traveller’. It is promoted as ‘ideal for Lent’ but could equally be described as a useful basic discipleship course. Indeed this resource could be worth considering as (part of) a confirmation course. The very significant amount of biblical reading might suggest it would be more suited to evangelical churches and groups.

 Strengths/Useful features

• The questions are accessible, relevant and engaging, and often thought-provoking and challenging

• There is plenty of material both for the sessions themselves and for follow-up afterwards for those with time for extra reading and reflection

Potential Weaknesses

• It would be very helpful for all group members to have a copy of the book, but the cost would not be prohibitive

• There is neither any general guidance given for inexperienced group leaders, nor specific advice on how to use the resource material

Stop and Stare: A Reflective Lent Course
Nick Fawcett, (Kevin Mayhew, 2007, £6.99)

What’s in it?
5 sessions based on William Henry Davies’ poem ‘Leisure’ which concludes: ‘A poor life this is if, full of care, / we have no time to stand and stare’.  The central theme is making space for reflection and thereby becoming more aware of God in the midst of life. The first two sessions deal with barriers to reflection: being burdened by cares, and being anxious about time. The remaining sessions focus on meeting God in the natural world, and the importance of making space to be aware.

Each session contains prayer material, an introduction to the theme, some discussion questions, and a variety of readings and sayings on the theme from scripture, poetry, and other figures

Who’s it for?
Suitable for either individual or group use. The material is reasonably accessible and so could work with newer and more established Christians.

Strengths / useful features

• The focus on awareness is clear and sustained, with helpful sessions on potential barriers of busyness and anxiety

• There is a good variety of reflection material included, within which there should be something for most people

• If a group is looking for a more prayerful, reflective approach to Lent as a change from more interactive study / discussion courses this will be a useful resource

Potential weaknesses

• I would have liked to see more guidance / suggestions given for group leaders and participants – for example, each session envisages times of silence, but little is said to encourage / help those for whom silence might be difficult, or a new experience. Similarly, some suggestions for group leaders about how to make best use of the poems, prayers and sayings would be helpful

• Each participant will need a copy of the book

• Although the focus is on reflection, my sense is some more variety of approaches and exercises might have been helpful for people who prefer to learn and express themselves through speaking or doing; reflecting quietly and listening are the dominant activities.

The Lord’s Prayer: Praying it, Meaning it, Living It
York Courses 2007  Booklet £3.50, CD £8.95. Reductions for multiple orders.

What’s in it?
Material for 5 group sessions on the Lord’s Prayer, including CD contributions on the theme from Kenneth Stevenson, Margaret Sentamu, David Wilkinson and Elaine Storkey, and a booklet with an introduction to the theme and group discussion questions. Themes covered are attitudes to prayer including different images of God, discerning and living God’s will, attitudes to food and other human needs, forgiveness and the way we see heaven.

Who is it for?
A group resource intended to be suitable for people from different church traditions and for ecumenical use.

Strengths / Useful Features:

• Plenty of material is provided for group discussion, with CD extracts and a wide range of discussion questions for each session

• The format allows flexibility of approach; though people are advised to read the accompanying booklet before coming, in practice they will be able to join in adequately from the CD discussion. Group leaders / groups can choose to focus on particular areas covered each week rather than the whole content. The CD has markers allowing easy movement between different questions

• The different contributors featured each week allow a range of experience and view to be expressed

Potential weaknesses:

• The breadth of areas covered in each session at times seems ‘scattergun’; so, for example, the session on ‘Our Daily Bread’ covers attitudes to food, the way we see the sacraments, how we picture Jesus, attitudes to sex, and the contemporary church debate on homosexuality. There is some link between all of these, yet depth of exploration may suffer from such a broad breadth of focus

• To me the booklet introductions to the theme were less helpful than the CD. So when looking at how we discern and live God’s will, I learnt I should think ‘what would Jesus have done?’, but wasn’t really helped to think through ‘why did Jesus do what he did?…what was Jesus about?

Fast Food and Friendly Service Guaranteed
Susan Sayers (Kevin Mayhew Ltd, 2007, £4.99)

What’s in it?
6 sessions of thirty minutes each week which can be lengthened by eating together or relaxed conversation.  The words of the book title are explored in turn and appropriate Bible readings are provided to help with the week’s exploration.  Each session includes an optional group activity which will probably need to be adapted for different age groups.  There is some practical home-work suggested for use between group meetings.

Who’s it for?
Small groups, and congregation members are encouraged to invite people they know in a variety of contexts to become part of the group, including non-churchgoing friends. The book is intended for use by different age groups and can be used at home, work, school or college.  The language and style of the book is more likely to have appeal for churches from the evangelical tradition, though the material could easily be adapted.

Strengths/useful features

• It builds on the idea of ‘chat rooms’ where important life questions can be discussed in a relaxed atmosphere.  The groups are small so meeting places should be easy to find, and other than inviting group members does not require an appointed leader

• It is an informal outreach programme which could well take place over a meal and extend into a social gathering

• The starter questions are likely to get discussion/sharing going quickly and so help a group to bond

• There are well chosen Bible readings to be used during the week, which should challenge, and apart from the Bible very few other resources are required for the sessions

Potential weaknesses

• Although it is indicated that no leadership of a group is required, there will be need to be careful adaptation for different age groups.  Some of the group activities and questions could appear quite simplistic, and yet others are more complex

• It is designed to be  an outreach programme but by the end of the first session it is presumed members will pray every day during the forthcoming week

• There is no provision to talk about or unpack the useful Biblical passages, which are to be used every day between sessions

• All group members will need a copy of the book, but at £4.99 it is not expensive

Christ on Trial:  How the Gospel unsettles our judgement
Rowan Williams (Zondervan, 2002, £5.99)

What’s in it?
Six chapters on trial – five on the trial of Jesus and one about believers on trial from the second century.  Of the five chapters on Jesus’ trial, four are based on the accounts found in the gospels, one chapter for each gospel, and the fifth turns to Jesus’ silence before Pilate. The chapter on the trials of Christian believers offers a contemporary look at martyrdom, which was so important for the ancient Church.  All six chapters are set in the context of the ambiguous meaning of trial:  judicial examination versus testing, ‘trying as silver is tried’ (Psalm 66:10).  Each chapter ends with questions which can be used by individuals or groups,  and with a prayer.

Who’s it for?
Christ on Trial was first published in 2000 as a Lent Book for the then Archbishop of Canterbury.  So it is for those who seek spiritual reading in Lent either in a group or for individual use.  Both questions and prayer suggest that it is written with both person and group use in mind.

Strengths/useful features

• Clearly and accessibly written;

• Makes use of wide ranging sources – novels, the Church fathers, modern theology – with a light touch

• Tells you a lot about books you haven’t read

• Throughout, makes connections to contemporary Christian living

• Offers biblical references to facilitate closer study of verses under discussion for those not so familiar with the different accounts of Jesus’ trial

• Always explains any technical theological vocabulary

• Has a recurrent theme of working with God in the Christian life

Potential Weaknesses

• Some of the questions could be quite emotive so group leaders would be advised to think carefully about how to introduce them

• The examples from other books are so interesting, you might get distracted from the gospels

• Isn’t as easy as it looks – but is much more rewarding than you might have expected

• Anyone new to the Church of England might be confused by being told (on the back cover) that Archbishop Rowan is the

• Archbishop of Canterbury – and then finding that the Archbishop of Canterbury’s foreword is signed by someone else! 

Passionate Christianity
Cally Hammond   (SPCK 2007, £6.99)

What’s in it?
Based on the ‘sorrowful mysteries’ of the rosary, each of the five chapters explores a key moment of the passion story:

• the agony in Gethsemane

• the scourging

• the crowning with thorns

• the carrying of the cross

• the crucifixion

As the writer says in her introduction, “These five events in Jesus’ life encourage us to think deeply, both emotionally and intellectually, about the meaning of faith.”

Who’s it for?
The author is the Dean of a Cambridge college. Not surprisingly, the intellectual level of the book is quite high – but don’t let that put you off. Hammond writes clearly and well; theological concepts are translated and carefully investigated; and she is always concerned to touch the heart as much as the mind. 

With questions and a short prayer at the end of each chapter, the book could be used by a group; but it seems to have been written predominantly for private study.

Strengths/ useful features

• Each chapter eventually connects with the passion story on a more emotional level. These sections are very powerful indeed, and potentially life-changing.

Potential weaknesses

• Some of the doctrinal discussions go on too long, and aren’t always relevant to the theme.