I was excited to receive a copy of Sea Raven’s Theology of Exile: The Year of Matthew (Commentary on the Revised Common Lectionary for an Emerging Christianity.) As a weekly preacher who uses the lectionary, I am always looking for resources, particularly ones that speak to emerging Christianity and the new realities that western Christianity faces.
Having read through the passages these past few weeks that pertain to the scriptures from the lectionary that I would be preaching on, I have been disappointed with what I found. I have found the scholarship to be sound and the perspective clear. But overall, each entry is quite brief and is mainly focused on deconstructing past interpretations. I haven’t found very much that lifts up new and inspiring readings of the Word from an emergent perspective. Because they are so brief, some entries don’t even address all of the lectionary texts for a particular week and often the ones left out are the ones I had hoped to read about.
A commentary on a whole year of the lectionary is a huge undertaking. And maybe the goal was not for this to be used as a preaching resource. I am glad to have it as one more place to look each week for another perspective, but can say that it will not be replacing any of my other primary commentaries and resources used for preaching on a weekly basis.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author and/or publisher through the Speakeasy blogging book review network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR,Part 255.
Leave a comment