The Must Have Book (or app) this Advent

During lockdown, Colin wrote and edited daily email reflections for the Pewsey Deanery and as a result of this was asked to contribute to the national book, "Reflections for Daily Prayer”

He is among two Archbishops, several bishops and other well-known people such as Malcolm Guite and Brother Sam who have been chosen to write two weeks worth of reflections on a section of scripture in a book of daily prayer.

The book is intended to aid daily prayer and offers a short reflection on one of the readings from the lectionary. Each contributor provides a fortnight’s worth of reflections. It begins in Advent, lasts the whole year, and is available as a book or an app.

At a launch event for Pewsey Deanery, Colin spoke of his being asked to choose a section of the lectionary on which to reflect. Rather than make the choice himself, Colin allowed the editor to pick a section for him:

“So I ended up with Joshua! Probably the book of the Bible everyone else was avoiding. A challenge.”

He also spoke of how we reflect theologically.

"If we think of reflection as simply a mirror, then the danger is we only ever see ourselves."

But at this point he quoted George Herbert:

“A man that looks on glass, On it may stay his eye; Or if he pleaseth, through it pass And then the heav’n espy.”

"Reflection must be a passing, a movement through this world, heavenwards."

Colin’s own book of reflections, “Tales of a Country Parish” will be published in February.