When Easter Interrupts: Reflections on the Meanings of Lent and Easter

By Sally Purvis and Gilbert R. Friend-Jones

Easter makes a bold assertion of hope when there is no reason to hope. Religion provides a purpose for living when life itself is painful. Faith enables us to give up what we most desire, trusting that God already knows and provides for our deepest and truest needs. Moving easily between history, theology and contemporary experience, the author brings a compassionate outlook, an unconventional spirituality and a gentle sense of humor to his reflections on Lent and Easter. These sermons are culled from over 40 years of preaching experience. They begin where pain and hope intermingle and where myth and history intersect. Friend-Jones connects the dots between Lenten and Easter narratives and crises faced by ordinary people. He moves between ancient landscapes, Biblical texts and modern sensibilities. Easter is "the central koan of Christian spirituality," he writes, situating the primary affirmations of life, hope and joy within a world confounded by violence, terror, divorce, cancer, political oppression and more.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1450515142
• ISBN13: 9781450515146
• Release Date: February 2010
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 134 Pages
• Weight: 0.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.3" x 8.0"