Blessing in the Bible and the Life of the Church
Claus Westermann
With the precision of a scholar and the concern of a churchman, Westermann describes the relationship between blessing and salvation in the Old and New Testaments. His investigation reveals blessing as a vital dimension of God’s relationship with his people and an essential aspect of worship and ministry.
The Celtic Way of Prayer: The Recovery of the Religious Imagination
Esther de Waal
In the late 19th century, Alexander Carmichael traveled across Scotland and Wales transcribing traditional blessings, prayers, and hymns passed down orally for generations. Historian Esther de Waal draws from his collection in this beautiful volume. There are blessings for activities as diverse and mundane as traveling, lighting a fire, making a bed, milking, churning, weaving, and sleeping.
Marilynne Robinson
Robinson’s novel features a series of confessional letters from an aging pastor, John Ames, to his young son. Within his small-town parish, Ames’s attentiveness, gentleness, and self-deprecating humor endear him to everyone except his estranged godson, Jack. Their strained relationship takes an unexpected turn when he overcomes his prejudice and blesses the prodigal son. The pivotal moment shows how blessing transforms the giver as much as the receiver.
Praying with Paul: A Call to Spiritual Reformation
D. A. Carson
Blessing is a relational form of intercession that seeks the good of others in step with God’s will. In this book, Carson brings theological insight and a healthy dose of pastoral wisdom to an exposition of Paul’s prayers, establishing that our motive for intercession is self-sacrificial love and that our petitions are most meaningful when they align with biblical truth.
To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings
John O’Donohue
Poet John O’Donohue’s collection of modern blessings speaks meaningfully into moments of celebration and pain. Blessings for birth, belonging, a new home, and a new job are balanced by blessings for loneliness, loss, failure, addiction, and grief. Though O’Donohue’s blessings are not explicitly Christian, they are informed by Christian faith. Readers drawn to the contemplative tradition will be inspired by these prayers.
