Harvest of Hope: A Contemplative Approach to Holy Scripture

Encountering the living Word in the words of the Bible When we read Scripture, we learn about God. When we pray the Scriptures, we experience the mystery of Jesus Christ and inhabit his life. In this book, Mark McIntosh and Frank Griswold bring to bear their decades of combined experience in both the church and the academy to introduce and explore the idea of praying the Scriptures. As McIntosh and Griswold demonstrate, this contemplative approach to the Bible integrates theology and spirituality and fosters genuine hope by bringing us into an encounter with the living Word. After first laying the foundation of what it means to pray the Scriptures, the authors guide the reader through vital biblical passages from different points in the church year, showing how the seasons of the liturgical calendar provide the soil in which the seeds of the Gospel can be nourished by the Holy Spirit, yielding in time a harvest of hope. Table of Contents Introduction: Reaping the Harvest 1. Ways of Reading Scripture 2. Praying the Scriptures 3. A Theology of Biblical Contemplation 4. The Season of Advent 5. Christmas 6. Epiphany 7. Lent 8. The Great Fifty Days of Easter 9. The Season after Pentecost

 

Mark A. McIntosh (1960–2021) was an Episcopal priest and theologian who was the inaugural holder of Loyola University Chicago's endowed chair in Christian spirituality. He served previously as the Van Mildert Professor of Divinity at Durham University and canon residentiary of Durham Cathedral, UK. McIntosh was the author or editor of several books on the interrelationship of theology and spirituality, including Mystical Theology, Discernment and Truth, The Oxford Handbook of Mystical Theology, and The Divine Ideas Tradition in Christian Mystical Theology.

Frank T. Griswold (1937–2023) was presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church from 1998 to 2006. During his years as presiding bishop, he served as cochair of the Anglican–Roman Catholic International Commission and as a member of various ecumenical and interfaith boards and institutes. After his term, he continued to teach, write, lead retreats, and exercise a ministry of spiritual direction both nationally and internationally. His other books include Going Home: An Invitation to Jubilee, Praying Our Days: A Guide and Companion, and Tracking Down the Holy Ghost: Reflections on Love and Longing.