13/09/2024
"In this luminous and insightful book, Rachel Mann taps into… ancient wisdom and recasts it for our present impatient age, obsessed as it is with the instant gratification offered by social media, as well as our seeming addiction to speed of action and thought. She reminds us that, in a world where many use their financial and social capital to avoid – as much as possible! – the boredoms and frustrations generated by waiting, there is glory to be found in waiting for the Lord and seeking hope in the good news of Jesus Christ.
Waiting for the Lord and waiting on the Lord are part of the holy gift of this season of Advent. We are waiting for a better way. We are watching for justice to come. And as we wait, whether for the return of Jesus in glory or for the breaking forth of Christmas joy, we are obedient to our vocation to love God and neighbour with everything we have.
I pray that Do Not Be Afraid helps you not only to discover the gracious presence of Jesus in your call to watch and wait for him, but also prepares you to greet him once again with joy on Christmas Day."
Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York
Waiting is traditionally associated with frustration, irritation, inconvenience and sometimes fear. Yet, it can also be ‘an encounter with something greater and holier’, writes Rachel Mann. Waiting, she explains, is ‘one of the richest spiritual seams in the Bible and in Christian tradition and it is always tied to hope.’ Advent is a time when we actively anticipate and pray for Christ’s return, as well as waiting with hope to meet Him again at Christmas."
In this book, Rachel Mann shares her own experiences of waiting – including at hospitals, in traffic jams, at death beds, and in Covid lockdown, as well as waiting on answers to prayer – and acknowledges the pain, anxiety and frustration of these times. But she also explores how we can find ‘treasure in the waiting’, drawing on a wide range of writers and cultural references from Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe to Christina Rossetti, Emily Dickinson and Dietrich Bonhoeffer to Quentin Tarantino, Gosford Park and Strictly Come Dancing! She looks at Biblical characters such as Elijah, Zechariah and Elizabeth, who had to wait on God, as well as some favourite carols. Themes examined include slowing down, staying alert and attentive, struggling and persistence, and being still in the presence of God.
Covering the four weeks from the first Sunday in Advent to Christmas Day, each meditation ends with a prayer and questions for reflection, suitable for use by individuals and groups alike.
Do Not Be Afraid is published by SPCK on Thursday 19 September. It is available to preorder now from SPCK and other retailers.
