A Meditative Journey through the Psalms

Timothy and Julie Tennent | Seedbed | Publishing, 2017, pp. 220, $24.95, hardcover | Reviewed by Joe Allyn

Available at CrownandCovenant.com

It is good to journey through the Psalms! This book, written by the president of Asbury Theological Seminary and his wife, reminds us of this truth as it provides a brief meditation on each of the 150 Psalms in order. While the book does not present itself as an exhaustive commentary, it gives just enough information to get the thrust of each psalm, as well as a strong New Testament connection. Though writing about the Psalms as “150 different journeys of faith,” they do occasionally note how sequential psalms connect and build. Understanding these connections helps our own experience of singing, praying, and reading the Book of Psalms.

There are snippets where the authors emphasize “far more than the psalmist could have imagined” or “what David could only know in part” instead of what, under inspiration, he “foresaw and spoke about” (Acts 2:31). Nevertheless, they do see that “Jesus is the ultimate subject and singer of all the psalms,” to which we should add our hearty amen.

The authors are not writing from convictions of exclusive psalmody or a cappella worship, and they sometimes connect psalms with the liturgical calendar in ways that those with Reformed Presbyterian convictions would not apply. But readers will also be driven back to meditate through the Book of Psalms.

Christ’s Psalms, Our Psalms—Devotional

Edited by Peter Holtvlüwer | 2018, $20, hardcover | Reviewed by Philip Pockras

This new devotional on the Psalms is a delight. The daily devotions are written by 16 different Reformed ministers from several conservative denominations that hold to the Three Forms of Unity. Several of these men, including the editor, compiler, and co-contributor, Peter Holtvlüwer, are from the Canadian Reformed Churches.

The title selected by Mr. Holtvlüwer is intentional. The Psalms speak of Christ (Luke 24:44); they are Christ’s psalms, so we must show Christ in each psalm. The Psalms are for all the people of God; they are our psalms, so we must see what God is saying to us, all in the light of the person and work of Jesus.

There are at least two meditations on each of the 150 psalms. Each devotional has a Scripture portion to read. Sometimes it’s just the psalm being meditated upon; sometimes there is additional Bible reading. There is a key verse, and then the psalm meditation begins.

The reading is fairly easy. It’s quite suitable for individual devotion or for family worship. Each devotional is simple enough for a parent to explain to a fairly young child but deep enough to be satisfying and edifying to adults.

There are three appendices. The first is for the church calendar, which the Church Order of Dordt prescribes. The RPCNA does not. However, these meditations are excellent for studying the life of Christ in the Psalms. A second appendix has suitable devotions for times of planting, thanksgiving, and the new year. The final appendix has four devotionals on the Lord’s supper.

Christ’s Psalms, Our Psalms is a tremendous resource for your personal devotions or for family worship. All profits from this work will go to benefit Mission Brazil, and specifically the Reformed Reading Room in Recife, Brazil.

Learning from Lord Mackay: Life and Work in Two Kingdoms

J. Cameron Fraser; foreword by Sinclair B. Ferguson | SOS-Books, 2017, $12 | Reviewed by Philip Pockras

Available at CrownandCovenant.com

This rather new title comes from a Christian Reformed minister who was born in Zimbabwe, the son of missionaries of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland. It was through the church and through his time at university that he first came to know of, and then personally know, Lord James Mackay. Lord Mackay is arguably the finest living legal mind in the U.K.

Lord Mackay served in the Free Presbyterian Church as a ruling elder and a commissioner to presbytery and to Synod, before moving to the Associated Presbyterian Churches. In the civil realm, he served for a time as Lord Advocate of Scotland and as Lord Chancellor of Great Britain. He has a seat in the House of Lords as Baron Mackay of Clashfern. Lord Mackay has sought to serve Christ in His two kingdoms: His kingdom of grace and His kingdom of power.

In an easy-to-read 128 pages, Mr. Fraser begins by introducing the traditional and scriptural Presbyterian view of the two kingdoms over which Christ reigns. He then furnishes a quick overview of the life of Lord Mackay, follows with a chapter on lessons to be learned from his striving to serve Jesus faithfully, and concludes with a chapter on Lord Mackay’s positions, both in church and state, that seemed controversial.

In short, we see a godly man seeking to build Christ’s church and Christ’s rule over the nations. This is done in a way informed by a gifted mind, tempered by a godly humility, and submitted to the Word of God. Two valuable appendices give examples of Lord Mackay’s argumentation.

Though Lord Mackay is not well known in North America, he should be. In the current rising rancor of politics in both Canada and the U.S., seeing a man who consciously and courageously seeks to exalt Christ in church and state may be of great worth for us all.

The Gospel Comes with a House Key

Rosaria Butterfield | Crossway, 2018, $18, hardcover | Reviewed by Meg Spear

Available at CrownandCovenant.com

In this third book published since her “trainwreck” conversion to Christianity nearly 20 years ago, former lesbian activist professor and now pastor’s wife Rosaria Butterfield makes a thoroughly biblical, compelling case for Christian hospitality that seeks “to make strangers neighbors and neighbors part of the family of God.”

Winsomely written with humility and forthrightness, each chapter begins with a literal day in Butterfield’s life—from flesh-crawling scenes of her childhood as a well-educated girl in an increasingly unpredictable, unstable home, to scenes as the recipient of vibrant Christian hospitality by those she thought somewhat obtuse and perhaps dangerous, and to current scenes of family life in North Carolina.

These experiences form the backdrop for the theology of hospitality as practiced in the Butterfield home, one that is ordered by near-daily welcoming of family, friends, neighbors, and strangers into their home and into their lives. The goal of such radical hospitality is to live hand-in-hand and life-on-life with those nearby, always pointing to Jesus Christ as our only hope and comfort, in this life and the life to come.

This brand of hospitality bears little resemblance to a formally planned evening of foodie goodies and entertainment at the home of a peer. Neither does it attempt to be a trendy sort of “authentic,” showcasing the messiness of one’s own life. This form of hospitality is much more than the occasional gathering of church friends for a meal after morning worship.

Rather, this radical hospitality requires us to die to self and to live to righteousness, continuously practicing contagious grace and shining as lights in this broken, darkened world, reflecting our Creator and Redeemer, knowing that we, too, need the gospel every day.

While the book is laced with gospel hope and idyllic pictures of sharing homemade soups and bread with neighbors on a suburban cul-de-sac, reading the Bible and singing psalms around the dinner table, and startling conversions to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Butterfield does not shy away from the difficulties that come from living life so openly with others.

The trials and heartache are poignant and painful. But even in those moments, perhaps especially in those moments, we see new revelations of God’s comfort, care, provision, and protection.

Butterfield casts a kingdom-oriented vision for the power of Christ-centered community to change the world around us, one life at a time. It is a clarion call to examine our hearts, our budgets, and our energy to unwaveringly place ourselves and our homes into our Master’s service.