Lent for everyone - Matthew (by Tom Wright)

(Amazon UK link)

I've come across Tom Wright - who usually writes as NT Wright - in Christian writing before, although I haven't previously read any of his books. However, various people have recommended his work to me. So when I was looking for some kind of Lenten study guide for my Kindle, I was drawn to the one he had written which was on special offer.

My main reason for wanting a Kindle study was because I knew I'd be travelling, and didn't want to carry heavy books around with me. I also have a couple of Bible versions on my Kindle, so while I didn't know if this guide would include Bible passages, I knew I could find them easily enough anyway.

'Lent for everyone - Matthew Year A' focuses, unsurprisingly, on Matthew's Gospel. Passages are set for each day of Lent, starting from the early sections of the book, right through the passion stories, although not everything is included, and it's not all referenced in the order given. On Sundays, other than Easter Day, there are brief forays into the Psalms.

I was pleased to find that the Bible sections in focus each day are included as part of the book, making it easy to read without having to find other texts; however there were recommendations of longer passages to read, which I sometimes took advantage of.

Tom Wright's style of commentary is well-written and relevant, with plenty of anecdotes and some helpful suggestions. I read a passage each day from Ash Wednesday, right through Lent, looking forward to doing so each morning. I and was then pleasantly surprised to discover that the book did not in fact stop on Easter Saturday, but continued for another week.

I thought that this was one of the best devotional/low-key study guides I've read. It could be read any year, as there are no actual dates, just days related to the Lenten/Easter period - indeed, it could be studied at any time of year.

Definitely recommended.

Note that the link given is to a paperback edition of this book, although it's still available for the Kindle too (but not on special offer). There are other Lenten guides by the same author available too, featuring different books of the Bible.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, April 30th 2011