FA I T H & L I F E
Means of Grace
How Beautiful the World Could Be
A Year of Weekly Devotions Fleming Rutledge
Christian Reflections on the Everyday Frederick Christian Bauerschmidt
Edited by Laura Bardolph Hubers
Meditations on ordinary life as part of a larger story
A weekly devotional culled from the sermons of Fleming Rutledge designed to be used within the framework of the liturgical calendar “This brilliant collection from Rutledge’s sermons leads us into the beauty of the church calendar, in which time itself forms us in the truth of the gospel. That the themes of Rutledge’s sermons naturally lend themselves to the pattern of the liturgical year is a testimony to the depth and range of her theological insight and her profound care for the church. Rutledge is not only a gifted theologian and homilist, but a profoundly gifted wordsmith as well, and her luminous prose gives insight on each page.” — TISH HARRISON WARREN author of Liturgy of the Ordinary and Prayer in the Night
“A church year’s worth of biblical meditations by the great Fleming Rutledge? Yes, please! Rutledge is one of the best preachers of our time because of her relentless focus on the boundless grace made available to us in Jesus Christ. With a preacher’s heart, an incisive mind, and a lively theological imagination, she opens the gospel to us week by week. What a gift.” — ALAN JACOBS
author of How to Think: A Survival Guide for a World at Odds
“I cannot think of a more reliable guide to escort us through the church calendar with weekly devotions than Fleming Rutledge. Her love of holy Scripture and the sacred calendar combined with her half century of preaching expertise make Means of Grace a precious gift. From Advent through Ordinary Time, the words of Fleming Rutledge are indeed a means of grace to help us behold the glory of Christ.” — BRIAN ZAHND
author of Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God
Fleming Rutledge is an Episcopal priest, a best-selling author, and a widely recognized preacher whose published sermon collections have received acclaim across denominational lines. Her other books include The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ, which won Christianity Today’s 2017 Book of the Year Award. 978-0-8028-7870-0 • Jacketed Hardcover • 279 pages • $24.99 US • $33.99 CAN • £19.99 UK AVAILABLE NOW
Throughout these meditations on Christian life, Frederick Bauerschmidt finds the truth of Scripture refracted through the lenses of current events from the past decade—including the coronavirus pandemic—as well as the seasons of the liturgical year and momentous individual occasions like baptisms, weddings, and funerals. “In an age where our theology often either wilts or bludgeons, we’re desperate for faithful, artful voices who speak into the grit of our world without adding to the clamor. We need words that pierce while carrying the lilt of love. We need true poets in the pulpit. Thankfully, we have Bauerschmidt’s haunting, holy sentences beckoning us toward the God of beauty and thunder.” — WINN COLLIER
author of Love Big, Be Well and A Burning in My Bones
“A homily is different from a sermon, and not just because it’s shorter—and more Catholic. It seeks to make a single point, and make it resonantly and poignantly, with elegant simplicity. By setting these winsome and memorable homilies out as poetry, Frederick Bauerschmidt highlights that every word counts and that the secret lies in the delivery. To read these homilies and commentaries is to clothe oneself with wisdom and grace.” — SAMUEL WELLS
vicar of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London
“This beautiful collection couldn’t come at a better time. Deacon Bauerschmidt looks at our world with compassion, eloquence, and something all too rare these days: hope. These homilies reflect all the challenges of our age—from a lethal virus to heartbreaking violence—but reassure us that we are not alone. Grace abounds. God is near. Open these pages and you’ll truly appreciate how beautiful the world could be.” — GREG KANDRA
deacon, journalist, blogger, and author of A Deacon Prays
Frederick Christian Bauerschmidt is professor of theology at Loyola University Maryland and a permanent deacon of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, assigned to the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen. His other books include The Love That Is God: An Invitation to Christian Faith. 978-0-8028-8021-5 • Paperback • 248 pages • $22.99 US • $30.99 CAN • £17.99 UK AVAILABLE FEBRUARY 2022
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