Lent is approaching fast and some will be looking for a good devotional to accompany them through the Lenten season. One suggestion I would make is On the Way to the Cross: 40 Days with the Church Fathers by Thomas Oden and Joel Elowsky (with Cindy Crosby). Each day offers (among other things) a reading or two from a church father and a prayer for the day. Below is one of the readings from day one and the prayer for that day.
“Godhead in the Flesh Seeks to Kill Death That Lurks There, Basil the Great. Let us strive to comprehend the mystery. The reason God is in the flesh is to kill the death that lurks there. As diseases are cured by medicines assimilated by the body, and as darkness in a house is dispelled by the coming of light, so death, which held sway over human nature, is done away with by the coming of God. And as ice formed on water covers its surface as long as night and darkness last but melts under the warmth of the sun, so death reigned until the coming of Christ; but when the grace of God our Savior appeared and the Son of justice rose, death was swallowed up in victory, unable to bear the presence of true life. How great is God’s goodness, how deep his love for us! Homily on Christ’s Ancestry 2.6″
Closing Prayer
“Almighty God, Who sees that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves; keep us both outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our souls; that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to our body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Gregorian Sacramentary.” (15-16)
On the Way to the Cross is from IVP and is a paperback with 130 pages and sells for $10.00.
