From The Abundance of the Heart by Stephen Cottrell and Table Manners by Simon Reynolds

Buy Table Manners from Hive.co.uk 

Buy From the Abundance of the Heart from Hive.co.uk 

I read these two books during week away in Gran Canaria and there is a certain overlap between them which makes it seem sensible to consider them together.

Reyonds provides a sub-title “Liturgical Leadership for the Mission of the Church”. This seems to give a clear missional focus, a kin to that of Cottrell, however other than the general point that good liturgy can be a spring board to mission, and bad liturgy a stumbling block I did not feel that Reynolds really made the link to mission.

For example, he argues for particular hand gestures during the Eucharist, and while I agree that movement and gesture should be intentional I struggle to buy the case for such a narrow range of gestures being acceptable or effective. As is so often is the case, I could not help but feels that we were being lumbered with grand arguments to support nothing more than personal preference.

Overall it has the feel of a PhD thesis that has made a less than successful transition into a general publication although there is no indication in the acknowledgements etc that it did in fact have such an origin.

Which brings us round to Cottrell's offering, which is in a different mode from many of his gem like reflections or meditative writings, it is a more practical styled “how to” guide.

Reading it I felt that much of it was simple common sense, and at times even that it was verging on becoming a manual about the sucking of eggs. But on second thoughts I realised if this sense was actually common within the Church then the Church would be a rather different place from that which it is.

It seems that by turns Cottrell countered the narrowness of Reynolds – at the very heart of Cottrell's message is a standard that what matters is the “how” rather than the “what” of a Church's life. It is a challenge to those at the “high” and/or “catholic” end of the Church of England to pull their fingers out and get on with Mission. To often there is a cope out among this sort of Christian that Mission and Evangelism are things for the “happy-clappies” down the road and not for the likes of us. This is, to a certain extent, why Roman Catholics tend to opt for the clunky phrase of “Evangelisation” rather than “Evangelism” in an attempt to side step the some of the theological, and cultural, baggage of the later term.

One of the successes of this book is that Cottrell presents a way forward that can be taken in bite sized chunks. And so he brings the vision of transforming into a missionary community within the realm of the possible, you will be able to see your own Church working through the process (however inward looking and set in its ways it might be!). Offering that kind of hope to the many Christians who frustratedly life and worship within Churches which they know to be poor reflections of the potential they are called to be is one of the greatest services that can be offered to the wider Church.