Rev. Matthew Harrison is about to release another book. This time he is not citing the fathers of the LCMS or detailing the theology and practice of mercy. This time he is offering a devotional book on joy.
Many congregations are nominating Pastor Harrison for the LCMS presidency and we here at BJS are not surprised. President Kieschnick has had a lengthy term in office and has had an opportunity to leave his mark on the LCMS. That mark has been one of a corporate and numerical growth mindset. It is now time to focus on the church as a family and not a business and the list of books authored by Rev. Harrison and his effective leadership of one the largest ministry arms of the synod (LCMS World Relief and Human Care) demonstrate that he is the healing and uniting sort that is very timely for our beloved synod.
We are struck by the wide variety of endorsements for this book. You can view them in the sampler linked below. It includes pastors, deaconesses, missionaries, leaders from other denominations, LCMS district presidents, etc. Reading over the list of endorsements one can see how Rev. Harrison is positioned to bring diverse groups together in our synod. The folks endorsing this book come from all sorts of positions on the Lutheran spectrum: high church/low church, broad church/narrow church, country parish/world evangelism, and beyond.
Rev. Harrison is a scholar and theologian as demonstrated by his work on the church fathers of the LCMS. He is loving and caring man as demonstrated by his work on mercy. Now we see that he is a pastoral man with this latest devotional work on joy. We encourage LCMS delegates and all members of LCMS churches to get to know this man and judge whether or not he is seeking the heart and mind of Christ for His church.
To view the preview of the book, click here.
The book can be preordered here for delivery in time for Lent.
Other reviews can be found on Mercy Journey, Logia, It’s Time, or The ABC3S of Miscellany.