Preach Magazine Issue 3 - Preaching and the Holy Spirit | Page 36

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REVIEWS

The Touch of the Sacred
F Gerrit Immink, Eerdmans (2014)

I FOUND MYSELF LONGING
FOR A LIGHTER, MORE
ACCESSIBLE SYNOPSIS OF THE
BOOK, THAT WOULD HELP ME
TO GET TO THE IMPORTANT
MESSAGE THAT I FOUND TOOK
ALMOST AS MUCH TIME TO
UNDERSTAND AS I THEN WENT
ON TO SPEND REFLECTING ON
WHAT I HAD UNDERSTOOD.

In The Touch of the Sacred, F. Gerrit Immink reflects on the theology
of our Sunday services, discussing particularly how the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit shapes
and impacts what we do when we gather together as the church. Immink
explores how these theological reflections impact the practical events of
prayer and praise, communion and preaching that are common place
throughout different Christian expressions of corporate worship.
Immink explores these different topics well, developing his points in
a helpfully sequential way. As a fairly ‘heavyweight’ book, this clear
movement through the sections helps the reader to take hold of some
of the very insightful points he makes. These points are incredibly well
supported, and I found myself regularly needing to stop reading on while
I re-read and reflected on what Immink had to say.

The Touch of the Sacred is a helpful reflection on Sunday services, and
the book challenges the reader to think more carefully and with greater
depth about something that many of us are involved in week in, week out.
However, this book is definitely best suited to those with a more academic
disposition. I found myself longing for a lighter, more accessible synopsis
of the book, that would help me to get to the important message that I
found took almost as much time to understand as I then went on to spend
reflecting on what I had understood.
For some this will come more easily, but for many I think there will be
better ways to develop a theology of corporate worship. Those who would
take the time to read a book on Sunday services, to impact their ministry
rather than for research, may well be better served by something a little
more accessible.

JOHN FREEMAN

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