Old Books

I have been reading a book written by William Gurnall.  It is entitled "The Christian in Complete Armor."  Do not fret if you do not recognize the title or the author.  Gurnall was a 17th century Puritan who served a single church in England for thirty-five years.  His book was actually a three volume work and the merits of his work is indicated by the fact that it went through six editions before he died in 1679. Everything about his life has passed away except the book he wrote.  Somehow one volume of the three showed up in my library and I have been discovering a remarkable writing from long ago.  It is so easy for us to fill up our shelves with the trendy books written yesterday and when we see a book from another century, we put it on the irrelevant shelf.   

It is a shame old books are regarded as books of no value.  One of the things discovered in these dusty volumes from the past, it is that they often have a relevancy for the church of today and our own personal faith journey.  The language may be different and require a little head scratching, but the linguistic digging is often worth the work.    

When my clergy grandfather died long decades ago, I was privileged to go through his books.  I found authors from another generation I did not know, but I carried them with me into my own unfolding ministry.  They enriched my preaching and opened doors to different ways of thinking. I am grateful for the legacy of libraries shared with me and grateful for the way they have enhanced my ministry.