Tumbling into Light

Author Richard Bauckham
Publisher Canterbury Press £12.99
Format pbk
ISBN I9781786224361

What an inspiring collection of poems from an outstanding Christian theologian! There is something here for all poetry lovers – as the chronological year unfolds; as the Christian year moves from Advent to Pentecost; as the world of nature pours forth praise, yet reveals constant threat; and as the pandemic and climate change bring us close to recent reality. There are fresh insights into well-known Bible stories and a desire to bring us closer to God. Each poem is an entity, yet part of the chosen topic into which it falls, enhancing its integrity, sensitivity and providing a degree of mystery. Every topic bursts with passion into the next and I was often left reeling from concluding phrases which challenge our former expectations and experiences. These poems are not for the faint-hearted or those not wishing to be drawn into deep emotion; but maybe, like me, you will emerge from this collection a slightly different person with a wisdom that has touched your soul, or in the words of Bauckham himself: ‘Just so the light of God/falls on/our tumbling world.’

Reviewed by BETTY TAYLOR

Poetry