The remarkable English painter Stanley Spencer produced a series of works entitled Christ in the Wilderness (1939-54), portraying the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness. These beautiful and compelling images give us a startling insight into Jesus' vocation and his own understanding of his ministry. They show his great love for nature and affinity with all creation. In this attractive illustrated book, Stephen Cottrell reflects on five of the Christ in the Wilderness paintings, and reveals them to be a rich source of spiritual wisdom and nourishment. He invites us to slow down and enter into the stillness of Stanley Spencer's vision. By dwelling in the wilderness of these evocative portraits, Stephen Cottrell encourages us to refine our own discipleship and learn again what it means to follow Christ.

Stephen Cottrell

Cover page

Title page

Imprint

Dedication

Preface

List of illustrations

Acknowledgements

Introduction: Stanley Spencer and me

1. Rising from Sleep in the Morning

2. Consider the Lilies

3. The Scorpion

4. The Foxes Have Holes

5. The Hen

Afterword: Contemplation and desire – reading the art and spirituality of Stanley Spencer

Notes

__'\[Cottrell’s\] love of the work of the artist Stanley Spencer (1891-1959) has relentlessly deepened over 20 years, and he expresses it here with a spiritual breathlessness that is infectious and transformative.'__  
__MARK OAKLEY, CHURCH TIMES__

__In this devotional book, Stephen Cottrell reflects on five paintings from Stanley Spencer's Christ in the Wilderness series.__

These paintings give us startling insight into Jesus' own vocation and self-understanding of his ministry. They show his great love for the earth, for the whole created order and for all creatures within it.

For Christians, the wilderness is a place of discovery. By dwelling in the wilderness of these beautiful and provocative paintings, Stephen Cottrell encourages us to refine our own discipleship and learn again what it means to follow Christ.

This book is excellent reading for Lent but can be enjoyed at any time of year. It includes full-colour illustrations, making it a lovely gift book.

In this devotional book, Stephen Cottrell reflects on five paintings from Stanley Spencer's Christ in the Wilderness series. These paintings give us startling insight into Jesus' own vocation and self-understanding of his ministry. They show his great love for the earth, for the whole created order and for all creatures within it.

In this devotional book, Stephen Cottrell reflects on five paintings from Stanley Spencer's Christ in the Wilderness series. These paintings give us startling insight into Jesus' own vocation and self-understanding of his ministry. They show his great love for the earth, for the whole created order and for all creatures within it. For Christians, the wilderness is a place of discovery. By dwelling in the wilderness of these beautiful and provocative paintings, Stephen Cottrell encourages us to refine our own discipleship and learn again what it means to follow Christ. His three previous SPCK books are all best-sellers. This book is excellent reading for Lent but can be enjoyed at any time of year. It includes full-colour illustrations, making it a lovely gift book.

Stephen Cottrell is the Bishop of Chelmsford and was formerly the Bishop of Reading. He has worked in parishes in London and Chichester, as Canon Pastor of Peterborough Cathedral, as Missioner in the Wakefield diocese and as part of Springboard, the Archbishop's evangelism team. He is the author of three books for SPCK: The Things He Carried (2008), a book of Lent and Holy Week meditations; a follow-up of reflections for Easter Day, The Things He Said (2009); and his new Lent book, The Nail (2011).

\["An excellent read for Lent","Stephen Cottrell shares lessons we can learn from the paintings of Stanley Spencer","With black &amp; white illustrations, this book makes a lovely gift"\]

List of illustrations

Acknowledgements

Introduction: Stanley Spencer and me

1 Rising from Sleep in the Morning

2 Consider the Lilies

3 The Scorpion

4 The Foxes Have Holes

5 The Hen

 Afterword: Contemplation and desire – reading the art and spirituality of Stanley Spencer

Notes

Bestselling author &amp; Bible teacher, Stephen Cottrell shares spiritual lessons from Stanley Spencer's paintings - An Ideal read for Lent or anytime of year

Benita Wood

Bought this on a retreat as a themed resource. It spoke to me in many ways. You just need time to ponder and pray things through. A worthwhile buy.

Thought provoking.

The Good Book Stall

Stephen Cottrell opens up fruitful avenues for Christian devotion in these thoughtful reflections on 5 paintings out of Stanley Spencer’s series, ‘Christ in the Wilderness’. The 5 are: ‘Rising from sleep in the morning’, ‘Consider the lilies’, the Scorpion’, ‘The Foxes have Holes’ and ‘The Hen’. The paintings portray ‘a profound meditation on the disciplines and delights of prayer’, and, in the case of The Scorpion, a darker meditation on ‘Christ’s acceptance of his vocation to be the one who dies, the one who shares in the sufferings of the world’. Cottrell’s own love for the great artist’s work is unmistakable. The light he sheds on many details of the paintings fuelled my own respect for them too. Among other helpful things, he identifies the biblical background of the paintings, commenting that the starting point for each picture was the Scripture, though it may not always be clear which scripture in particular.   
How, then, does Stephen Cottrell want us to approach these paintings? As a ‘burning bush’, he says, ‘a place of vivid encounter with God’, leading us to ‘stillness’, to ‘contemplation’, to ‘a greater appreciation of God’s presence and an increased desire to know Christ and follow in his way.’   
 I’m sure that reading this little book slowly and prayerfully will achieve that result for you.

Christ in the Wilderness

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Christ in the Wilderness

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