After years of producing quality mid-sized commentaries, Christopher Wright has shown himself adept at writing fine sermons with helpful devotional material. In fact, this is his third such title in the last several months. One of those other titles was also by IVP and entitled Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit. This latest volume called To the Cross is just in time for Easter.

One of the things that I especially noticed in this volume is how well Mr. Wright follows in the footsteps of his mentor, John Stott. I mean that as a sincere compliment that it is. In this exposition, he brings the story of the last days of Jesus to life. The sermons are warm, thoughtful, insightful, and touching.

His first sermon is on the Last Supper. I appreciate how he tied the blood of the covenant to this story. The next sermon on Peter’s denial was even better. He showed how failure was a part of Peter’s life and how that Jesus knew those failures and could handle them. The sermon on insults and paradise highlighted the people around the cross and described how Jesus’ last three temptations were so full of irony. He ended the sermon with two of the sayings of Christ on the cross. The last two sermons covering Jesus’ sufferings on the cross were gripping. He brought that to life far better than most I’ve seen. The sermons were over by page 108 and make outstanding devotional reading for Easter.

I was surprised to find the appendix where he talked about the process of preparing these sermons. It’s like a nice bonus, especially for younger preachers, who can greatly glean from surveying the methods of an effective preacher like Mr. Wright.

This book deserves to find a large audience. Every reader would have to be blessed by what they find on these pages. You won’t regret the time spent reading this fine book.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.