‘Stick With Love’, the thought-provoking Advent book by Bishop Arun, will help guide people through the fast-coming season with readings and rich reminders of the love of Christ that unites every tongue, tribe and nation in our diverse global church.
Written for the Archbishop of York for 2023, it is packed with reflections on the lives of Christians from St John of the Cross to Stormzy; George Floyd to St Lucy of Syracuse, ‘Stick With Love’ spans the centuries and countries of the world telling the stories of the everyday saints, martyrs and mystics who light our advent way.
Combining memoir and accessible theology, the book concludes with a Christmas Eve reflection on Martin Luther King who once famously declared: “I must stick with love… hate is too great a burden to bear.”
The Rt Revd Arun Arora, it steers through many of the anxieties and pressures of the season, with reflections that keep eyes fixed on Jesus, and offer hope, comfort and joy.
“The theme of waiting for light is one Lent shares with Advent, as each week, candles are lit to anticipate the coming of Christ into the world”, writes Bishop Arun.
“The invitation to each of us is not to ignore the reality of the darkness, but to acknowledge it, to confront it with the light that shines in.
“At Advent, the dark night gives way to the cry of the child in the manger; it is burned away by the light of Christ coming into the world.”
Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York, said: “In the stories of saints found in the pages of this book, we encounter men and women whose lives echo the love of God and the beautiful vision, found in Revelation, of the gathering of all tribes, peoples and nations before Him.
“May you discover a renewed appetite for the transforming love of God and the full meaning of what it is to be a disciple committed to responding to that love.”
'Stick with Love' is published by SPCK and you may find an introductory video by Bishop Arun here