Deep Night, Bright Morning Rediscovering the power of hope Anita Cleverly (Gospel Hope, September 2019)
Deep Night, Bright Morning is a book that brings hope and gives encouragement to those encountering challenges in life and faith. Chapter by chapter, Anita Cleverly gives insight into dealing with some of the storms life throws at us and she weaves that insight around her own faith journey and experiences, especially the impact of the death of her son Samuel in 1982, aged just two-and-a-half months. It is part testimony, part reflection and part handbook for the Christian life.
Anita Cleverly is part of the leadership team of St Aldates Church in Oxford where her husband Charlie has been rector since 2002. Before that, they co-pastored a church in inner city Paris for ten years. Her experience and wisdom are evident throughout the book.
The chapters explore diverse themes including friendship, community, abuse, love, social justice, eternal life, forgiveness, sexual intimacy, bereavement and suffering. Some will disagree with her position on certain issues, but she invites dialogue that will be helpful to readers. The book consistently points to Jesus who is the ‘bright morning’ following the ‘deep night’. The book is grounded in Scripture and draws on biblical passages to support some of the insights being offered. One of its strengths is that it features the stories of real people, some of whom have experienced some difficult challenges. These stories are told honestly, and not every story has a happy ending.
The book will be helpful to anyone experiencing the ‘deep night’ of suffering and to those with questions about some of the issues addressed. For the preacher, the insights offered on the different topics will be useful for sermon preparation and many of the real-life stories can be used as illustrations.
