Grace Upon Grace: Spirituality for Today

Grace Upon Grace is worth every penny. True spirituality comes not from within us, but from God working through his Word and Sacraments. Very helpful book on prayer and meditation especially

Cannot recall how many books I had read concerning spiritual growth, prayer, holiness, etc.. Since becoming a Lutheran several years ago I have really been freed up. Sometimes it seemed though that these type of issues were ignored by some Lutherans out of fear of becoming pietists. I like how this author says that there is no step-by-step process for growing spiritual but does go straight to the Work of Christ as the focal point that we need to have to understand these things in the life of a believer.

Kleinig is the perfect one to write this aid for Christian spirituality for us entering early into the 21st Century. For one, he is an intense practitioner of Biblical study, interpretation and application. Second, he is driven to Christian spirituality by his Biblical practice. Thus, the readers of this marvelous work share his discoveries into this topic. A strong characteristic of this work will jump off the pages from this beginning: this will not approach the subject in the way the multitude of Christian books on the subject do. In fact, he criticizes and corrects them from God's Word. It is so drawn from Scripture that it oozes with God's inspired Word. He begins with a most vital concept: spirituality is received, not obtained, as he so eloquently puts it: "Our piety is all a matter of receiving grace upon grace from the fullness of God the Father." One quickly learns that such grace squared comes in Christ. Thus, the second chapter, where he unloads the necessary begging of the saints, that we don't have the equipment, but only beg for it in Christ, and our total dependence upon Him for our spirituality. Thus, into practices of meditation, prayer, the spiritual battle and holiness. In these, he will shatter (and necessarily so) the all too often approach of performance suggestions and advice of the expert guides. He turns us to what Kleinig has been turned to, Christ crucified alone! This is truly marvelous and refreshing, as well as comforting, since it takes guilt and pressure off of us, who can't obtain holiness in our spiritual journey, but only when Christ lives in us. As but one example, he writes about prayer: "Little by litte, God the Father has used the school of hard knocks to join me with Jesus in His praying and to rely on the prompting of His Holy Spirit, rather than on my own resources, in my spiritual life. So I now no longer regard prayer as an obligation, a duty that I must fulfill, but as something that is given to me, something that I receive from the triune God." This work will stimulate and motivate one's spirituality for 287 pages worth of time, but the thoughts that one receives here will stick and guide one ever deeper into Christ's forgiveness and life and abiding presence moment by moment, day by day. Certainly a treasure for the church, for its nourishment and guidance on the journey home to the City of God! Buy this, be transformed by it!