Ashley Null
There are people and events which we need to forget; there are others we ought to remember. Thomas Cranmer is definitely in the second category and as the years pass, we must remind each generation of the depth of his theological legacy and the power of his writings. The depth and a power was sealed by his martyr’s death. The present book of meditations on the Easter collects from the Book of Common Prayer 2019 fulfills this need. Not surprisingly, the collects themselves continue to minister to our souls and give us the words with which we may address the Lord God. They represent the Biblical piety which flows so naturally from the insights of the Protestant Reformation. Their brevity (part of their genius) can hide the riches of their insights. That is what this book by Dr. Ashley Null accomplishes. Dr. Null is in the very front rank of contemporary Cranmer scholars. But, as those who have heard him speak will know, his erudition is matched by his huge enthusiasm for the same biblical gospel which Cramner preached. Dr. Null’s meditations on the collects are thus full of the wisdom and the challenges which shape our relationship with God himself. We need to read his book slowly, accepting its challenge to study and savor the collects, and being aided by an author who himself stands as close to the teaching of Cranmer as possible and brings its meaning home to our hearts. Archbishop Peter Jensen [from the Preface]
