A Month of Sundays:

Glenda Mathes

Reviewed by: Curtis Moleterno

A Month of Sundays, by Glenda Mathes. Published by Reformation Heritage Books, 2012. Paperback, 128 pages, list price $10.00. Reviewed by OP pastor Curtis Moleterno.

Unlike many contemporary devotional books, Glenda Mathes's A Month of Sundays is securely tethered to Scripture and respectful of our Reformed confessional heritage.

As the back cover states, she "helps us to see that we must be true Sabbath keepers, understanding that God has called us to develop daily attitudes of worship and rest we enjoy on Sunday." Heidelberg Catechism Q. 103 (which asks what God requires of us in the fourth commandment) provides the orientation for the thirty-one brief devotionals that follow.

The devotionals are arranged according to the order of the books of the Bible, so that, as one progresses through the month, one also progresses from Genesis to Revelation. Sixteen devotionals are based on the Old Testament, and fifteen on the New.

Mrs. Mathes is able to distill her thoughts down in a way that makes reading her devotionals profitable without becoming burdensome. Her writing is transparent, and one can tell that her insights into the Scriptures were borne out of a sincere piety and commitment to her Lord. She clearly has a gift for creative writing, but in a way that complements rather than detracts from the content she seeks to communicate.

For example, in the first devotional, from Genesis 2:2–3, she describes the beauty of the world God had just created: "Puffy clouds floated in blue sky above a rippling sea. Fruit ripened on supple fruit branches. Plump heads of grain undulated in gentle breezes. The sun's golden globe daily bathed the earth with its warm rays. The moon's silver disk nightly shimmered among sparkling stars. Squawking gulls skimmed past spurting whales. Deer grazed fearlessly beside calm lakes."

Many such evocative images reinforce the message of each devotional and contribute to the book's overall theme, that true Sabbath rest is grounded in trust in our sovereign, triune God. Mrs. Mathes is careful to point out that Sabbath rest isn't a life of listless inactivity, but one of spiritual growth and of overcoming fears and temptations. A Month of Sundays is a Christ-honoring devotional book written from a heart singularly devoted to God.