On Mondays, I’ll be sharing a quote from Christian history to help us learn and grow by engaging with those Christians who come before us as we sit at a soul table. In his book The Last Word N. T. Wright pens: ‘If the Bible is not simply “revelation,” neither is it simply a devotional aid, even the primary devotional aid. It does of course play that role within many traditions, including my own.

‘Indeed, I cannot conceive of daily communion with God without scripture as its center. There have been many different traditions of using scripture as the fuel and raw material of personal prayer, adoration, meditation, and so on. The monastic lectio divina, the evangelical “quiet time,” and the increasingly popular “Ignatian” meditation all provide examples. In those communities that use a daily office, there is often a time of silence following one or all of the readings, designed to allow for prayerful reflection. Such uses of scripture, I fully believe, embody something which is vital for healthy Christian living.’