Once again, Joy delights the reader with some great storytelling, immersing us in the medieval world of monasteries and monks.
Although this novel is a part of a series, with The Healing, The Pilgrim and The Bride, it works without issue as a standalone read, although you will enjoy reading the others too. It is a nice touch that there are one or two familiar characters dropping in to this book, which helps to complete their narratives.
The Stranger is the story is of a disillusioned monk, Silas, distraught and bereft of faith, feeling abandoned by his God, who now sees only one option – to run away from the life he has dedicated to serving God, and to see where the lonely journey may take him.
It is a tale of faith lost and found. A journey of rediscovering the essence of faith, the love of God, that is real and personal to us as individuals.
It is a story of God never giving up on us, always wanting to be in a loving relationship with us. Regardless of how we feel and what we think. It has echoes of the parable of the Prodigal Son, where God the Father is waiting with open arms to welcome us back after our errant journeys.
At regular intervals, Brother Silas is reminded of God’s faithfulness and His love. Whether that is by way of miraculous provision and encounters, or through the kindness shown by strangers. He may be a stranger wandering in the world, but He was never a stranger to his God.
The story highlights the importance of showing kindness to strangers, which is sadly more of a rarity than it should be. But hospitality is a Godly gift and can impact people profoundly, even small acts of kindness. People respond to be treated as the individuals that they are, with respect. There is a clear hint in this story of a spiritual angle to hospitality.
After all, Hebrews 13:1-2 reminds us to “Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”
The message for this medieval monk is just as true for us now, when we all too often see people who serve God, perhaps as missionaries or pastors, spending so much of their energy in serving that they burn out, even to the extent of being deterred from following their faith. It is healthy to be reminded that the only thing that God wants from us, and in fact the only thing of any value that we can give Him, is our heart.
The Stranger, by Joy Margetts, is available here.
I received a complimentary advance copy of this book from the author, but was under no pressure to provide a favourable review.
