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What if faith begins not with having every answer, but with learning the trust of a child?
In Unspoken Sermons, Series I., II., and III., George MacDonald brings heart and mind to questions of Christian faith. These sermons take Bible verses and scenes as starting points for reflection. Written to be read rather than preached, they explore obedience, prayer, love of neighbour, and the character of God.
The Child in the Midst begins with disciples arguing over greatness and Jesus placing a child among them. The Consuming Fire, Love Thy Neighbour, and Justice press further into MacDonald's demanding, hopeful vision. He challenges ideas that, in his view, make God less loving than a good human parent.
What you’ll discover
- The challenge of childhood Explore why MacDonald places childlike trust at the heart of greatness in God's kingdom.
- Faith put into practice Consider his claim that knowing God grows through obedience, not through thought alone.
- Love beyond the self Love Thy Neighbour turns attention toward the real person beside you and their claim on your care.
- Hard questions about justice Follow MacDonald's argument against punishing the innocent for the guilty, and weigh his understanding of justice.
- The puzzle of prayer Ask with MacDonald why people pray if God already knows what they need.
Who will love it
Readers who enjoy conversational sermons, Christian mysticism and deep questions about forgiveness, prayer and suffering will love this book. It also appeals to those drawn to a gentler, bolder vision of God.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A child changes the picture of God
- Love burns away what is false
- Faith trusts beyond the promises
- Forgiveness removes the wrong between people
- Each person reveals something of God
- Faith holds when feeling disappears
- Love reaches the neighbour you receive
- What you cannot surrender rules you
- Trust becomes prayer and practical obedience
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Unspoken Sermons, Series I., II., and III.
A child placed among quarrelling disciples shows what God is like, and that changes how you pray, forgive and love.
Challenging10–20 hours to read20 languages
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“Our God is a consuming fire.”
In short
Picture a road to Capernaum. The disciples have been arguing about who is greatest.
Unspoken Sermons, Series I., II., and III. at a glance
- Reading time
- About 11 h 45 min9 h 20 min fast, 14 h slow
- Length
- 167,500 words
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
God is childlike, and so are we
MacDonald opens with Jesus taking a child into his arms in Capernaum. The lesson is not only against ambition. If receiving the child means receiving Jesus, and receiving Jesus means receiving the Father, then the child shows what the Father is like.
He works through the chain step by step. Jesus makes God known. The child reveals Jesus through the likeness they share. So God is childlike. MacDonald offers this not as strict logic but as something to be seen. The child is chosen for childhood, and love is the common nature of both Father and Son.
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Details
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- Reading time
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- Level
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Cite this edition
MacDonald, George. Unspoken Sermons, Series I., II., and III.. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/unspoken-sermons-series-i-ii-and-iii.
MacDonald, G. (2026). Unspoken sermons, series I., II., and III.. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/unspoken-sermons-series-i-ii-and-iii
MacDonald, George. Unspoken Sermons, Series I., II., and III.. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/unspoken-sermons-series-i-ii-and-iii.
@book{macdonald2026unspoken,
author = {MacDonald, George},
title = {Unspoken Sermons, Series I., II., and III.},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/unspoken-sermons-series-i-ii-and-iii}
}
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What is Unspoken Sermons about?
It is a collection of sermons in three series by George MacDonald. Each begins with scripture and develops teachings about a loving Father, whose fire purifies, whose forgiveness heals, and whose children are called to obey.
What does a consuming fire mean in MacDonald's sermon?
He reads it as God's love, not his cruelty. The fire burns away selfishness and falsehood so that what is true remains. Those who welcome it find it purifying, and those who resist it face a harder burning.
Why does MacDonald reject the word adoption?
He argues that people are already God's children by creation in his image, so a Father cannot adopt his own child. For him the Greek word means being placed as a son, which we grow into by choosing God's will.
The author
George MacDonald
1824–1905 · Scottish fantasy novelist and minister
George MacDonald (1824–1905) was a Scottish writer and Christian minister. Born in Huntly, Scotland, he later lived in England and Italy. He wrote novels, fairy tales, poetry and sermons. His books include Phantastes (1858), At the Back of the North Wind (1871), The Princess and the Goblin (1872) and Lilith (1895).
“Our God is a consuming fire.”
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