Encounter with God: April–June 2022

Contents

Editorial: One Footstep after Another

The Writers

SU Article: Hope and Hot Chocolate

Using this Guide

Matthew 25–28, Psalms 40,41 Elaine Storkey

Jeremiah 1–17; Psalms 42,43,44,45 Brian Radcliffe

Revelation 12–22; Psalms 46,47,48 Ian Paul

Bible Unpacked: How to Read Wisdom Literature Ernest Lucas

2 Corinthians; Psalms 49,50,51 Nigel Wright

2 Samuel 1–3 Andy Robinson

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Editorial

One Footstep after Another

Whatever life brings, determining to put one foot after another as we follow the Lord is the essential nature of discipleship.

I read a lot of books in the course of my work as a theological educator and sometimes I come across an idea that really sticks with, and challenges, me. One such idea, from New Testament scholar Luke Timothy Johnson, is this: ‘Discipleship does not consist in a countercultural critique of society. Discipleship does not consist in working overwhelming miracles. These elements of the Jesus tradition are not made normative in the way that the pattern of obedient suffering and loving service is.’

This says to me that the visible elements of our faith, such as taking action for justice and praying for (and perhaps seeing) miracles, are of course non-negotiable in following Christ. Yet more than these things, we will be known primarily by our response to the call to obedient living, even if it costs us dearly, and to the service of others, some of whom may not share our values.

During this quarter, in which we celebrate both Easter and Pentecost, this same idea emerges in several of our sets of notes. We are called to have our hearts renewed and to live in obedience to Christ. This commitment is what changes the world. We are an army of witnesses whose lives are shaped by the hope that comes with Easter resurrection and the power given by the Spirit of Pentecost.

Mark Twain is thought by some to be the source of the aphorism: ‘Life is just one … thing after another.’ In light of our call, we followers of Jesus might adapt that saying to ‘life is just one faithful footstep after another.’ ‘Oh, let me see thy footmarks: and in them plant my own.’¹ If we can do that to our life’s end, we will have been disciples. May the reading of God’s Word guide our feet.

Sally Nelson

Editor

Annabel Moule

Content Assistant

1 John Ernest Bode, 1816-1874, 'O Jesus, I Have Promised'

ON THE COVER: Ernest Lucas gives an overview of the different kinds of wisdom literature in the Bible and how they can guide us in our daily lives.

Image credit: iStock / swissmediavision

The Writers

ELAINE STORKEY is an academic theologian and social scientist, living in Cambridgeshire, UK, who has served as theological adviser to bishops and archbishops in the Church of England. A writer, broadcaster and much-travelled public speaker, she also served as President of Tearfund from 1996 to 2013.

BRIAN RADCLIFFE is a retired English and Drama teacher, formerly minister of a Baptist church in the north of England. He also enjoys a parallel career as freelance writer (secondary school assembly scripts/drama skills as cross-curricular teaching tools).

IAN PAUL is a theologian, writer and speaker. He is Associate Minister at St Nic’s, Nottingham, Honorary Assistant Professor at the University of Nottingham and a leading blogger at www.psephizo.com.

ERNEST LUCAS was a research biochemist before studying theology and has doctorates in both disciplines. Now retired, he pastored churches in Durham and Liverpool and taught Biblical Studies at Bristol Baptist College, where he was Vice-Principal. He has written commentaries on several Old Testament books.

NIGEL WRIGHT is a Baptist minister, Principal Emeritus of Spurgeon’s College, London and former President of the Baptist Union of Great Britain.

ANDY ROBINSON has served as a church minister, author and evangelist. His love for preaching, alongside a call to minister, led him to Moorlands College. He has spent nearly a decade as a pastor and travels the country sharing his story and seeing God change lives.

SALLY NELSON is the Dean of Baptist Formation at St Hild College, Yorkshire, UK, where she also teaches Christian doctrine and pastoral care. She is a Baptist minister and has been the commissioning editor for Encounter with God since 2015.

ANNABEL MOULE is a Content Assistant at Scripture Union and the content manager for Encounter with God. She studied English Literature at Oxford Brookes University and Theology at the University of Oxford. She lives in Bath and is recently married to Henry.

SU ARTICLE

HOPE AND HOT CHOCOLATE

Joel Barwick is a youth worker with St Thomas’ church in Newcastle city centre. After meeting SU Mission Enabler Geoff Brown and hearing about the Revealing Jesus mission framework, Joel became a Faith Guide. We asked him about how it’s changed his outlook and experiences of mission.

How and why did you become a Faith Guide?

‘Soon after I arrived in Newcastle in 2019, I linked up with SU Local Mission Partner MINE. We got some funding from SU’s Good News Fund to trial some detached youth work in deprived areas. It’s the one kind of youth work that’s been permitted during pandemic lockdowns, so we’ve been able to continue doing it. And through it, I met Geoff from SU. He told me about the Revealing Jesus mission framework and invited me to become a Faith Guide – I jumped at the opportunity!

‘I’m really fortunate to get great support from my church, but Scripture Union are the experts in doing mission with young people and it’s so good to be able to tap into that expertise. The mission framework and the Connect, Explore, Respond and Grow phases bring some welcome structure to work with. Even as you’re planning how to connect with young people, it gets you thinking down the track to how that might play out into the ‘Grow’ stage. It’s helped me to think longer term and has given me more focus.

‘You also get access to all SU’s resources to use with young people at different stages of the journey. You’re assigned an SU Mission Enabler (Geoff, in my case) and it’s so good to have this wisdom and support. It’s been great to work with other Faith Guides in the local area as well, to chat and share ideas.’

What’s youth work looked like for you since you became a Faith Guide?

‘The pandemic’s limited what we can do, so we’ve been doing detached youth work, going down to a park in Walker (a deprived area of Newcastle) at 6pm every Friday for an hour. There are usually between five and 30 young people, aged as young as 8. Even in torrential rain and freezing temperatures there are still young people out on the streets. We suspect they don’t have the safest of spaces at home and feel more comfortable on the streets, even in bad weather.

‘It’s an opportunity to be a light in their lives. We take down hot chocolate and snacks and, now they know us, they run up all excited. We might do a bit of socially distanced sport and chat, and sometimes we use SU Rooted Cards – they’re great for starting conversations.

‘The kids are opening up to us now, and some of their situations are heart-breaking. One Friday night it was really tipping down and Spencer, this little lad of 10, turns up on his scooter, having travelled from his home about 2 miles away. We gave him a packet of crisps, but he wouldn’t eat them. When I asked him why not, he said, Because I want to give them to my mum, because we’ve run out of food. His mum’s single, and she’s got five kids under 14. Their rent had tripled that week and she had nothing left to buy food. We took them food that night and arranged for a food bank to keep them supplied. Now Spencer comes to see us every Friday in the park. We’ve also started a homework club with him because he struggles with school. So although it’s a heart-breaking situation, we just feel as though God put him in our path.

It’s an opportunity to be a light in their lives. We take down hot chocolate and snacks and, now they know us, they run up all excited.

‘Another lad, Jimmy, told me, I just want to live at home with my mum and two sisters. I used to live with my dad, but he was too noisy. When I asked what he meant, Jimmy said, He got drunk all the time and the other week he tried to burn the house down. So the police had to take him away. Jimmy is just 8 years old. I didn’t even know what drunk was when I was 8 years old. But this is the harsh reality that these young people face. And we passionately want them to be able to experience God’s love.’

Do you have any sense of how the next mission framework stages – Explore, Respond and Grow – might develop?

‘We’re still at the Connect stage through the detached youth work, but I can see the homework club graduating towards the Explore stage. I think other needs will emerge as we get to know the kids more. Whatever comes next has to be shaped by them. So we’re really open to what it might be.

‘But we’re already exploring doing some new missional work involving a combination of face-to-face work in schools and online ministry. I’m trying to marry the two together and learn from what we’ve had to do during the pandemic. Youth mission involves going to where young people hang out, and the place where there are most young people is online. They’re playing video games; they’re on TikTok; they’re on Instagram; they’re on