The Mission: Bring Yourself To God (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798189644771)

'Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.' (James 4: 8)

The Mission: Bring Yourself To God begins from the understanding that the Bible tells one unfolding history of God and humanity. Its books were written at different times, in different circumstances and by different hands, yet the history they contain moves towards Christ. The call of Abraham, the deliverance of Israel, the Law and the prophets, the Psalms, the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, and the mission of the apostles belong within that history.

The mission of the title is therefore both God's and ours. Scripture records God's action in seeking, calling and restoring humanity. It also records the human response to that call: faith and unbelief, obedience and rebellion, repentance, forgiveness, worship and love. To read the Bible is to encounter both.

The book follows this history from the Old Testament into the New. The promises given to Abraham, the story of Joseph and his brothers, the calling of Moses, the Exodus and the giving of the Law are considered alongside the Psalms and the prophets. The Gospels bring these earlier histories and promises into relation with Jesus Christ; Acts and the apostolic writings show the Gospel carried beyond Jerusalem into the world.

Each chapter begins with a passage of Scripture, principally in the King James Version, followed by a reflection upon its historical setting, literary character and place within the wider biblical narrative. The intention is to read individual passages without separating them from the Scriptures to which they belong.

Recurring themes provide connections between the different books of the Bible: covenant, sacrifice, redemption, mercy, forgiveness, pilgrimage, worship, hope and love. The Old Testament is not treated merely as background to Christianity. Its language, histories, promises and forms of worship remain necessary to an understanding of the Gospel and of the language in which the New Testament presents Christ.

The people of Scripture also remain recognisably human. Abraham leaves what he knows in response to the call of God. Joseph confronts the brothers who betrayed him. Moses hesitates before the task given to him. The disciples repeatedly misunderstand Jesus before becoming witnesses to his resurrection. Saint Paul carries the Gospel through a world often indifferent or hostile to it. Their encounters with God involve decisions made within particular lives and circumstances.

Original illustrations accompany the reflections. These draw upon the tradition of nineteenth-century steel and wood engraving, together with maps and historical scenes intended to place the biblical narratives within their geographical and historical settings.

The Mission may be read consecutively as a journey through Scripture or a chapter at a time as material for reflection and prayer. Its underlying question remains the same throughout: how does God call humanity to himself, and how is that call answered?

The Christian answer reaches its centre in Jesus Christ. The many histories of Scripture converge upon him, while his command to his disciples carries the mission onwards. The biblical story therefore does not leave the reader merely as an observer of events long past. The call heard by Abraham, Moses, the prophets and the apostles becomes a question addressed to every human life: how are we to bring ourselves to God?