The Everyday God: Encountering the Divine in the works of mercy
The Everyday God: Encountering the Divine in the works of mercy

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The Everyday God: Encountering the Divine in the works of mercy

Author : Jonathan Arnold
£9.99

Compelling stories of loving our neighbour today

‘The everyday God is a God who is for everyone…who appears in everyday events and ordinary people. He calls us to move out of our comfort zones and into his liminal space on the margins of our society, to see the face of Christ in a stranger…’
Jonathan Arnold, a seasoned community engagement expert, delves deep into the heart of the biblical mandate to love one’s neighbour. Through a tapestry of real-life stories, he unveils the power of practical faith, illustrating how it can ignite transformation among the homeless, refugees, the poor and vulnerable, imprisoned and marginalised, as well as those living with dementia, disability and disease.
In these pages, you’ll witness how acts of social and environmental justice, intertwined with mercy, have the potential to reshape lives, offering a vivid portrait of the profound impact of embracing the everyday God. As he reflects upon Jesus’s teaching in Matthew 25:34–40, Arnold challenges us to discover God’s presence in the most unexpected places and join in with where he is acting, whether inside or outside our churches.


Title The Everyday God: Encountering the Divine in the works of mercy
Author Jonathan Arnold
Description

‘The everyday God is a God who is for everyone…who appears in everyday events and ordinary people. He calls us to move out of our comfort zones and into his liminal space on the margins of our society, to see the face of Christ in a stranger…’
Jonathan Arnold, a seasoned community engagement expert, delves deep into the heart of the biblical mandate to love one’s neighbour. Through a tapestry of real-life stories, he unveils the power of practical faith, illustrating how it can ignite transformation among the homeless, refugees, the poor and vulnerable, imprisoned and marginalised, as well as those living with dementia, disability and disease.
In these pages, you’ll witness how acts of social and environmental justice, intertwined with mercy, have the potential to reshape lives, offering a vivid portrait of the profound impact of embracing the everyday God. As he reflects upon Jesus’s teaching in Matthew 25:34–40, Arnold challenges us to discover God’s presence in the most unexpected places and join in with where he is acting, whether inside or outside our churches.

Details
  • Product code: 9781800392106
  • Published: 24 May 2024
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 228
  • Dimensions: 130mm wide and 190mm high

‘The everyday God is a God who is for everyone…who appears in everyday events and ordinary people. He calls us to move out of our comfort zones and into his liminal space on the margins of our society, to see the face of Christ in a stranger…’
Jonathan Arnold, a seasoned community engagement expert, delves deep into the heart of the biblical mandate to love one’s neighbour. Through a tapestry of real-life stories, he unveils the power of practical faith, illustrating how it can ignite transformation among the homeless, refugees, the poor and vulnerable, imprisoned and marginalised, as well as those living with dementia, disability and disease.
In these pages, you’ll witness how acts of social and environmental justice, intertwined with mercy, have the potential to reshape lives, offering a vivid portrait of the profound impact of embracing the everyday God. As he reflects upon Jesus’s teaching in Matthew 25:34–40, Arnold challenges us to discover God’s presence in the most unexpected places and join in with where he is acting, whether inside or outside our churches.

The Revd Dr Jonathan Arnold is Executive Director of the Social Justice Network in the Diocese of Canterbury, a charity that helps people at times of crisis, including migration, debt, hunger, homelessness, modern slavery and exploitation, the rehabilitation of ex-offenders and rural justice. He is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Kent, an Associate of Sidney De Hahn Centre for Arts and Health, Christ Church Canterbury University. Jonathan was formerly Dean of Divinity and Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was tutor in ecclesiastical history and chair of examiners for the theology faculty. Other books include Music and Faith: Conversations in a Post-Secular Age (2019); Sacred Music in Secular Society (2014); The Great Humanists (2011) and Dean John Colet of St. Paul's (2007). 

 

Review by Donato Tallo

Jonathan Arnold has produced a thought provoking, practical and meditational book on the Everyday God who is alive and active, quite often in the most unexpected of places, and always both inside and outside of church buildings. The book reminds the reader that everyone is created in the image of God and that caring for all living beings and the environment as a whole is something that must be central to the life of a Christian.

This is a book that can be read by an individual at a pace to suit one's own needs or indeed would be a brilliant book for a church home group or equivalent gathering.   Each chapter presents the reader with challenges to think about, includes thoughts, reflections and teachings from a wide range of individuals and links in scripture to the particular work of mercy being explored. The book is accessible and the fact each chapter finishes with a reflection, prayer and spiritual exercise allows the reader to use it in a manner to aid their spiritual life and development both in terms of prayer and considering practical actions that could be taken forward.

The work Jonathan is engaged in the  Diocese of Canterbury is brought to life in an accessible and interesting format  though the pages of this book and provides the reader with a significant insight into how the work Jonathan and his colleagues are engaged which makes a significant difference to the lives of so many people each and every day.

We live in a challenging world where so often it is easy to over look those in need, this book reminds the reader that we should not consider helping those in need as an option but consider it as a duty.

Jonathan highlights to the reader that at different times in life different people can be vulnerable, that all of us can be scared or troubled in someway and that the Bible reminds us that loving our neighbour is something we should all do despite its challenges. God is there for everyone and through the works of mercy (feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, give shelter to travellers, visit the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead) we can all see God in the face of others through our spiritual and practical actions linked to the works of mercy.

This book has inspired me to find out more about Jonathans work and to reflect more on how I can find God in all things and in all people as well as considering what more I can do each and everyday with regard to the works of mercy.

Reviewed by Donato Tallo