Sunday 18 October
10am Harvest Parish Communion & Ark – St Swithun’s, Martyr Worthy
6pm Taize – St John’s, Itchen Abbas
We are having another of our Taize services, inspired by the Taizé Community in France. It is a short service of prayer and contemplation with easily sung Taize chants, a scripture reading and periods of silence.
Through a peaceful atmosphere and quiet reflection, we will ask for Gods help to guide us and others through the troubled times of conflict we are surrounded by.
Whether you are a regular worshipper, exploring faith for the first time, or simply looking for peace and stillness, you are warmly welcome to join in or simply come and listen.
David’s talk from last Sunday’s Holy Communion can be listened to here
Or read here
Nicky’s talk from last Sunday’s Valley Worship can be listened to here
Or read here
The questions that open the door to hope
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”
1 Peter 3:15
“A good question can accomplish what a good argument cannot.”
— Randy Newman, Questioning Evangelism
At Valley Worship on Sunday, Nicky Barber gave us such a helpful exposition of 1 Peter 3:15. If you missed it, do take a moment to listen to it from the link above.
I have known Nicky for nearly forty years, but I realised on Sunday that I had never heard the story of how she became a Christian. She told us how things came to a head after a friend she worked with gave her a little booklet called Becoming a Christian.
https://chbookshop.hymnsam.co.uk/books/9780851105154/becoming-a-christian
It left me with a question of my own: Do people see that kind of hope in me?
Peter’s words are striking. He doesn’t begin by telling Christians to initiate spiritual conversations or to win arguments. Rather, he assumes that something about the way we live will prompt people to ask questions. In the context of suffering and uncertainty, Christians are to live with such a distinctive hope that those around them want to know where it comes from.
Of course, that doesn’t mean we keep quiet about Jesus. Peter tells us to be ready to explain our hope when people ask. But perhaps the starting point isn’t learning a clever argument or mastering a thirty-second gospel presentation. Perhaps it’s living in such a way that people become curious about the source of our hope.
At one point, Nicky asked how confident we felt about sharing the gospel with a friend in just thirty seconds. When she admitted that she had considered asking us to do it there and then in church, but had decided against it, you could almost hear the collective “Phew!”
I suspect many of us feel the same. We want our friends to discover Jesus, but we worry about saying the wrong thing, not having all the answers, or making a conversation awkward.
That’s why I have found Randy Newman’s book Questioning Evangelism so helpful. Newman reminds us that we don’t always need to have the perfect answer. Often, the right question can take a conversation further than the best argument. Questions help us understand what someone really believes, gently challenge their assumptions, and open up space for them to consider Jesus for themselves.
Here are three questions worth trying:
1. Clarify — “What do you mean when you say you don’t believe in God?”
People can mean very different things by this. Some struggle with the evidence for God; others have been hurt by the Church, or cannot reconcile belief in God with the suffering they see in the world. Before responding, it helps to understand what someone is actually saying.
2. Challenge — “How did you come to that conclusion?”
This isn’t about catching someone out. It’s an invitation to think a little more deeply about the beliefs we all hold, often without examining them. Asked with genuine interest, it can open up a conversation rather than close one down.
3. Connect — “If Christianity were true, what difference do you think it might make to your life?”
This moves the conversation from an abstract debate about whether God exists to the possibility that knowing Jesus might change something much more personal: our sense of purpose, our experience of forgiveness, our relationships, or our fear of death.
The key to all three questions is the attitude with which we ask them. We aren’t trying to win a contest. We are seeking to listen, understand and love our neighbour. As Peter goes on to say, we are to give our answer “with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).
Perhaps the most important question, though, is the one I found myself asking after Sunday: Is my life making people curious about the hope I have in Jesus?
And perhaps you are reading this and wondering whether you have discovered that hope for yourself. You may have heard Christians talk about hope, but wonder what it really means, or whether it could make a difference to your life.
If that’s you, we would love you to join us for Hope Explored, a relaxed three-week course we’ll be running in January. It’s an opportunity to explore the Christian hope of a life with purpose, peace and a future, and to ask any questions you like.
Because sometimes a simple booklet, a thoughtful question or a conversation with a friend can change the course of a life. And sometimes the journey towards hope begins with a question.
with every blessing
David
To book a place click here
David’s Contact Details
If you would like to contact David, his email address is david@itchenvalleychurches.org
His landline telephone number is 01962 582226
David’s working days are Monday – Wednesday and services on a Sunday
for global peace
for those who are ill or suffering at the moment or for those recently bereaved
for our Valley Youth Day – the organising, planning and that we reach the families who would enjoy this
for Cameo – the organisers, helpers and attendees
The readings for Harvest Parish Communion can be read here
Our local Gospel Choir leader, Tim Uffindell (who is based in Alresford), will be orchestrating a special evening at Winchester Cathedral called The Gospel Experience on Saturday, 24th October at 7.30pm. He will teach the audience to sing a beautiful Gospel version of Psalm 23 during the course of the evening – no singing expertise is required and it will be a remarkable experience to be part of a large congregation singing this song in this ancient, sacred space. For more details and to buy tickets please use this link – https://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/event/the-gospel-experience/
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