"Return from Exile is a profound gift to God's people. It speaks clearly,
directly, and above all gently to the diversity of human experiences of
exile-through the pandemic and beyond. It is richly and carefully
theological in dealing with the challenges of online church and
communion. It invites us to engage our imagination and hearts with
God's revelation in the Bible, tracing themes of exile and return across
different eras and cultures. Best of all, it will help individuals and
congregations to reflect deeply on the griefs, gifts, challenges,
opportunities, and surprising work of God in our own situations. In
doing all this, it draws us gently but insistently to find our true home in
the Lord Jesus Christ." Rev Dr Chris Swann, Director of Church Planting,
City to City Australia
"Return from Exile provides an insightful and well-crafted reflection on
the disruption, and associated grief, caused by the pandemic and felt by
individuals and churches. The text asks Christians what needs to change
and what can remain when they return from exile to a world that has
altered significantly. The reader is challenged to embrace the digital space
and consider these spaces as the Areopagus of our day (Acts 17) - the
gathering place of ideas, discussion and commerce, and the place where
Christ is present. Read the reflections, dwell in the Scripture readings,
and you will be encouraged."
Dr Tania Nelson, Executive Officer - Local Mission, Lutheran
Church of Australia and New Zealand
"Nathan Hedt combines his many years as a missional practitioner with
a dexterity in the biblical text to coax the reader back from exile into the
fields of harvest. Rather than writing for the Academy this work
succeeds in appealing to the person in the pew wondering how to find a
way back from isolation to community, from exile to Kingdom
fruitfulness. Highly recommended for small groups throughout the
Church, this will be a tonic for the soul of the Church so much in need
of both nurture and courage to face the challenges ahead."
Dean Eaton, Director of Community Impact,
Korus Connect.
"This resource is both timeless and timely. Exile is a healthy experience
for Christians who live in this world and yet are also citizens of heaven.
This is a place of blessing that the people of God have been gifted since
our first parents were expelled from Eden. Nathan Hedt helps us, who
have perhaps grown too comfortable in this world, to step back and
learn from those who have gone before us. He reminds us that we are
the church, we don't go to church, and that all worship and Christian
fellowship is provisional-real, but not yet complete. Importantly, this
book raises as many questions as it answers and enables discussion. It
leads us to reflect on God's word and the experience of his church
through the ages. We need to hear and heed Nathan's call not to simply
try to go back to the way things were. I love the way he teases out the
opportunities God gives us to join his mission to the people of the
world he loves. I encourage Christians everywhere to use this resource to
reflect on the times in which we live, and indeed all times during our
earthly sojourn. It is both timeless and timely."
Rev Dr Steen Olsen, emeritus Lutheran pastor,
bishop and mission director
