Jonah 4:4-11

Jonah 4:4-11 

English Standard Version

  I like being comfortable.  It's nice.  Do I let myself get uncomfortable enough when I think about the sufferings of others?  Or do I keep that far enough away so that it doesn't impinge upon my comfort?

  When Jesus tells us that we should love others just as we love ourselves, it's a bit of an impossible command.  Can we really love others with the same focus and passion that we save for ourselves?  We treat ourselves when we can... can we treat others with the same excitement?

  Here, Jonah resents God's deliverance of the people of Nineveh.  He sets up camp outside of town, and God sends a plant for some shade.  When God sends a worm to devour the plant and Jonah loses his shade, he is furious, far more furious than he ever was at the thought of the people of Nineveh perishing.  He greatly favored his own comfort above the safety of others.

  So what do we do with this story?  In many ways, it's a wake up call for us.  Are we open to considering how much energy and resources we spend on ourselves, and how we might give up some of that comfort to serve others?  Do we recognize the suffering of others?  Do we love them enough?  Do we love ourselves too much?

Jonah 3:10-4:3

Jonah 3:10-4:3 

English Standard Version 

  How committed are you to your enemies that if God were to deliver them, would you be amazed at what God has done or upset that your enemies were delivered?  

  Jonah makes it clear what side of the fence he is on.  

  How do you pray for your enemies?  

Jonah 3:6-9

Jonah 3:6-9 

English Standard Version 

  I've watched enough Mel Brooks movies that whenever I read about a king, I can't help but think about the portrayal in The History of the World.  In summary, it's good to be the king.  Kings take liberties and have privileges.  Kings are rarely restrained.  Kings live at a different level than regular people.

  So what an incredible act here by the king in Nineveh.  He takes off his robe and sits in ashes, praying for God's mercy on behalf of his people.  He knows that it is not a guaranty of deliverance, but he hopes that if all people, including himself, repent from evil ways and violence, then perhaps God may relent.  

  The king could've ordered everyone else to repent.  Instead, he joined them in the midst of it.

  May we never grow too proud to resist humbling ourselves and acknowledging our wrongdoing.  May we be wise in looking for the fault within ourselves more eagerly than trying to find the fault in others.  May we be willing to repent and invite others to join us in this.  We don't control God, but it is wise to humble ourselves before God.

Jonah 3:4-5

Jonah 3:4-5 

English Standard Version 

  Jonah had a story to tell.  Imagine if Jonah had sat down and told his life story, revealing the journey he went on to get to Nineveh and the amazing ways God intervened in his life to bring him to that place.  It would've been a very compelling story.  I imagine the people of Nineveh would've been amazed.

  But they didn't hear that story.  They didn't hear about all that God had done in Jonah's life.  They received a simple sermon, but that was enough.  The Holy Spirit did an amazing thing, and that was enough.

  See, it doesn't depend on us.  We feel so unworthy much of the time, or we're nervous that we'll say or do the wrong thing.  Jonah shows us here that there doesn't need to be perfection.  God needed Jonah to show up and be a vessel for the message of repentance, and God did the rest.

  In the same way, God needs you to show up in times and places, and God will use you in the lives of people around you.

Jonah 3:1-3

Jonah 3:1-3

English Standard Version 

  Jonah didn't ask a lot of questions the second time that God told him to go to Nineveh.  He had learned his lesson well.  God didn't take the chance to remind Jonah, either.  I would've definitely said something along the lines of 'Seriously, Jonah.  To Nineveh.  Or else we'll do something worse than the fish...'

  Sometimes, God says no to us.  Sometimes, God needs us to learn a lesson.  But I believe that God continues to call us -- sometimes to the original plan, sometimes to a new one.  Hopefully, we learn from the times that God says no, and we are willing to follow God, having a richer sense of faith based on our prior experiences.  May we recognize that much of life is a learning opportunity, even the hardships, and that the character we gain along the way is a chance to share our struggles and experiences with others and point to God's glory throughout.

Jonah 2:10

Jonah 2:10 

English Standard Version 

  I read a quote once that said with enough information, all actions make sense.  

  Without context, this would be viewed as terrible.  

  Viewed as what Jonah had been through, this was great news -- he was saved from a terrible experience and suddenly had hope for what the next step of his life looked like.  

  When we see friends of loved ones going through something, let us remember that context matters.  So often, we don't know what else is going on in a person's life.  We react to their actions, but there's often so much else going on in the background.  May we learn to ask wise questions, and to listen patiently, that we may hear the full story.  Our lives are interwoven with one another, so the more we learn, the better we are able to serve one another.

Jonah 2:1-4

Jonah 2:1-4 

English Standard Version 

  Have you ever driven through an area with bad cell phone service?  Even in the midst of it, you likely keep dialing, right?  You know there's a signal around there somewhere, so you don't give up, even though you doubt that your call will go through.  You keep dialing and dialing and dialing, and eventually it connects.

  That's what I think of when I read Jonah's prayer.  Jonah is in the midst of distress, in a fish sent by God to swallow him in the depths, but God still hears Jonah's cry.  Jonah keeps praying, despite his challenging circumstances.  It would be easy to think that God wouldn't hear Jonah, but Jonah still prays.  He's in despair, and the logical thing to do is pray, so he prays.  And Jonah's prayer is heard, just as our prayers are heard, even in the midst of our distress, even in challenging circumstances.  The waves and billows pass over us, and it feels as though we are driven from God's sight, and yet we can have hope because God hears our prayers, even in distress.

Jonah 1:17

Jonah 1:17 

English Standard Version 

  Ever think that things cannot get worse?  

  The first chapter of Jonah has gone as poorly as possible for Jonah.  He ran directly away from God's call, and then the boat was caught up in a storm that was sent for him.  Resigned to perishing in the storm, instead Jonah offers himself up as a sacrifice and is cast overboard.  Thinking this is likely the end, Jonah has surely given up by now... and instead he gets swallowed up by a giant fish.  

  If you're Jonah, each step is surely one more away from hope, right?

  God id still at work here.  God hasn't given up on Jonah.  God hasn't given up on God's people.  It's hard to believe, and surely from Jonah's perspective, you'd think this would be the end of the story... but God is only getting started.

  May we have the courage to believe the same when we see things going sideways in our own lives. 

Jonah 1:14-16

Jonah 1:14-16 

English Standard Version 

  Jonah's most effective evangelism may be the fact that the very sailors who throw Jonah overboard then immediately turn around and offer a sacrifice to God and make promises.  Jonah is able to convince them of God's power through sheer ineptitude.  It's not how one draws it up, but it seems to work here in the beginning of the story -- the sailors learn through Jonah as an example of what not to do, but still, God is able to use Jonah. 

  Jonah is certainly not an example we want to follow.  Jonah fails, time and time again, but the Word of the Lord will not be denied.  It reaches through Jonah's failure and touches the hearts of those interacting with Jonah.  It's a reminder to us all of God's ability to use any effort, no matter how small, to demonstrate the love and power of God.

Jonah 1:11-13

Jonah 1:11-13

English Standard Version 

  It'd be fascinating to do a study about what this would look like in different cultures.  Were this 21st century America, with the declining social trust we have in many places, I think Jonah might be immediately thrown into the sea.  In this culture, however, the sailors know that Jonah is the cause of the storm, and he asks to be thrown into the sea... and yet the men row hard to try and save the ship.  They do not want to throw Jonah into the sea, despite the fact that Jonah brought this upon them.  They still want to save him, if possible.

  Perhaps these men are the heroes of the story?  

  Notice heroic actions in the world around us.  They're not often performed by people who are the center of attention, but are often done by those quietly laboring to make the world a better place.  May we see their example and celebrate that, rather than the social media post of a celebrity that may or may not be worth our emulation and adulation.  May we celebrate those who labor for others, and may we aspire to be the type of people who look a guilty person in the eye and do everything we can to save them, for that's exactly what Jesus Christ does for us.

Jonah 1:7-10

Jonah 1:7-10 

English Standard Version 

  I can't help but wonder at the seriousness with which the other sailors take Jonah's actions.  They realize at once that he has done something awful, which has brought great danger to them all.  But Jonah made the decision in a moment, without thinking, only selfishly wanting to avoid peril or embarrassment.

  I think this probably happens more than we like to think.  In a moment, we make snap decisions, afraid of one thing or motivated by another, without necessarily thinking it all the way through.  We often do this as children, because our brains aren't fully developed, but it's easy to do as adults, too.  We try to avoid punishment, and perhaps believe a little white lie won't be so bad, or that no one will notice if we cut a corner or two.  But others see, and they note the seriousness of our offenses.  

  What takes real humility, and real trust, is to let others speak into our lives in such a way that they can help us know where the risks are.  Do we let them speak honestly to us about our flaws and our poor decisions?  Do we consult with one another in such times, hoping for the wisdom of the community to guide us?  Are we open to correction?

Jonah 1:4-6

Jonah 1:4-6 

English Standard Version 

  So Jonah is sailing in the exact opposite direction that God has told him to go, hoping that God won't notice Jonah exiting stage right.  (Narrator's note:  God notices)  A giant storm is sent, and every sailor on the ship is crying out to their gods, hoping for salvation.  This reminds of Elijah and his duel with the false prophets of Baal, who are crying out in the same way, but Elijah mocks them because Elijah knows there is only one true God.  Elijah tells them to shout louder in case their god is in the bathroom or asleep.  

  Jonah knows their cries won't change things, because Jonah realizes the storm is for him.  Jonah has brought others to danger through his carelessness and selfishness.  Jonah is ready to give up -- that's the only way he could fall asleep in the midst of such a storm.  But the captain won't let Jonah give up.  

  I hope more of us can be like the captain.  Can we notice the people who are in despair, who are ready to give up?  Can we pay attention and see the people in the world who are in such pain that they want to curl up and let it all slip away?  

Jonah 1:1-3

Jonah 1:1-3 

English Standard Version 

  Jonah will forever be one of my favorite books in the Bible.  Not because Jonah is the leading and most Godly figure in the Bible, but because he's one of the most human people in there, and therefore one of the most relatable.  Jonah gets just about everything wrong.  We could spend months teaching people about what not to do based on Jonah's life, and yet it's included in the Bible.  Jonah is a prime example of the work that God can do through flawed people. It reminds me of the teaching in seminary when they tell us that the Holy Spirit transforms the words of the preacher into the Word of God, meaning that effective preaching doesn't depend on the worthiness of the preacher, but rather on the Holy Spirit, which is a far more dependable vehicle.  That relieves some stress!

  Now, this doesn't mean that we're not all called to do the best work possible.  All it means is that despite our failures, God can still use us and proclaim the Gospel through us.  We don't have to be afraid of where we fall short -- we can read the book of Jonah and give thanks for the ways that God uses broken people like us.

Sermon on Jonah 4 (5/16/2021)

Sermon on Jonah 3 (May 9, 2021)

Jonah 4:7-11

Jonah 4:7-11 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Speaking for myself, I can sometimes be very casual with the earth.  Maybe it's coming of age in an era of information overload -- it's hard to process all the tragedies around the world we've witnessed in the last twenty years.  When I was a kid, I remember watching the evening news at 6 and the world news at 6.30.  Even that had limited information -- much of the evening news was local, sports, and weather, and the world news, which we didn't always watch, could only cover so much.  We simply didn't know about many things going on around the world.  Now, a click of a mouse can bring you news from Africa or Asia.  Violence in a Brazil slum or rural India can be on your computer screen within hours of it occurring.  Natural  destruction or abuse of the planet is a constant background sound.  It's overwhelming and impossible to react emotionally to each event.
  But God made all of the people, and God made the world, so there's a sense of loss with all of it.  It all matters to God.  Each person who dies, be it from violence or illness or old age, is handcrafted by God.  They matter.  God made every tree in the rainforest that is cut down, and God made every species that we lose to extinction.  They matter.
 So how do we balance a sense stewardship of the earth and its people with the reality of our limited attention?  That's a great question.  I don't have all the answers, but I know that we don't have to fix the whole world.  God can handle that.   What we learn from Jonah is that we have a responsibility to care more for others than we do for ourselves, and that whenever we interact with the outside world and other people, our first responsibility is to remember that they are a beloved child of God.  As I read about the debates and interactions between people on different sides of debates (be it gun control/coronavirus lockdowns/politics/etc.), we would do well to think of those with whom we differ as handcrafted treasures made by the living God.
  We matter to God.  You matter to God.  'They' (whomever that might be to you) matter to God.  We're all in this together, walking each other home.  May we treat one another as made in the image of God, and embrace one another as people who are beloved by their Creator.

Jonah 4:1-6

Jonah 4:1-6 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Pretty basic distinction here -- Jonah is more concerned about himself and his reputation than the lives of those in Nineveh.  Jonah tells God that the reason Jonah fled was because he knew the Lord would repent and not destroy Nineveh.  Jonah was thinking about how great he would sound telling the story of how he warned Nineveh, but they didn't repent, and if only they had listened to the great Jonah...
  What Jonah should be doing is celebrating the salvation of thousands, but instead he's thinking about potential hits to his reputation.  Jonah finds joy in the plant God raised up to give him shade, but not in the lives of thousands who God just saved.
  There are a lot of lessons and warnings we can take from this.  I think the most important is to examine what brings us true joy.  May we pray for the wisdom to find joy in the things that bring God joy, and to watch carefully for the sins of selfishness and pride.

Jonah 3:6-10

Jonah 3:6-10 
English Standard Version (ESV)

 Isn't it interesting that even the animals aren't supposed to eat?  I was reading a National Geographic article about how devastating the decline in insect populations is, and how troubling that is for humanity.  I think we forget that sin infests every part of our world -- it's not only limited to how we treat God.  Sin infects how we treat one another, how we treat the earth, how we treat ourselves, and so on.  Sin matters, and it gets into every part of society -- it happens on individual levels and how societal levels. 
  Fortunately, when Jesus dies for our sins, he dies for all of them -- for the big sins and the small ones, because even the smallest sin cannot be tolerated by God.  God is perfect, and the only way we can enter the throne room of grace is to be perfect, and Christ makes us perfect.  You have been washed clean, and so we are bold to hope.
  Now, may that hope infect every relationship, including the relationship we have with one another and with the earth and with the systems and the powers and principalities.  May we be bold in our living and bold in our prayers!

Jonah 3:1-5

Jonah 3:1-5 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Jonah doesn't even make it into the heart of the city, clearly doesn't have much of a speech prepared, and yet at his meager words, a city that takes three days to walk across converts, to the point that everyone in the entire city is wearing sackcloth and fasting.  How's that for effectiveness? 
  There is a very fine line between preaching as engaging and preaching as entertainment.  I think every preacher tries a balancing act on the line -- our desire is to direct hearts and minds to God, and there are countless communication tactics that help guide the listener to focus on what God is doing.  What's easy to forget in all of this is that it is God who converts hearts and minds.  It is God who speaks through the minister.  It is God who is responsible for the effectiveness of preaching -- it's not about the minister.  It's about the Word of God, active and alive in the world.  As with so many things in life, it's not about us -- it's about what God is doing.
  In Nineveh, God was clearly at work in the hearts and minds of the people there -- Jonah was the vessel through which the message came.  When you think about how God might use you, it's important that you not focus on yourself.  When you do that, you worry about your insecurities, and when things go well, you'll inevitably start to think you did a great job.  And perhaps you did, but it was God working in and through you.  Our goal is to let Christ's light shine through us, that they may see our good works and glorify God in heaven.

Jonah 2:10

Jonah 2:10 
English Standard Version (ESV)

 Once again, Jonah describes 2020 in a sentence. 

  Would you agree that everything is relative? If you'd ask Jonah two weeks before this how he might feel about being vomited by a great fish onto dry land, he might  have felt less than enthusiastic about the concept.  But from the belly of that great fish, he was probably excited about the concept, although likely less so about the execution.  I can't imagine this process as very appealing or hygenic.  There would likely be a considerable stench emanating from Jonah after the process was complete.
  But Jonah emerged from the fish.  He had endured suffering and come through the trial.  We're never the same after the trials of life -- they always change us.  We carry physical scars as reminders of what we endured.  We carry emotional scars, wounds that are often much deeper than the physical ones.  Unseen by others, these can cause deep suffering. 
  But we always emerge.  This is what it means to be a Christian -- we emerge through the trials of life.  When Jesus appeared after the resurrection, he had a changed body that was often initially unrecognized by those he knew best.  But it still carried the scars. 
  You and I, we emerge through our trials, thanks to Jesus Christ.  Scripture teaches us that even when our trials end in death, we emerge through those, entering the eternal Kingdom of God, where light and life reign.  For the trials that do not end in death, we still emerge, always called and sent by God.  Often the scars still torment us, the memory of what we endured stays with us.  This can sometimes we used in ministry, to reach out to a fellow traveler along the way, to connect with another scarred individual, and share our common humanity, and perhaps share what hope looks like when one walks with such scars.
  I will admit that I don't welcome challenges.  I don't like the thought of the belly of the great fish, and the process of being vomited onto dry land, however welcome it may be, makes me somewhat queasy.  But I pray for the courage to hope in the midst of challenges, for God's steadfast presence to comfort me in the dark nights of the soul, and for the wisdom to recognize opportunities to share my experiences, in joy and weeping, with others who are in search of hope in this often chaotic world.