16 Days with Jonah: Day 15

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Day 15

Jonah 4:6-8a

6 Then the LORD God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. 7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint.

Psalm 139:7-10

7 (LORD), Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

This is the third chance that God gives Jonah to respond to his heart of compassion.

Here we see the extraordinary lengths that God goes to in order to have Jonah make a compassionate response: God grows a leafy plant, gives shade to Jonah, a worm the next day, a withered plant, the sun and a scorching east wind!

God’s love for us is extra-extra-extraordinary! It is so totally undeserved. God’s patience and persistence show his mercy and goodness towards us, even as we have turned our back on his grace, time after time. The loving God who pursued the reluctant and wayward Jonah pursues each one of us. The God who kept on keeping on after Jonah, keeps on after us with love, grace and generosity. God seeks our loving response to him.

How do I express my gratitude for God’s grace? What lengths has God had to go to in my life to get my attention? What have I seen of God this past week? In what ways has God been calling my attention to him and his ways in the world?

Persistent God, give me eyes to see and ears to hear your Spirit at work in my life and in the lives of those around me. Give me a heart to love you and to love what you love. Give me hands to work for you and lips to praise you, ever thankful for your compassion and grace. Amen.

16 Days with Jonah: Day 14

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Jonah 4:5

5 Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city.

Romans 5:6-8

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Jonah had found himself a good vantage point from which to observe God’s punishment come upon the city of Nineveh.

Do you recall the parable of the prodigal sons and the joy of the compassionate father running through the village to welcome home the younger son who had disgraced his family and village?

The parable finishes with the unanswered question about the response of the elder son who had remained home. Would this son respond positively to the Father’s plea to join in the celebration of the younger son’s return? My son, the father said, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. (Luke 15:31,32)

Do I rejoice when people turn to Christ or do I wish that they had ‘got what they deserved’? Do I love what God loves?

Thomas Carlisle’s poem You! Jonah! closes with these lines:

And Jonah stalked

to his shaded seat

and waited for God

 to come around to his way of thinking.

 And God is still waiting for a host of Jonah’s

in their comfortable houses

to come around to his way of loving.

[Thomas Carlisle, You! Jonah! (Eerdmans, 1968)]

Reconciling God, help me to celebrate your grace and compassion as people turn to you. Give me your heart of love for all peoples. Amen.

16 Days with Jonah: Day 13

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Jonah 4:1-4

1 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the LORD, “Isn’t this what I said, LORD, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

 4 But the LORD replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

Romans 4:7-8

Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.

Jonah chapter 4 is about Jonah’s distressed response to God’s mercy towards the Ninevites. The mission of the prophet to the Ninevites now gives way to God’s continuing work in the life of his servant.

Jonah is aggrieved and angry at the Lord’s compassion on the Ninevites. Indeed, this is the very thing that Jonah feared would happen from the very beginning! Isn’t this what I said, LORD, when I was still at home?

Jonah is a person who knows grace (Jonah 2:9), responds to grace (Jonah 3:3a) and yet is incensed at grace being extended to the enemies of his people. In fact, having seen this great act of God’s compassion, he is so angry and depressed that he wants to die!

Jesus showed God’s heart of love towards all people, including those who were ‘unacceptable’: the Samaritan woman, the thief on the cross, the tax collector and the prostitute.

Can we love as God loves? Where do we receive the love that will motivate us to go to the ‘unacceptable’ people?

The Apostle Paul reminds us that we can exercise love and mercy, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.(Romans 5:5)

Transforming God, fill us with your love, courage and wisdom. Give us the capacity to work boldly, and with humility, embracing the challenge of mission. Use us to bring transforming life to our Christian communities and all Australians. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

16 Days with Jonah: Day 12

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Jonah 3:10

10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

Luke 23:39-43

39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

God sees. God sees the genuineness of our attitudes and actions. In this passage, God saw the genuine change of mind of the people of Nineveh. Nineveh’s repentance was acceptable to God. The expressions of repentance: fasting and wearing sackcloth were sincere demonstrations of their turning from evil.

Jonah’s mission had been marvelously achieved. He proclaimed God’s message and the people repented of their evil ways.

The Prophet Joel speaks of the divine proposition which underlies prophetic ministry: Return to the Lord your God for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. (Joel 2:13)

When we repent, God relents from our due punishment. He is compassionate and full of mercy. God is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9b)

The Bible assures us of God’s forgiveness in Jesus Christ:

Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38)

If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Let’s pray: Merciful God, we thank you that, although seeing all things, you are yet patient, willing that all would come to repentance. Please be patient with Australia that we may yet turn to Jesus in repentance, and experience your mercy, in reconciliation with you and with one another. Amen.

It’s not about the bun …

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A letter to the editor brought a loud cheer at our breakfast table!

In the Sunday Tasmanian Rick Giddings of the Anglican Parish of Brighton wrote:

… Coles and Woolworths are not doing anything wrong by selling hot cross buns.

However, the important thing the buns symbolise is the Easter message which is not about the bun – it’s about the Son! Those who want a fresh taste in their soul might try it this coming Easter.

Love it! Three cheers for Rick! 🙂

16 Days with Jonah: Day 11

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Jonah 3:5-9

5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.

 6 When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh:

   “By the decree of the king and his nobles:

   Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”

Surely this is every Christian’s dream! The Ninevites respond positively to the message: they believe it and repent. Everybody from the greatest to the least repents. The people of Nineveh eagerly embraced God’s message through the prophet Jonah. At the first hearing of God’s message they gave up their evil ways. They put on the mourning clothing of sackcloth, and fasted. Their self denial showed the sincerity of their repentance.

The willingness of the people of Nineveh to turn to God is a lesson to the people of Israel who had gone into exile in their stubborn refusal to repent of their disobedience.

Jesus draws this out when speaking with the people of Israel, The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. (Matthew 12:41)

As Jesus spoke of the need for repentance to the people of his day, so he speaks to us today. Do I take opportunities to regularly review my discipleship walk with Christ? Do I love God and my neighbour as myself? Do I allow activities in Christ’s service, to crowd out my relationship with Christ himself?

Forgiving God, I ask your Holy Spirit to reveal wrong doing in my life. Empower me to repent and so walk more fully, day by day, in the way of Christ. In his name, I pray. Amen.

Bushfires Ecumenical prayer

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During the Ecumenical Service at St David’s Cathedral Hobart yesterday our prayers included the following prayers which were led by Major Graham Roberts, Salvation Army and President Tasmanian Council of Churches, and written by Richard Humphrey, Dean of Hobart. You might like to use them as a basis for ongoing prayer as bushfires continue in Tasmania and mainland Australia.

 Prayers – Ecumenical Bushfire Service 19 Jan 2013

Almighty God, your son Jesus Christ has promised that you will hear us when we ask in faith: receive the prayers we offer:

for those who have experienced loss

We pray for those who lives and livelihoods have been affected by recent fires.  We pray for those who have lost homes and businesses, for those who were scared and have been traumatized by their experience, comfort and heal them in body, mind and spirit and give them hope of restoration.

Father, hear our prayer – Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

for devastated communities

We pray for the communities of Dunalley, Boomer Bay, Connelly’s Marsh, Murdunna, Sommers Bay, Primrose Sands, Taranna, Eaglehawk Neck, Marion Bay, Ellendale, Karanja, Ouse, Hamilton, Richmond, Bicheno, Montumana, Holwell as well as those on the mainland impacted by recent fires, that they may be helped, strengthened and restored by the concern and practical care they are receiving.

Father, hear our prayer – Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

for the emergency services

We give thanks for the selfless service of all who fought and who continue fighting the bushfires.  Grant them protection in danger and strengthen them physically and psychologically for the ongoing demands put upon them.

Father, hear our prayer – Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

for those giving care

We give thanks for all who are caring for the victims of the fires, for the emergency response teams, service providers, the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul Society, local churches and community groups, the chaplains, and all those assisting at all levels of government, local, state and federal. Guide them in their labour and give wisdom that those who have suffered loss may get the care and support they need.

Father, hear our prayer – Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

for generosity

We give thanks for the generous response of the Tasmanian and Australian people to those in need.  May we give generously of our material wealth as to enable lives and communities to be restored.

Father, hear our prayer – Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

for care of the environment.

We give thanks for this world which sustains us, forgive us for the damage we have brought upon the environment through negligence, indifference and greed, heal your creation and teach us to be good stewards of its bounty.

Father, hear our prayer – Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

As our Saviour Christ has taught us, we are confident to pray

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen.

Also, A Prayer in Time of Bushfire.

16 Days with Jonah: Day 10

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Jonah 3:3b-4

3b Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it.

4 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”

Philippians 2:5-11

5 In   your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature God,
did   not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by   taking the very nature of a servant,
being   made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he   humbled himself
by   becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and   gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee   should bow,
in   heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus   Christ is Lord,
to   the glory of God the Father.

 

Jonah finally does the mission God called him to do. God also calls us to deliver his message of reconciliation and peace by word and deed. We may not always see the effect of our message, but our responsibility is to faithfully proclaim God’s message.

Francis of Assisi said, Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words. It is said that his lifestyle and clothing spoke so clearly of Christ that words speaking of Christ were superfluous. Clearly, Francis of Assisi also spoke of Christ, but let us not avoid the challenge: Does my life and the life of my Christian community speak clearly of Christ?

Jonah’s recorded prophetic words are few, but his action in finally going to his enemy’s capital city to proclaim God’s judgment spoke volumes. He acted courageously. His words matched his boldness, giving credibility to his proclamation.

The Apostle Paul reminds us that God in Christ took the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness…he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:5-8)

In God’s kingdom the messenger is also the message.

God of the Servant King, by your Holy Spirit empower me to have the same attitude of humble obedience as Christ Jesus. May my life embody your message rejoicing that “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”. Amen.

16 Days with Jonah: Day 9

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Jonah 3:1-3a

1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”

 3 Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh.

Mark 10:45

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

These verses are a great encouragement. Firstly, because we see God’s loving persistence and, secondly, because we rejoice that God’s servant, Jonah, obeys the voice of his Master.

God has a heart for prophets who have lost their way, as well as for people who do not know his way. God has neither given up on his prophet, nor the people of Nineveh.

Jesus taught his disciples to pray, Our Father…your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Thus we clearly pray for God’s will to be done, while at the same time recognizing our role in the fulfilling of this prayer. God has privileged us as participants with him in the outworking of his will.

God persists with Jonah. Thus his word comes to Jonah a second time. In our own lives and ministry it is the fact of God’s call that counts. The ministry and place of God’s vocation for us is secondary to the fact that it is God’s call on us. It is our responsibility to be sensitive to the signs of God’s calling and to enter into it with dedication and joy.

Persistent God, you call your servants a second, third and un-numbered times. Give me the will and wisdom to respond to you with thankfulness and joy. In the name of your Son who came not to be served, but to serve and who cried, “not my will but yours be done”. Amen.

16 Days with Jonah: Day 8

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Day 8

Jonah 2:10

 10 And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

2 Corinthians 12:9


But (God) said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me

God is the sovereign Lord of all. While Jonah had been at prayer, the fish had been swimming! At the Lord’s instruction, the fish vomited out the reluctant prophet. Jonah had been rescued when he deserved nothing but the death he had brought on his own head! Despite all his efforts Jonah had not escaped God’s call on him to be a missionary to Nineveh.

I am reminded here of Jesus’ raising of Lazarus from the dead. Following his return to life, I wonder: What would life be now for Lazarus? Was life ever the same for him? How would it be different?

It seems to me that these questions also apply to Jonah. In being rescued from death, Jonah has learnt more of God’s sovereignty and grace. His prayer rejoiced in God’s mercy (2:2-9). Yet, what would Jonah’s attitude be now? Will he be concerned for Nineveh’s rescue? Sadly, Jonah’s answer is No! Jonah does not want God’s mercy: he wants God’s punishment on the Ninevites.

Like Jonah, I too can struggle with God’s ‘grace scales’ in balancing mercy and justice. God’s grace in Christ is infinite. Having experienced God’s grace in my own life may I rejoice when God grants grace to others. God’s sovereign grace is to be my place of rest.

Gracious God, thank you for the grace with which you have blessed my life. Keep me ever grateful towards you, and joyful in seeing your grace bless the lives of other people. In Christ’s name. Amen.