Jonah 3:1-5, 10
The Road to Nineveh
Gertrude Stein; Saul Bellow; J.D.
Salinger; Bernard Malamud; Chaim Potak; Elie Wiesel; You want to hear a great story? Read one written or told by a Jew. The Jews have spent three millenniums
perfecting their craft and they were pretty good when they started. Remember the one about the shyster Jacob who
tricked his older brother out of the family birthright for a bowl of soup? Or what about the folks trying to build a tower to heaven
out of sub-par materials? Perhaps one of
the all time favorites is the one about a whale that swallowed a man and the
guy lived to tell about it. Do you remember what happens next? A man being
swallowed by a whale is a big deal. But
it pales in comparison to the end of the story.
Let me catch you up to speed. The story begins when Jonah receives a
message from God to take a trip to Nineveh
and preach a sermon about God’s forgiveness and grace. This presented a problem. Jonah didn’t much care for the
Ninevites. He didn’t really know them
but he had heard they were strange, different, and therefore not to be
trusted. To further complicate matters
Jonah’s neighbors didn’t much like the Ninevites, which meant if Jonah made
contact with this folks, he would have to answer to his neighbors when he got
home. So Jonah ran away. Being a good Jew, Jonah believed the only
place he could run was toward the ocean.
The ocean represented chaos. It
was the home of the sea-monster Leviathan.
Jacob figured even Yahweh, the God of the Jews, knew better than to
venture into such treacherous waters. As
is the habit of many folks, Jacob underestimated the very nature of God.
Jonah headed out to sea and the sea
erupts. Jonah, the same guy who has no
compassion for the people of Nineveh,
felt responsible for the sailors and has them throw him overboard. Instead of drowning is swallowed by a big
fish. In the bowels of this fish, Jonah discovers
he is not alone.
Jonah did not exactly expect God to be
waiting inside the fish. Truth is God often
appears when we least expect it. Once
Jonah recovers from his surprise, he utilized this discovery to plot his
escape. Using a time honored Jewish
liturgy, Jonah cried out, “O God I cry out to you because I know you can hear
my voice. God, I know you are merciful
and forgiving. I know if I only ask for deliverance
you will grant it. Have mercy on me and I will be your faithful servant.”
Upon completion of this prayer of
confession, Jonah was literally spit out on dry land. As he was clearing the salt water from his
ears, the first thing he heard was, “Get up, go to Nineveh, and proclaim my message of
repentance.” Reluctantly, Jonah set out
on his God-given task. He still didn’t
want to go. If he had had a cell phone
he would have called his wife telling her to sell the house, because he
certainly wasn’t going to be able come home and face the neighbors. Jonah knew what was about to happen. The same God who rescued Jonah from the whale
would certainly offer repentance to Nineveh
and Jonah wanted nothing to do with that.
He didn’t like the Ninevites.
They were ….. different. He had
never actually met anyone from Ninevah but he had heard stories, and he didn’t
much care about what he had heard. All
Jonah wanted to do was get in and out of the city as soon as possible. And that was what he did.
Jonah didn’t tell anyone he was
coming. He didn’t make a reservation
with the King. He didn’t rent the local
auditorium. His sermon was exactly eight
words long. “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be
overthrown.” Having fulfilled his part
of the bargain, Jonah started the long walk home. He had delivered the
message. He probably hoped no one heard
it. But as we know, that was not the
case. Instantly the people of Nineveh, including the
King begin to offer prayers to God. And
when God saw this outpouring of repentance, according to Chapter 3, verse 10,
God’s mind was changed and Nineveh
was forgiven.
Jonah was outraged. He screamed out at God, “I knew you would do
this. I knew you were too gracious and
merciful. I knew you were just some
bleeding heart who is always overcome with the desire to show compassion. Just go ahead and kill me. If I have to be friends with a Ninevite I
would rather just die right here in the desert.”
Poor Jonah. He believed in a God whose mercy and grace
extends far beyond what some folks consider reasonable. Poor Jonah.
He believed in a God who by God’s own words is ever changing and ever
evolving. Poor Jonah. He now has the option of sitting in the
desert under a plant that is getting ready to die or acknowledge that God’s
family uncategorically includes folks whose gender, race, economic status, and
sexual orientation might be different than his.
Jonah is not the only one who struggles with this. But there is good news. Many of us have had our own “time-out” inside
the whale and when we got spewed out on the beach our eyes were opened to the
wonders of God’s complete community.
What a marvelous imagination the creator
of the Jonah story must have had. Was
the story factual? I sincerely doubt it.
Did it express a God-given message of truth? Without a doubt. Be honest, how many of us have been swallowed
by our prejudices and misunderstandings when considering who might be part of
God’s great community.
This morning we will ordain and install
five good folks to serve as elders at Rockfish Presbyterian. Al Gale and Jane Andrews will be ordained as
first time elders. Like Jonah, I am a
little suspect of Al. We had dinner
together the other night and I discovered we have some political differences. Worse than that he also admits to not a being
a Redskin fan. Can there be a place in
heaven for a person of such questionable taste?
Al is probably wondering the same thing about me.
On the other hand, what Al and I have in
common with each other, and with the rest of you good folks, is today we
celebrate Jane’s ordination. My
understanding is that 10 years ago Jane was elected to be ordained but peculiar
language in our Book of Order would not allow that ordination to take
place. I believe for quite some time now
God has been having a talk with our denomination. Rockfish heard and listened a little sooner
than others. You folks are trend
setters. Finally, we can “decently and
in order” celebrate what you have been celebrating for over a decade; Jane’s
God-given gifts. I give thanks to God
for being allowed to be part of this historic moment. I give thanks to God for the opportunity to
also celebrate the gifts of Al, Sue, Walt and Lynn. But most of all I give thanks God is still
out there stirring the waters, reminding us to be careful when we attempt to
put limits on God’s vision and imagination.
Let us give thanks to our God who
created us and celebrates each one of us as children of God’s kingdom.
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