Jonah

All over the Bible, people are getting up and going. Abraham and Sarah move out on a promise and a prayer. Moses heads for Egypt with nothing but a shepherd's crook and Aaron to write his sermons. Elijah stands defiant, facing four hundred and fifty Baal prophets. But not Jonah. Jonah stands on the dock with tickets for Tarshish. 

So what's the problem?  Why would Jonah defy God's call and literally travel in the opposite direction?  Well, the problem is Nineveh.  Nineveh was the Assyrian capital and the Assyrians were brutal conquerors.  In the eighth and seventh centuries B.C., they plundered Palestine looting and burning its cities and deporting its inhabitants. The Northern Kingdom of Israel actually ceased to exist as a result of the Assyrian conquest.

If I were to put this in more modern terms; it would be the same as asking an African-American to go preach to the Ku Klux Klan....Go to very heart of the people who have maliciously persecuted you and your people and bring them the word of God. 

 

"Go to Nineveh," says God. And Jonah says, "Anywhere, Lord; anywhere but Nineveh." So Jonah stands on the dock with tickets for Tarshish.  And who can blame him? But God puts things in perspective and reminds Jonah that God is the reason he needs to go to Nineveh, God is the reason there was a big storm that was tearing the ship apart, God is the reason he got thrown overboard, God is the reason why a big fish came along to swallow him up and give him a second chance. 

 

So many times God calls us to uncomfortable places.  And too many times we choose to board a ship for Tarsish and then find ourselves in the belly of a big fish. We want to control where we go and what we do so that we can maintain some sense of control or some sense of the known because life can be really challenging. 

 

But we need to remember that God’s call can be both a word of Grace and a word of challenge.  Jonah did everything to push God away out of his life.  And God never gave up on him.  That is grace!  God sent a big fish, not to punish but to provide an opportunity for a second chance.  That is grace.  God is saying: I am still with you.  You can run away from my call but you cannot run away from me.   

 

God never lets up and never gives up on us. Grace and challenge, forgiveness and responsibility are always intertwined.

The Revelation of Baptism

The more I think about this scripture, Luke 3:15-22, the more confused and convoluted what I want to say becomes.  There are so many ways to look at it, think about it, and even question it.  The more I read and consider, the more I question and the more muddled my thoughts get.

What does baptism reveal?  John's baptism of water is a revelation in and of itself.  It is an open invitation in a society built on rules about who can do what, and when and where they can do it.  You may not have been allowed in the temple, but everyone was allowed in the river.  You may have faced restrictions about where you could live, but everyone was allowed in the wilderness.  You may have been a woman... you get the idea.  The way John did business revealed something about the nature of God.  It has nothing to do with what any of the people he is baptizing have done.  It has everything to do with accepting the open invitation, available to literally everyone, and committing to relationship with God.

John's baptism of Jesus reveals Jesus as fully human, fully God, and the fulfillment of prophecy.  Rather than turning away from sin, though, this baptism is a beginning, the beginning of Jesus' ministry. It was a forward-looking act, but it seems to me not a jettisoning the past. 

Maybe this is the point where I am getting hung up. We tend to think of baptism as an end to our sinful ways, and John preaches a baptism of repentance.  But, just what does repentance mean?  Is it only the admission and contrition or sorrow one feels for past sin, or does it also carry an implied commitment to doing better?  To being perfect?   If we follow the example of Christ, then isn't that what our own baptism represents?  I sure hope not, or else I am in deep trouble.  No way I am ever approaching perfect. 

Maybe I need to think of baptism as the start of the faith journey.  Instead of primarily turning away from sin, baptism is primarily about turning toward God.  As in any journey there will be bumps in the road.  Living out our baptismal vows is a work in progress, a process, not the product of an event.  And even though we are imperfect, will stumble, and sometimes take a wrong turn, we are still the recipients of God's grace and forgiveness.

I have to confess that I am happy to reconcile myself with the Wesleyan idea of prevenient grace - a grace that works around us, in us, and through us, even when we are unable or choose not to see and feel it.  Always.  I think that is the best revelation of baptism.

God's Radical Grace

When we were first married, my husband and I left our Christmas decorations up in our apartment until Super Bowl Sunday.  We had an artificial tree at the time, but when we moved to a house and had a live tree we decided that Epiphany or the tree recycling day, whichever came first, would be a better deadline.  When I have told that story over the years I have found that a lot of people are not familiar with Epiphany.  That got me to wondering if I really understand it.  Merriam-Webster gives the following definitions:

1) capitalized : January 6 observed as a church festival in commemoration of the coming of the Magi as the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles or in the Eastern Church in commemoration of the baptism of Christ

2) an appearance or manifestation especially of a divine being

3)a (1) : a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something (2) : an intuitive grasp of reality through something (as an event) usually simple and striking (3) : an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure

3)b : a revealing scene or moment

The scripture this week is Matthew 2:1-12, The Magi visit the Messiah.  It seems to me that the Magi had many epiphanies, covering all of the above definitions.  We don't really know who they were where they came from, their backgrounds or the source of their knowledge base.  We do know that based on faith they believed that the Messiah would come, they had some understanding of the prophecies, and they specifically asked for the king of the Jews.

In the church we celebrate Epiphany, the revelation of God in Christ, the coming of the Messiah, we celebrate God reaching out to us.  I can't help wondering, though, if maybe we shouldn't give equal weight to the actions of the Magi.  They had many epiphanies of many different kinds, and each time they acted on those revelations.   They learned the science that supported the prophecy.  They "traversed afar, following yonder star."  They boldly asked the ruler where they could find the baby.  They recognized God when they arrived at the stable, and they followed the directions they received in a dream.  In a dream!  When was the last time you did something you thought you should because you dreamed it?  Clearly, the Magi had tremendous courage, conviction and faith, recognizing and following God's call on them.  They had the "reward" of seeing Christ, of knowing they were in the presence of God, and then... they left!  They went home without ever knowing the rest of the story!  Or completely understanding their role in it! 

I don't think we have to go traveling afar, following yonder star, in order to follow God's call to us.  In fact, I think that most of the time it comes down to "doing the right thing," living a generous life, giving others the benefit of the doubt and offering them the same kindness and compassion and love that we would like to receive ourselves.  Like the Magi, we simply need to live into the role we are called to play.  And once again, the message comes back to being willing to embrace mystery.  We are a part of God's work, we can know that for sure.  We don't always get to see the big picture, or know what the impact of our part is.  Epiphany isn't just about God's revelation to us, it is about what we do with that revelation.  That is my epiphany for this week.  What's yours?

In The Imagination of Their Hearts

This week I had another one of those too-much-of-a-coincidence-to-be-just-a-coincidence kind of experiences. Pastor Suzanne talked to the kids about a jingle bell, looking at how that tiny little ball inside of the bell makes such a beautiful, joyous sound.  But, if you close the bell up, hold onto it really tightly, it just makes a dull rattle.  The joy that we celebrate at Christmas is like the bell, it comes from the inside.  Just like we can't see the little ball inside of the bell, we haven't seen Jesus, but the belief that we carry inside of us makes us joyful.  Sometimes we are closed but God calls us to be open to others, to show and share the joy that we have.

I had some of those very same thoughts on Friday night!  To say that the past few weeks have been trying would be an understatement.  There has been a lot to deal with, and it has been very challenging to feel the joy of the season.  We all hit those patches where life just keeps pounding on us, don't we?  So, for a break or treat or whatever you want to call it, we went to listen to music.  It was a new place, small, cramped, quite claustrophobic and SRO but we were willing to endure that for the music.  As the show began I could feel my soul opening up, breathing, relaxing, really seeing the sights around me.

What a perfect reminder!  I don't know about you, but for me being open and reaching out requires conscious effort, and when I hit those challenging times I tend to close up even more.  Even during the sharing of prayer concerns it is hard not to feel weighed down by all the troubles we face individually and as a community.  I am, by nature, an introvert but find that with focus I can be more open.  That is exactly what Paul calls us to be in the scripture this week:

 Colossians 3:12-17 
¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. 

It would seem that Paul's secret is to be proactive, be the open bell and don't react and withdraw from the forces around you.  Paul knows exactly what the kingdom looks like, and is actively pursuing it, ignoring the troubles around him.  In this new-year-new-you window of opportunity, I wish us all the experiences and ability to open ourselves up to making the world look like it does in the imagination of our hearts.