| To contact us: Calvary Episcopal Church 667 Mount Road Aston, PA 19014 610-459-2013 OFFICE mail@calvaryepiscopalrockdale.org |
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| SERMON 19 Pentecost - Proper 20 September 21, 2008 The Rev. Kristine Hill |
| 667 Mount Road, Aston, PA 19014 610-459-2013 |
| Small Parish - Big Heart The little church you've been looking for! All are welcome! |
| Our Mission: To worship the Lord To serve the community To grow the church |
This morning we have a marvelous story to ponder. The people who put God’
s Word into human language, did so in a masterful way. Scripture describes
situations in the lives of God’s people, tells the interplay between God and God’
s servants so immediately, so vividly, that we are drawn into the drama; the
emotions in the narrative become our emotions, the suspense in the story
holds us captive. This is certainly true of our first reading today from Jonah.
What a character Jonah is; what an interesting relationship he has with God.
Jonah does not hesitate to contend with God -- disagreeing, pouting, arguing,
testing God in numerous ways. And it is fascinating to see how God responds.
When God first calls him to deliver a message to the people of Ninevah,
Jonah runs in the opposite direction. He doesn’t want to go near the people
of Assyria – where Ninevah is the capital city. Assyria is his enemy, the
enemy of his people, Israel, and what a brutal enemy they have proven to be.
In warfare they do not merely defeat their foes; they terrorize and torture them,
humiliate them, mutilate their bodies. Nobody who has ever come up against
the Assyrians, likes them. Jonah has ample reason for the grudge he holds
against the people of Ninevah.
But of course, running away from God does not work and in the end, Jonah
goes to Ninevah and delivers God’s message -- very briefly, in as few words
as possible. Even so, all the people repent of their wickedness. They fast and
replace their expensive clothes with burlap sacks. They fall on their knees and
ask God for mercy. God is moved, decides not to destroy them, and forgives
them. At that Jonah goes nuts. He is furious that God has extended mercy to
these horrible people. He blames God for having sent him to Ninevah in the
first place, saying: “I knew this would happen. I knew you were a merciful
God, slow to anger, and ready to relent from punishing. That’s why I did not
want to come here and tried to run away!” God simply replies: “is it right for
you to be angry?”
We know how brothers and sisters are when they’re children. If one gets
caught doing something wrong, he’s sure he’ll feel better if his brother or
sister get punished too – or in his place. Pastor Jeff saw his younger son,
Tom getting a re-fill on a glass of soda one night. Their children are not
allowed much soda and only a very little before bed. It was Tom’s bedtime
and that’s where he was supposed to be, so his Dad said “Tom, no more
soda. Get in bed.” Tom’s reply was “well, I’m only getting more because
Daniel just got a second glassful and he went to drink it in the basement.”
Daniel is his older brother, and the basement is completely off limits for
drinking soda. So Pastor Jeff hollered down the stairs “Daniel! Come up here.
And bring your glass.” All the while, Tom is standing by, watching. When
Daniel got there his Dad said “you know you’re not supposed to drink soda
in the basement. Don’t do that any more.” By now, Tom was feeling pretty
good; this was what he had wanted. But then his Dad did a real strange
thing. He said “Daniel, hold out your glass” and he poured more soda in the
older son’s glass. Then he said “Now drink that here in the kitchen so I’ll
know you know where you’re supposed to drink soda.” At this point Tom must
have been wondering what in the world was going on. That wasn’t
punishment; it certainly was not what he had wanted when he told on his
brother.
Back to our story about Jonah… Jonah went out from Ninevah a short ways,
built himself a booth, a lean-to for some shade, and sat down to see what
would become of the city. A curious thing to do since God had already made
it clear that he forgave the people of Ninevah. Anyway… our hero sits down
under the scant shade provided by his lean-to and waits. It is very hot. God,
out of kindness, has a bush grow up and give Jonah better shade than what
his little booth could provide. The bush made Jonah very happy. It says that,
right in the text -- “so Jonah was very happy about the bush…” That bush
must have been like an air conditioner to give Jonah that much of a boost, to
make that much difference in his mood. Or maybe Jonah read more into the
bush; maybe he interpreted the bush as a sign of God’s favor, that God
especially wanted him to be comfortable while he waited to see the fate of the
city. We don’t know for sure.
The next morning just as dawn was breaking, a worm came and attacked the
bush. It withered and no longer provided any shade. Jonah was crushed. The
sun rose and a harsh east wind blew and it was unbearably hot. Jonah was
faint from heat until finally he said to God “just go ahead and kill me.”
Jonah has some significant mood swings. The previous day he was happy
about the bush which shielded him from the sun. Now the bush is gone, the
day is hot, and Jonah is so upset he wants to die. Maybe he’s just had it
with the whole situation -- that he was picked to deliver a message to
Ninevah, that they repented and God actually had mercy on them, that he is
watching and nothing bad is happening to them, that the bush shielded one
day was gone the next and the sun is scorching him. He might as well die
and get it over with.
Why did Pastor Jeff give his older son another glass of soda in front of his
younger son, who had just been scolded for getting himself a second glass of
soda? He might have done it out of spite; nobody likes a tattler after all. But
Jeff is not a spiteful kind of person. No, he did it to teach his sons. So why
not just talk to the boys, remind them of the family rules, and their importance,
and close with a few words about not telling on one another? Children do
not always listen with rapt interest to parental lectures. Over the long haul
those lectures are effective, children do get the message, but in the short run
they don’t always accomplish much. So instead, Pastor Jeff pulled a reversal,
he did something unexpected. His actions reinforced the rules -- his younger
son did not get a glass of soda right before bed and his older son was
reminded not to drink soda in the basement -- but everyone was surprised,
even shocked, and because of that they’ll remember it. (Little brother might not
be as quick to tattle either because the results weren’t so great.)
Back to the story of Jonah… The conversation between God and Jonah is
revealing. It reveals a lot about God’s relationship with Jonah, about God’s
relationship with creation, and about God’s relationship with us. From this last
encounter between Jonah and God we observe how Jonah sees himself in
relation to God and to others, we are brought to wonder what Jonah hears in
the things God says, how Jonah might be opened up by God’s challenge and
blessed by God’s attentions. The bush is gone, Jonah is sitting in the sun, it
is hot, and Jonah has said “It is better for me to die than to live.” God
replies: “Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?” Hear God’s
response; it echoes the reply God gave to Jonah’s complaint that Ninevah was
spared destruction. Then God said: “Is it right for you to be angry?” God is
pushing Jonah to consider, to reflect, to look at the broader picture and his
own place in it. IS IT RIGHT for you to be angry? God seems to be saying
“think deeper; consider the matter from a larger perspective; I am God –
remember who you are. Is it right for you to be angry… about the bush?
Jonah, God bless him, says “Yes, angry enough to die!” Honest, forthright
Jonah -- he is us, you and me and anyone else who ever walked the earth,
because there are times when we do think we are right, even in opposition to
God. We might not be, but we think we are. What Jonah remembered was
the suffering of his people, and he was still smoldering over it. He did not
want “those people” – the Assyrians – to be forgiven, not after what they had
done. We understand that sentiment, whether we would argue as boldly with
God as Jonah did, I don’t know, but we understand how he felt.
God lays the issue before Jonah with a few simple words. “Jonah, you worry
about a bush that you did not plant or grow, but begrudge me the right to
care for the city of Ninevah, though I did ‘plant’ them and have nurtured them,
and though there are many Ninevites who are no more ‘criminals’ than you
are.” We are left to ponder whether Jonah was able to hear this last word of
God. The text does not tell us. Of course, much more important is whether
God’s words are able to reach us, to change our hearts.
God’s love for us is astonishing. Hardheaded though we are, God does not
give up on us. God does not throw-up God’s hands, mutter “they’ll never
understand the concept of mercy” and leave us to our own devices. God
stays with us like the truest friend, the best counselor, the most patient
teacher, helping us past our stubbornness, our woundedness, our unforgiving
nature. What is remarkable in this story from Jonah is that God did not have
to accomplish God’s mission in this way. Pastor Jeff did not have to give his
older son another glass of soda in the presence of his younger son to make
his point, but did so hoping his boys would truly learn; …in the same way,
God did not have to expend all this time, energy, patience, and effort on
Jonah in order to bring the word of salvation to Ninevah. There were other
prophets. God could have sent someone else. When Jonah went out of
Ninevah and sat down, waiting to see what would become of the city… I
figure God was sitting back, waiting to see what would become of Jonah.
See what an intimate companion we have in God. Since we belong to Jesus,
we know that already, but this story from Jonah reinforces the message. It
reminds us that God loves everyone, not just “our people” or those whom we
consider to be “good.” And yet we see in God’s relationship with Jonah how
patient God is with us when we are slow to give up our prejudices and our
grudges. God will not bend to our will; eventually we will be remade according
to God’s will. That is also clear in this story from Jonah, but the tenderness of
God’s love is striking -- remaining near us, listening to us, answering us even
when we are stubborn and wrong.
Here is God, granting forgiveness to Ninevah when the citizens there turn
away from their sin; and at the same time, here is God, waiting with Jonah,
watching to see when he will accept the fullness of mercy for others and for
himself. What an incredible God, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of
great kindness. Indeed, there is no other like our God.
s Word into human language, did so in a masterful way. Scripture describes
situations in the lives of God’s people, tells the interplay between God and God’
s servants so immediately, so vividly, that we are drawn into the drama; the
emotions in the narrative become our emotions, the suspense in the story
holds us captive. This is certainly true of our first reading today from Jonah.
What a character Jonah is; what an interesting relationship he has with God.
Jonah does not hesitate to contend with God -- disagreeing, pouting, arguing,
testing God in numerous ways. And it is fascinating to see how God responds.
When God first calls him to deliver a message to the people of Ninevah,
Jonah runs in the opposite direction. He doesn’t want to go near the people
of Assyria – where Ninevah is the capital city. Assyria is his enemy, the
enemy of his people, Israel, and what a brutal enemy they have proven to be.
In warfare they do not merely defeat their foes; they terrorize and torture them,
humiliate them, mutilate their bodies. Nobody who has ever come up against
the Assyrians, likes them. Jonah has ample reason for the grudge he holds
against the people of Ninevah.
But of course, running away from God does not work and in the end, Jonah
goes to Ninevah and delivers God’s message -- very briefly, in as few words
as possible. Even so, all the people repent of their wickedness. They fast and
replace their expensive clothes with burlap sacks. They fall on their knees and
ask God for mercy. God is moved, decides not to destroy them, and forgives
them. At that Jonah goes nuts. He is furious that God has extended mercy to
these horrible people. He blames God for having sent him to Ninevah in the
first place, saying: “I knew this would happen. I knew you were a merciful
God, slow to anger, and ready to relent from punishing. That’s why I did not
want to come here and tried to run away!” God simply replies: “is it right for
you to be angry?”
We know how brothers and sisters are when they’re children. If one gets
caught doing something wrong, he’s sure he’ll feel better if his brother or
sister get punished too – or in his place. Pastor Jeff saw his younger son,
Tom getting a re-fill on a glass of soda one night. Their children are not
allowed much soda and only a very little before bed. It was Tom’s bedtime
and that’s where he was supposed to be, so his Dad said “Tom, no more
soda. Get in bed.” Tom’s reply was “well, I’m only getting more because
Daniel just got a second glassful and he went to drink it in the basement.”
Daniel is his older brother, and the basement is completely off limits for
drinking soda. So Pastor Jeff hollered down the stairs “Daniel! Come up here.
And bring your glass.” All the while, Tom is standing by, watching. When
Daniel got there his Dad said “you know you’re not supposed to drink soda
in the basement. Don’t do that any more.” By now, Tom was feeling pretty
good; this was what he had wanted. But then his Dad did a real strange
thing. He said “Daniel, hold out your glass” and he poured more soda in the
older son’s glass. Then he said “Now drink that here in the kitchen so I’ll
know you know where you’re supposed to drink soda.” At this point Tom must
have been wondering what in the world was going on. That wasn’t
punishment; it certainly was not what he had wanted when he told on his
brother.
Back to our story about Jonah… Jonah went out from Ninevah a short ways,
built himself a booth, a lean-to for some shade, and sat down to see what
would become of the city. A curious thing to do since God had already made
it clear that he forgave the people of Ninevah. Anyway… our hero sits down
under the scant shade provided by his lean-to and waits. It is very hot. God,
out of kindness, has a bush grow up and give Jonah better shade than what
his little booth could provide. The bush made Jonah very happy. It says that,
right in the text -- “so Jonah was very happy about the bush…” That bush
must have been like an air conditioner to give Jonah that much of a boost, to
make that much difference in his mood. Or maybe Jonah read more into the
bush; maybe he interpreted the bush as a sign of God’s favor, that God
especially wanted him to be comfortable while he waited to see the fate of the
city. We don’t know for sure.
The next morning just as dawn was breaking, a worm came and attacked the
bush. It withered and no longer provided any shade. Jonah was crushed. The
sun rose and a harsh east wind blew and it was unbearably hot. Jonah was
faint from heat until finally he said to God “just go ahead and kill me.”
Jonah has some significant mood swings. The previous day he was happy
about the bush which shielded him from the sun. Now the bush is gone, the
day is hot, and Jonah is so upset he wants to die. Maybe he’s just had it
with the whole situation -- that he was picked to deliver a message to
Ninevah, that they repented and God actually had mercy on them, that he is
watching and nothing bad is happening to them, that the bush shielded one
day was gone the next and the sun is scorching him. He might as well die
and get it over with.
Why did Pastor Jeff give his older son another glass of soda in front of his
younger son, who had just been scolded for getting himself a second glass of
soda? He might have done it out of spite; nobody likes a tattler after all. But
Jeff is not a spiteful kind of person. No, he did it to teach his sons. So why
not just talk to the boys, remind them of the family rules, and their importance,
and close with a few words about not telling on one another? Children do
not always listen with rapt interest to parental lectures. Over the long haul
those lectures are effective, children do get the message, but in the short run
they don’t always accomplish much. So instead, Pastor Jeff pulled a reversal,
he did something unexpected. His actions reinforced the rules -- his younger
son did not get a glass of soda right before bed and his older son was
reminded not to drink soda in the basement -- but everyone was surprised,
even shocked, and because of that they’ll remember it. (Little brother might not
be as quick to tattle either because the results weren’t so great.)
Back to the story of Jonah… The conversation between God and Jonah is
revealing. It reveals a lot about God’s relationship with Jonah, about God’s
relationship with creation, and about God’s relationship with us. From this last
encounter between Jonah and God we observe how Jonah sees himself in
relation to God and to others, we are brought to wonder what Jonah hears in
the things God says, how Jonah might be opened up by God’s challenge and
blessed by God’s attentions. The bush is gone, Jonah is sitting in the sun, it
is hot, and Jonah has said “It is better for me to die than to live.” God
replies: “Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?” Hear God’s
response; it echoes the reply God gave to Jonah’s complaint that Ninevah was
spared destruction. Then God said: “Is it right for you to be angry?” God is
pushing Jonah to consider, to reflect, to look at the broader picture and his
own place in it. IS IT RIGHT for you to be angry? God seems to be saying
“think deeper; consider the matter from a larger perspective; I am God –
remember who you are. Is it right for you to be angry… about the bush?
Jonah, God bless him, says “Yes, angry enough to die!” Honest, forthright
Jonah -- he is us, you and me and anyone else who ever walked the earth,
because there are times when we do think we are right, even in opposition to
God. We might not be, but we think we are. What Jonah remembered was
the suffering of his people, and he was still smoldering over it. He did not
want “those people” – the Assyrians – to be forgiven, not after what they had
done. We understand that sentiment, whether we would argue as boldly with
God as Jonah did, I don’t know, but we understand how he felt.
God lays the issue before Jonah with a few simple words. “Jonah, you worry
about a bush that you did not plant or grow, but begrudge me the right to
care for the city of Ninevah, though I did ‘plant’ them and have nurtured them,
and though there are many Ninevites who are no more ‘criminals’ than you
are.” We are left to ponder whether Jonah was able to hear this last word of
God. The text does not tell us. Of course, much more important is whether
God’s words are able to reach us, to change our hearts.
God’s love for us is astonishing. Hardheaded though we are, God does not
give up on us. God does not throw-up God’s hands, mutter “they’ll never
understand the concept of mercy” and leave us to our own devices. God
stays with us like the truest friend, the best counselor, the most patient
teacher, helping us past our stubbornness, our woundedness, our unforgiving
nature. What is remarkable in this story from Jonah is that God did not have
to accomplish God’s mission in this way. Pastor Jeff did not have to give his
older son another glass of soda in the presence of his younger son to make
his point, but did so hoping his boys would truly learn; …in the same way,
God did not have to expend all this time, energy, patience, and effort on
Jonah in order to bring the word of salvation to Ninevah. There were other
prophets. God could have sent someone else. When Jonah went out of
Ninevah and sat down, waiting to see what would become of the city… I
figure God was sitting back, waiting to see what would become of Jonah.
See what an intimate companion we have in God. Since we belong to Jesus,
we know that already, but this story from Jonah reinforces the message. It
reminds us that God loves everyone, not just “our people” or those whom we
consider to be “good.” And yet we see in God’s relationship with Jonah how
patient God is with us when we are slow to give up our prejudices and our
grudges. God will not bend to our will; eventually we will be remade according
to God’s will. That is also clear in this story from Jonah, but the tenderness of
God’s love is striking -- remaining near us, listening to us, answering us even
when we are stubborn and wrong.
Here is God, granting forgiveness to Ninevah when the citizens there turn
away from their sin; and at the same time, here is God, waiting with Jonah,
watching to see when he will accept the fullness of mercy for others and for
himself. What an incredible God, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of
great kindness. Indeed, there is no other like our God.
| Jonah 3:10-4:11 Philippians 1:21-30 Matthew 20:1-16 |
| The Rev. Kristine Hill, Interim Rector |
