Thursday 14 July

Jonah 1:1-4:11

Hehehe.  Old grumpy-pants Jonah reminds me a little bit of Jack Dee.  Apart from his prayer from the belly of the fish he barely says a word that isn’t laced with miserableness.  But I thank God for this.  I’m pleased that all my northern brothers and sisters can be reassured that God is still willing to use someone even if they are grumpy ;-)  (Am I going to regret that one??)

I suspect most of us know the Jonah story, even if it is primarily the whale bit that sticks in our mind.  It must have been completely shocking though to the Israelites who heard it.  Abraham wasn’t from Nineveh.  The Lord hadn’t made a covenant with any Ninevan bloke.  Nineveh was full of uncircumcised heathens. So what the heck was God doing going and frolicking around with those who weren’t his?  What the heck was Jonah doing waltzing into the Assyrian capital and offering them a word from the Lord?  Going AWOL for the sake of mercy, that’s what.  Going AWOL for the sake of compassion.  The book of Jonah stretches our understanding of the recklessness of God’s grace.  The book of Jonah challenges us deeply about the weight of love that God has for all of his creation.  We knew that God abounded in love, but did we know he abounded quite this far??  We knew that God relented in sending calamity, but did we know that he relented in sending it on his enemies as well as his friends?  He really is a gracious and compassionate God.  So much so, that it can sometimes be a little bit irritating.

Romans 2:1-16

“He is going to give to each person according to what he has done,”  Oh bummer.  That doesn’t really make me look forward to That Day.  I mean calling it The Day of God’s Wrath had already put me a little bit on edge but now I’m just totally depressed.  If I’m lucky I might come out of it with a Kinder Egg-sized reward but, more likely, I think I’ll probably need some body armour.  No, actually body armour will definitely be required.  And perhaps some flame-retardant clothing.  I wish I’d spent a bit more time seeking glory, honour and immortality rather than trying to complete that tricky level on Angry Birds: Rio.  But, now I come to think of it, I’m not sure I ever could have cut it.  I’m not sure I ever could have made the grade.  I’ve sinned too many times, too deliberately and too repeatedly to ever be able to stand up to the scrutiny of my conscience.  There is just something inside of me that likes to judge others, that likes to ignore the words of God, that likes to reflect upon the glorious extent of my prowess.  I wish there was another way.  I wish there was a way of escaping this judgement.  Surely it can’t just be all about my efforts?

Psalm 85:1-7

“Grant us your salvation” - Have these Sons of Korah also been reading Romans 2?