In the weeks between the New Year and the beginning of Lent, we are examining “call stories.” What happened to people in the Bible when God called them and how does that translate to God’s call in our lives.
Two Sundays ago, reflecting on Mark’s account of Jesus’s call story, we noted that at the moment of God’s call, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus—not only empowering him for his ministry but also filling him with God’s presence. That same day we recognized the presence and claimed the power of the Holy Spirit within this church as we ordained and installed our new group of elders and deacons. “When God calls, the Holy Spirit follows up.”
Last week as we encountered Samuel hearing a voice and Eli discerning it was God’s, we were reminded that God uses mentors and friends to help us recognize God’s call and direction for our lives. And we acknowledged God uses our whole community of faith in determining what God is leading our church to do. “When God calls, others help us discern.”
Today, we read and reflect on a very familiar Bible story—the story of Jonah. But, we go beyond the tale of Jonah and the whale, for we consider why God is so persistent in calling Jonah.
Let us pray: Oh, God, your steadfast love pursues us. You are our rock and our salvation. May we hear the message you want us to hear today, and may we follow your Son all the days of our lives. Amen.
When Kevin interned as a hospital chaplain he rotated “on call” hours with the other chaplain interns and residents. When he was on call, we had to make some changes in our routines. For example: If he was on call on a Sunday, we drove to church in separate cars—so that if he got called out, I still had a ride home. If his on-call was Friday evening, our weekly date-night changed to Saturday. A call from the hospital would change whatever we were doing—it would postpone a family game or would shorten our evening walk around the neighborhood. When Kevin was on call, we had to be ready for change.
Change . . . we see it here in the story of Jonah. “The LORD’s word came to Jonah, 2 ‘Get up and go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it, for their evil has come to my attention.’ 3 So Jonah got up—to flee from the Lord[1]”—
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Jonah goes to the port city of Joppa—labeled A—and hops on the first ship he can find heading to Tarshish (labeled C) which was as far to the west as he could travel in those days. God calls and Jonah goes—in the opposite direction!
The ship is not long at sea before it is engulfed by a great storm—so terrible that the captain and crew pray to their pagan gods for deliverance. Because the storm continues, Jonah finally fesses up he is running away from his God—“the God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land.[2]” He tells the sailors the only way to save themselves is to throw him overboard—which they do reluctantly. And what do you know? Once he’s off the ship, the storm abates—the ship and crew are safe. Recognizing the God of Jonah as the Lord God Almighty, the crew worships and offers sacrifices to God. They are changed—transformed from non-believers into people who know and worship the one true God.
Tossed into the storm’s tempest, Jonah goes down into the depths of the sea where God sends a big fish to swallow him up until, after 3 days and 3 nights, Jonah prays to God—and the fish spits him out. “The LORD’s word came to Jonah a second time: 2 ‘Get up and go to Nineveh, that great city, and declare against it the proclamation that I am commanding you.’ 3 And Jonah got up and went to Nineveh[3]” preaching “40 more days is all you have before God destroys this city because of its wickedness.” (my paraphrase) And the people of the city—from the servants in the plainest household to the king in his palace—the people of the city change. They repent from their wickedness, and God relents—choosing not to destroy the city after all. Twice in this story, we meet people with no previous knowledge of or relationship with the creator of the universe. And both times, these people are transformed and worship the great “I Am,” the Lord God Almighty.
Change—all the characters in this story—God, the sailors, the Ninehvites—all except Jonah—experience some kind of change. God, a change of heart—deciding not to destroy Nineveh. The sailors and the Ninevites—a change of faith—reckoning with and worshiping the one true God.
But what about Jonah? As the story begins, Jonah—mind and heart closed—refuses to prophesy God’s judgment against Nineveh because they may listen and repent. He does not want his God to forgive them. The story ends with Jonah bitter because God has shown towards Jonah’s enemies the very mercy and steadfast love that characterize God. Perhaps God was so persistent in calling Jonah because God hoped Jonah would experience transformation—transformation of his heart. Maybe God hoped that as Jonah walked through the streets of Nineveh, he would look into the eyes of the people he met and begin to see them as individuals—not a collective “the enemy.” Maybe God hoped Jonah would see the inhabitants of Nineveh as people like him, created in the image of God. Do you remember the Grinch in Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas? Perhaps God hoped that Jonah’s heart—like that of the Grinch—would grow 3 sizes.
Maybe that was the transformation God hoped for Jonah. Maybe that’s a transformation God hopes for each of us—that our hearts will be full of love and mercy towards each and every person we encounter.
When God calls, transformation occurs. It may be individual transformation— a relationship with God begins; a talent—a gift—is discovered, nurtured, and shared; the course of a person’s life changes. It may be communal transformation—transforming our church.
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Yesterday MG, DM, and I attended “Embracing Hope,” a Presbytery leadership training event. One of my breakout sessions was titled “Transforming Your Church—Using Your Assets.” I thought about our assets—identified in our leadership retreat in November. This building, this debt-free building with clean, functional, inviting, beautiful spaces—this building is an asset. Our music program—our faithful, talented, energetic singers, choir director, and organist/pianist are an asset. Our Presbyterian Women’s group—committed, generous, mission-minded—they are an asset. Our Pre-School, the longest-running church pre-school in Paola—directed by an experienced kindergarten teacher—our pre-school is an asset. You—our people—your individual talents, your passions, and the relationships you have with organizations in this community (like PEO, Foster Grandparents, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, PACA, and the schools) you and your relationships are assets. In this breakout session, I wondered, how is God calling us to use our assets to transform our church. How is God calling us to be—like Jonah—agents of transformation in the lives of each other, of people in this community, and of people outside of Paola.
God’s call always leads to change—transforming hearts, minds, wills, and lives; transforming families, churches, communities, and the world. Answering God’s call, we may be transformed and we may be agents of transformation. For when God calls, transformation occurs.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, by your love transform us and through love, use us in the transformation of this world to become what you created it to be. Amen
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