Jonah and Redemption

When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.
 But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing. 3 And now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 And the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?” 5 Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city, and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, waiting to see what would become of the city.
6 The Lord God appointed a bush,[a] and made it come up over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort; so Jonah was very happy about the bush. 7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint and asked that he might die. He said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”
9 But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?” And he said, “Yes, angry enough to die.” 10 Then the Lord said, “You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?”-Jonah 3:10-4:11

When I heard this passage read as the Old Testament Lectionary reading on Sunday I could not help but be reminded of high school. Since the my early high school years I had a passion of letting people know how Jonah actually ended. I got so tired of seeing the flannel graph adaptations where kids assume that Jonah changed his ways after he preached to Ninevah. People often neglect the fact that he was bitter, had prejudices, and wanted God to destroy this city of the Assyrians. How often do we, as Christians, act just like Jonah here?

How often do we preach that God is loving and wants to forgive us if we are repentant but, then assume that God will obliterate anyone who thinks differently than we do? We look at horrible situations like ISIS and demand retribution but, as the Pastor at church so greatly pointed out, modern day Ninevah would be like ISIS. Yes, what they are doing is some of the most horrendous and dehumanizing things but, we have to wonder how God views them and if they are in the scope of God's redeeming love and forgiveness. It can be easy to think of our enemies, of that person right down the street that just gets under your skin, and say we'll "pray for them" while secretly hoping that they "get what they deserve" for the way they treat us. Instead maybe we should walk over, share the good news of redemption, and get to know their story. When we pray for our enemies let's actually mean it and hope for God's redemption to come into their lives.

Why do we do ministry? Why do we preach the "good news" and why should we even live out the "good news"? Is it to fulfill an obligation? Is it because we're told we have to? Or is it because it's actually good news? Is it that God actually does have mercy and chooses to love all of us? Is sharing the good news a response to the grace we have been given?

Let's stop whining about why we cannot have instant gratification or why sometimes we are uncomfortable. Let's stop assuming that God won't do what God says God will do! If God says that He is merciful and will free us then that is what God will do! Let's get up and share this good news with the assurance that God is one who forgives. God provides new life. And God can redeem even the worst of foes. 

The Pineapple Incident...

It's the end of the day and I am exhausted. I have done a lot throughout this particular day and I was ready just to crash into my bed. There were good aspects of the day and there were bad aspects. I was ready to return to dreamland in hopes to escape certain moments of this particular day. I was tired of thinking for right now.

As I climbed up into my top bunk I reflected on my entire day. I thought of things I could have done differently and then I pondered whether or not I would want to have done them differently. I felt bogged down and exhausted. As I began to lay my head down I caught a whiff of something fruity. Something was off. Luckily I looked at my pillow before I set my head on it. There was an odd shaped lump in my pillow. I pulled it out to examine my discovery and found...

A simple prank. I found myself chuckling and wanting to share with others this reference to an unanswered HIMYM episode. This simple act brightened my night. It took my mind off of the craziness of the day and focused on the fact that I have acquired a pineapple. How great is that? It put today into a better perspective. It's senior year and even though I do not know where I am going next I know where I am today. I need to live in the present with my community in the here and now. I need to enjoy the little things. I need to partake in godly play, as one of my former youth ministry classes taught. I need to find a balance between all the academics and ministry opportunities to play with others. We are made for community and relaxation.

So take a step back, live in the present, and give someone a pineapple. Who knows? You may just make their night.

Thoughts from Kayaking

"I've looked into this option and it could work if we did this...but I also looked into this other option which could help in this situation." As I paddled my kayak ahead down the stream I rambled on and on about the research I had been doing for post-grad plans. I kept talking about all the different options I knew of and the various ideas I had been concocting that day. Before I knew it I had paddled my way a significant distance away from my kayaking partner...my date.

My lovely girlfriend finally caught up to me and pointed out a baby eagle flying above us. I looked up briefly to see this beautiful creature and then returned to my ramblings. The lovely woman of valor next to me continued to look around the river at the beautiful green forest and all the creatures around it. Then a thought from my past sputtered through my mind. I began to bring up old memories and experiences from before. I talked and talked as I slowly fell behind my companion until I found myself just as far behind her as I had previously been in front of her. Falling behind as I journeyed down memory lane.

THUNK. My kayak stopped dead in its tracks. I tried to scoot it forward but, it simply would not moved. bottomed out. I had bottomed out. I quickly got out of my kayak and brought it up towards where my dearest was and began to place it back in the water.

"That's not where you put it." She smiled at me as I looked quizzically at her. In my confusion, she walked over to me and pointed towards where we had come from. "We are not there anymore..." then she pointed to where we were headed. "We are not there yet..." finally she motioned around us. "This is where we are at now. This is our present. Be here, now." 

As I looked around at God's creation and looked at the woman next to me I realized I had the wrong focus. I had been focusing too much on either the past or what I could do for the future. I was not focusing on the present while I was on this date with my amazing girlfriend. This kayaking trip taught me that though Senior year may have stress and senioritis, I need to learn to be truly present with those around me. As a great speaker once said to me, "If you know what God wants you to do in the present when the future comes you'll know what he wants you to do because you knew what He was calling you to in that present."

We all need that person in our life who can anchor us back to the present and help us see the beauty all around us.