August is traditionally the month for holidays, and certainly there were many church members away on holiday this Sunday. But for those who were at the family service, we looked at the theme of ‘Vacation Locations’. We often have unrealistic expectations of holidays, dreaming of perfect weather, food, accommodation and company. Our fantasies can, at times, be ruined by the weather…
… or by the accommodation…
… not to mention delays at the airport or ill-health. But for Jonah, the problems he faced when journeying were very different!
Jonah was a prophet called to go to Nineveh, about 550 miles from Joppa in Israel. He wasn’t keen on that idea, and so decided to set off for Tarshish instead, over 2500 miles away -‘as far by water, from Joppa, as Jonah could possibly have sailed in those ancient days, when the Atlantic was an almost unknown sea.’ (Father Mapple, Chapter 9, “The Sermon”) In other words, Jonah decided he was going to disobey God and go in completely the opposite direction.
The story is familiar to us: Jonah ended up being thrown overboard when a storm hit, but instead of drowning, God sent a large fish to swallow him (Jonah 1:17). Jonah found God even in that unlikely place (Jonah 2:1) and ended up experiencing God’s forgiveness, mercy and grace… and was enabled to have a second chance.
Jonah proves to us that God is a God of mercy, a God who doesn’t give us the punishments we deserve but instead offers us forgiveness and grace. Wherever we are on this journey of life, we will need mercy, grace and forgiveness, because none of us is perfect. We all make mistakes; we all mess up. He also shows us that disobedience is pointless, because God’s plans will not be thwarted, and that it’s always best to go God’s way. He shows us also, though, that mercy received needs to be given also. Jesus told His disciples, ‘Freely you have received; freely give.’ (Matt 10:8) We need to be people who show mercy and forgiveness to others and to live out the messages God gives us.