The greatest challenge of any adaptive change is the change it asks of us. Jonah is an example of this, unwilling to give up his strong grip of religious nationalism or his conviction that "truth" is more important than God's compassion. But, God's love is wider than our comfort, patient with our resistance, and persistent in drawing us toward a mercy big enough for others.
God's mercy is not limited by human expectations of who deserves it. God's mercy reaches people others would write off. In the third chapter of Jonah's story, the violent, evil Ninevites repent, and God relents from bringing catastrophe upon them! Likewise, Jesus' promise of paradise to the thief on the cross illustrates God's giving, and forgiving, nature.
Today is the twelth Sunday after Pentecost. Today, Rev. Ron Bartlow continues our worship series on the Book of Jonah. God meets people not when they are composed or deserving, but when they turn honestly toward God in their need. Like Jonah, we sometimes come to God when life has left us feeling lost, overwhelmed, or far from home. This second week considers how the rituals and elements of our faith can be a resource for us during any period of change. Faith practices help us to center, to find and be calm (or "less anxious," at least) in the midst of emotional difficulties.
God's call is persistent, and God's purposes are not thwarted by human reluctance — they are often worked out right through it. This first week looks at our natural response to any call to change: "resistance". We'll also consider how adaptive change is like a storm at sea, in that it can be frightening. Thankfully, as the song says, though Jesus cannot calm all storms, "sometimes he calms the child."