Sermon: "The Cost of Compassion", Jonah 3-4 (June 21, 2026)

This second half of the book of Jonah may not be a proper dispute with God, as there’s not much direct back and forth between Jonah and God, but there’s certainly a struggle of wills on display here. Many people in Scripture push back when God calls them to prophecy or leadership, but Jonah elevates resistance to an art form. At first, he attempts to literally run away from God’s instructions, which famously lands him inside the belly of an enormous fish. Only then, after God delivers Jonah from his predicament by way of fish vomit, does Jonah begrudgingly make his way to Nineveh to proclaim the message that God had given him. 

Sermon: “A Good Anger”, Jonah 3-4 (November 10, 2024)

I have to start out today with some honesty and vulnerability, and I can’t promise that I won’t cry. This week has been one of the most challenging in my ten years of ministry. I’m not so much grieving the loss of “my” candidate as I am the loss of my sense that what I do, both personally and professionally, matters. What good is a gospel of love and compassion if people choose not to listen? If words of hate and exclusion are acceptable, so long as they’re accompanied by promises of security and personal prosperity? It’s difficult to be a pastoral presence when your own heart is breaking. I’m grateful for all those who have given me the space to be human this week.

Liturgy: Jonah 3-4 (November 10, 2024)

        *You are welcome to use or adapt any of my resources for free, but I ask that you provide proper citation AND comment on this post to let me know.*

Hymns

Hymn GTG #403, “Open Now Thy Gates of Beauty” 

Hymn GTG #756, “O God of Every Nation” 

Hymn GTG #753, “Make Me a Channel of Your Peace” 

Sermon: “Rock of Ages: God’s Mercy”, John 8:3-11/Jonah 3:10-4:11 (March 31, 2019)

(This sermon is the third in our Lenten Series, "Rock of Ages", in which we're exploring how rocks can symbolize different characteristics of God and of ourselves.)

--------------------------------------------------------

Today’s scripture readings come from two stories that we’ve all heard countless times before. Those of us who grew up in the church have been hearing the story of Jonah since our earliest days of Sunday School, and while children’s Bible storybooks don’t usually cover “The Woman Caught in Adultery” for some reason, it’s still one of those stories that most of us know by heart. They’re so familiar, in fact, that if we’re not careful, we might miss what they’re really trying to tell us, because they’ve turned into the mundane background noise of our faith. We assume we’ve already learned their lessons because we’ve heard them so many times before. But what if I were to reframe them, maybe give them a different ending? What might we learn from a story told in a way that isn’t familiar to us? Let’s find out…