Jonah 4:5-11

“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?” vs. 11

Jonah was an angry man, angry that the Lord had spared Nineveh, angry that the bush sheltering him from the sun had suddenly died, angry because he was having to sit in the sun with no shade. And the Lord finally loses patience. Jonah, in his preoccupation with self, was totally unable to look beyond his own needs and see the world from God’s point of view. Most of us share Jonah’s insular perspective. We whine and complain about any number of inconveniences and miss the awful tragedies taking place all over the world on any given day. Unless we know someone personally who faces danger we find it hard to crank up any empathy at all for the millions who are suffering from hunger, war, floods, or hurricanes…and that’s particularly true if they are of another race or religion. The Jonah story reminds us that God has deep concern for every being in our world…all are precious and have value, and deserve our attention and compassion. Instead of being angry and resentful about our “first world problems,” we should give thanks for our blessings and look for ways to show our solidarity with all the people of this beautiful blue planet.

Thought for the Day: What “first world problem” is bugging me today?

Jonah 3:10-4:4

“And the Lord said, ‘Is it right for you to be angry?’” vs. 4

This section of the Jonah story gets at an essential truth about human nature with both precision and humor. Jonah reluctantly does as the Lord has commanded him. He goes to Nineveh, Israel’s enemy, and preaches that people should repent or be destroyed…and they do! His mission is successful and the Lord calls off the planned destruction…which seems the proper thing to do. But Jonah is displeased. He does not like serving a God who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love…and who relents from punishing. So he pouts, stewing in his personal indignation and anger at God. And then the Lord asks, “Is it right for you to be angry?” It’s a good question, one that many of us struggle with in a variety of circumstances. Obviously, there are times when anger is justified and proper. It’s a feeling that bubbles out of us in the presence of wickedness and evil. But Jonah was angry about God’s mercy…a response that strikes a chord with those who love it when bad things happen to bad people. That kind of anger just isn’t appropriate for those who claim a connection to Jesus. When we serve a God who delights in repentance and forgiveness, there’s just no room for being angry when the bad guys don’t get what was coming to them.

Thought for the Day: Times when I’ve been angry in the presence of mercy.

Matthew 18:31-35

“Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?” vs. 32

Some of Jesus’ parables need explanations…they can be difficult and obscure. That’s not the case with the “Parable of the Unforgiving Servant.” It’s obvious to anyone hearing the story that this servant is about as insensitive and cruel as anyone could possibly be. His actions following forgiveness are reprehensible and he deserved the torture that was his punishment. And Jesus’ point is clear! All of his followers have enjoyed forgiveness in full…at the very least they should practice forgiveness in their relationships with others. Now the big question…if this is Jesus’ expectation, why is it such a struggle for us to forgive? There are a couple of possibilities: first, we may not be conscious of being debtors. Even though we regularly go through a pro forma order of confession in worship, we really think we’re pretty decent people. And second, we love having other people indebted to us. The self-righteous enjoy holding grudges, withholding forgiveness, and inflicting punishment. And so we hang on to slights and affronts for dear life, knowing that if we slip and forgive, we will have no advantage. So forgiveness turns out to be pretty difficult. But just because it’s hard doesn’t mean we’re off the hook. Jesus has made it clear that forgiveness is a number one priority for his followers…even if it’s the hardest thing we’re ever called to do!

Thought for the Day: Why is a sinner like a debtor? To whom am I in debt?

Matthew 18:21-30

“Then Peter came and said to him, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.’” vss. 21-22

When Peter suggested that he might be willing to forgive a brother or sister as many as seven times, he likely thought that he was being generous, perhaps even going beyond what the law demanded. But Jesus was operating under kingdom standards and for him the notion that there were limits to forgiveness was ridiculous. “Not seven times, Peter, but I tell you, seventy-seven times.” It’s hard to wrap our minds around that notion of limitless forgiveness…we’re much more likely to be in the Peter camp. We know what people are like and if we keep on forgiving, well, they’re going to take advantage of us. We wonder if Jesus had never heard of “tough love,” how sometimes we just have to say “no” to people. Of course that kind of thinking misses the point Jesus is trying to make. For him forgiveness is more of a lifestyle, one in which we recognize the amazing grace God has showered upon us, and then reflect that grace in our willingness to forgive those who have sinned against us. It’s the culture that tells us that we need to get tough…Jesus advises tender gentleness, a willingness to give to others what we have been given…even when it stretches our boundaries.

Thought for the Day: Someone that I’ve never forgiven!

Romans 14:7-12

“If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.” vs. 8

Living together in harmony with our brothers and sisters in the community of faith is harder than we might expect…and Paul knew this from experience. Wherever he went he was embroiled in controversy for one reason or another. But he couldn’t simply say “that’s just the way it is” without pushing to change the culture. He tells the Romans clearly that they have to learn to get along with each other, even if they have serious disagreements. His argument for harmony begins by recognizing that all of us, both the living and the dead, belong to the Lord…and that is our primary identity. We really are brothers and sisters in Christ…and it is Christ’s intention that we live together in perfect unity. It follows then that our incessant bickering and squabbling not only destroys relationships, but is an affront to Christ. The problem is that sometimes we have such a clear conviction that our opinions or ideas are right that we can’t even imagine how someone could hold another position. In those moments we can become angry…and it becomes easier to withdraw from fellowship than continue to hang around with idiots. It’s at this point we face our biggest challenge. Anyone can have harmony with those they agree with…but those who are in Christ can even love their enemies!

Thought for the Day: When is it proper to withdraw from fellowship?

Romans 14:1-6

“Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables.” vs. 2

While it may appear that Paul is weighing in on the side of carnivores against vegetarians with these words, he’s actually not speaking about proper diet at all. Instead he has in mind those for whom eating and drinking has spiritual significance…and he’s reminding the Romans that quarreling about such things can be bad for the community. Many of us have seen the effects of similar debates in recent years as society has become more polarized. Almost against our will we are drawn into taking positions on all manner of moral, social, and political issues…and some of us have lost friends…or have become so arrogant that only the like-minded can tolerate us. Of course we will have opinions about any number of things, some of which are connected to our faith, but the moment we begin to judge one another we step across the love boundary and put precious relationships in jeopardy. Sometimes our words and actions can even damage or weaken another person’s faith…and that has a powerful effect on the whole body. Paul tells us “to bear with one another”…and put the most charitable construction on what others say and do. Except for those few of us who sit on the bench in courts of law none of us have been called to pronounce judgments on our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Thought for the Day: How do I deal with those who hold rigid contrary opinions?

Psalm 103:8-13

“He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.” vs. 10

Israel’s justice system could be quite precise in laying out prescribed punishments for particular crimes…”an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” comes to mind. But the psalmist finds little consolation in that retributive prescription and says instead that God operates by another standard. He says that God is merciful and gracious and does not repay us according to our iniquities, something for which we can all be grateful! He says that God loves us so much that our transgressions are removed from us, “as far as the east is from the west.” That’s a lot of love! It’s hard for us to really get our heads around that kind of forgiveness…it’s so different from what we practice in our society and culture. We just don’t like people to get away with anything, particularly when they’ve done wrong to us. We prefer punishment over mercy, and judging from our criminal justice system, even excessive punishment isn’t particularly troublesome. But that’s not how God is! According to the psalmist God’s compassion is like that of a parent, and God’s anger quickly dissipates. This doesn’t give us a blank check to do as we please…we are always accountable for our words and actions…but we can trust that, no matter what we’ve done, God’s mercy is expansive and unlimited…which is probably the best news any of us will ever get!

Thought for the Day: Why do we say, “Revenge is sweet!”?

Genesis 50:19-21

“Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today.” vs. 20

It’s doubtful that God caused Joseph’s brothers to abuse him and sell him into slavery…God is not the agent of sin. But is true that because of God’s goodness that whole sorry event turned out to be a blessing for the whole family of Jacob. Sometimes, not all the time, that’s how it works out when bad things happen in our lives. At first it seems as though our whole world has come crashing down. But then, with the passage of time and by the grace of God we find renewal and purpose and our life turns out to be better than we ever imagined it could be. In those new circumstances, nurtured by the constant presence of the Holy Spirit, we find strength for new opportunities and exciting adventures. In those moments, when we take time to look back at our journeys, there can still be a sense of sadness in our hearts. We can even regret that things turned out so badly. But God’s goodness is undeniable…powers beyond our understanding have been at work and we can only give thanks for the blessings that have come our way. Our lives have been changed forever, not because of our own brains and wise decisions, but because God has charted a way through the wilderness and given us second and third chances to know and experience joy.

Thought for the Day: What bad thing has turned out for good in my life?

Genesis 50:15-18

“Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, ‘What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?’” vs. 15

Quite against all odds, the brothers of Joseph, the ones who had sold him into slavery, found themselves living in Egypt under his dominion. While their father, Jacob, was alive, Joseph had treated them kindly and had made gracious provision for their families. But as the years passed they had lived with the shame and memory of what they had done, and now that Jacob had died they feared that Joseph would freely take his revenge. Some of us know what it’s like to carry the burden of unresolved guilt. For years we live with those indelible memories, painful images that linger at the edge of our conscious minds. No matter how much we try we can’t erase them…we can’t even sleep them away…the awful words and deeds show up in our dreams. Not even regular confession in worship can fully remove the burden of guilt. The memories persist!  And then comes the day of reckoning and we wonder…what if we finally get what we deserve? Even the prospect of death is no relief…we know that God knows, and dread our day of judgment. The brothers made up a story to curry Joseph’s favor…but we don’t have to resort to trickery to get our forgiveness. No matter what skeletons are rattling around in our closets we can be confident that God is merciful and our slate has been wiped clean.

Thought for the Day: What skeletons are in my closet?

Matthew 18:18-20

“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” vs. 18

From the beginning followers of Jesus formed faith communities and began to understand themselves as the visible presence of Christ in the world. It was almost immediately apparent that they would have to establish a means for discipline within the Body. These verses from Matthew became for them the “power of the keys,” a procedure for dealing with intractable and difficult members. The goal was always reconciliation, but if conversation and direct communication didn’t work, the intransigent one would be excluded from community. Those making this decision were assured that as they sat in judgment, Jesus himself sat with them. We might wish that there was no need in the Church for such a process. Unfortunately, no human organization can exist without a procedure for discipline…and the Church is no exception. The problem is that the power of the keys has been horribly abused. Corrupt leaders have used it to excommunicate and otherwise exclude countless innocent folks. Occasionally it has even been used to extort money from gullible sinners, money that has been used to gratify the base desires of church officials. Those who sit in judgment within the community of faith always need to remember that the Jesus who promises to be with them was also known as a friend of tax-collectors and sinners. Mercy always has the last word!

Thought for the Day: What behaviors require discipline within the church?