Sunday, May 24^th 2020

Welcome to Worship

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This is the 4^th and last in our series on Jonah. Jonah may have been effective but he was also filled with anger. He was so unlike the God whom he served. Today may we be transformed to be more like Jesus as we worship .

We invite you to have your bible beside you for the service, and then take a moment to remember the Presence of God who is with you.

Call to worship

God is a merciful

GOD is a compassionate God,

God is slow to get angry

God is filled with unfailing love.

God is eager to turn your plans of punishment into a program of forgiveness!

Let us worship God

Our opening prayer

God you are the giver of a beautiful world for us to live on.

God you are a giver of life, love and forgiveness.

God you are a giver of friendship and family.

God you are the giver and your greatest gift, for you gave yourself to us.

You have proven yourself to be a God who is a merciful and compassionate,

A God who is slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

A God is eager to turn your plans of punishment into a program of forgiveness!

Jonah knew that – yet he wanted to hoard his knowledge of you to himself.

He wanted to hoard your mercy and kindness to himself.

He was unwilling to forgive his enemies, or to give them a second chance.

God like him we know our kindness but are often unwilling to share it.

We receive your grace but are unwilling to spread it. Forgive us.

Make us your agents of love and peace sent into the world. Make us like you.

Let us say the lord’s prayer together

Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be your name

Your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. And Lead us not into temptation

And deliver us from evil.

For yours is the Kingdom, the power and the glory. Forever and ever amen

If you are with others share your highs and lows for the week. If you are doing this with just you and God, pause and ponder the things of your week that you are grateful for: the people you know and love, the company you have shared….

Don’t forget the low points – what have you struggled with this week?

Opening Song Praise to the Lord the Almighty

Brett talks to the Children about Anger and Jonah 4

Some youth group members speak about what annoys them

We listen to a beautiful song – He knows my name

Bible Readings:

Psalm37:1-9 read by Rubin Barnard

Jonah 4:1-11 read by Henry Barnard

Brett’s Message: Jonah - what happens next?

Click here to listen

Jonah and anger chapter 4

How would you describe Jonah – runaway prophet, Selfish, indifferent to the plight of others. Uncaring about his neighbours who are different from him – small minded only worried about his own comfort, prayerless, my list could go on – and nothing attractive or endearing about him – But God loves him – God called him and used him mightily to rescue the people of Nineveh. Unfortunately, sometimes we are a little too much like Jonah. In this story we learn why Jonah ran in chapter 1. He didn’t want the Assyrians to have a chance for forgiveness and so avoid the doom that was coming

V1 Jonah was very unhappy about this and became angry. ²So he prayed, “Lord, didn't I say before I left home that this is just what you would do? That's why I did my best to run away to Spain! I knew that you are a loving and merciful God, always patient, always kind, and always ready to change your mind and not punish.

Jonah is not like God at all. God is described as loving and merciful God, always patient, always kind, and always ready to change your mind and not punish. Jonah was unforgiving, impatient, not kind, keen to see the Assyrians punished. He was the opposite of God – or what you would expect from a God follower.

We don’t know what made him like this – I think there are 2 options.

1. He had experienced deep hurt

– had his parents or children been killed in a raid by Assyrian troops?

· Had his crops been destroyed or stolen causing starvation?

· Had it just been the vicious nature of the Assyrians in their battles?

2. Or was he was worried how he would seen by others ?

· He had told the Assyrians they would be destroyed and they weren’t. Was he worried they would see him as a liar or a fraud?

· Or was it facing his Jewish friends who would hear that Jonah’s message saw the Assyrians turn to God and so avoid the judgement they all hoped for.

Was he more worried about the people’s reaction rather than doing God’s will. Was his reputation more important than God’s will or showing kindness?

Jonah’s self centred anger ended in self hatred

V3 ^“Now then, Lord, let me die. I am better off dead than alive.”

I love my pressure cooker – I make bean salad and it saves cooking the beans for ages. But I also like the way it builds up steam and sometimes steam explodes out of the pressure valve. If you take it off the heat you still cannot take the lid off until you release the pressure. I think Jonah was a man under pressure – he had a head of steam – he was a pressure cooker full of anger – and it effected his relationship with the Assyrians and also with himself – he hated himself and wished he would die.

But God loved the Ninevites – and God also loved Jonah

He doesn’t want his servants to stay in such a miserable position – where Jonah does things he doesn’t want to do out of mere obedience or fear of being swallowed by another big fish. Fear is not the motivation for obedience God wants.

So God asks him a question “What right do you have to be angry?” v4

God often challenges us by asking questions?

· In the garden of Eden – where are you? I am hiding because I am naked and afraid.

· To Elijah - What Are You Doing Here? When he had run from Jezebel to Mountain cave.

· To Ezekiel Can These Bones Live? Is their hope when all seems lost?

· Jesus to Disciples “Who do you say I am?”

· Jesus to disciples on boat in Storm “Why are you afraid?”

What right do you have to be angry?

God is exposing Jonah’s heart and helping him to think and re-evaluate his anger and resentment.

What makes you angry? Was it because God didn’t do what you wanted but followed his way of love. Was it when things don’t go the way you planned or prayed or hoped – disappointment is understandable – but anger? God says “what right do you have to be angry?”

Jonah is exposed as selfish and angry by his attitude and his responses. He is still hoping the city is going to get invade or Nuked or destroyed by a virus so moves out of town to see if maybe their repentance is short term and God also changes his mind again and destroys them. So we have Jonah the Runaway prophet, angry and hoping the city will be destroyed camped on a hill.

If you were GOD what would you do to him?

Leave him there to stew and fester? Maybe hope he comes to his own senses given time? Nuke him, write him off?

No, God comes to him with 3 gifts. In v 6-8

Gift 1 is in v 6 Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant (when he was still angry)

Gift 2 v7 “the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered.

Gift 3 in v8 “When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint.”

This reminds me of chapter 1v 17 “where the Lord provided a huge fish” to swallow Jonah (when he was running away.

God’s gives gifts to the Unkind and angry, the complacent, the selfish. His gift to Nineveh was Jonah with a message of hope hidden within a message of judgement. His gifts to Jonah was a plant, a worm and a hot wind. God has not given up on Nineveh and he has not given up on Jonah

Jonah loves his first gift of the plant – Because he is selfish he appreciates the cool shade the plant brings.

But the next day when God gives his 2^nd gift – the worm and his 3^rd gift – a hot wind he is far from impressed.

Jonah’s anger is building up steam. He wanted to Die and is so angry.

v8-9 He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.” But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” “It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”

Our patient God speaks to Jonah again in v 10-11

¹⁰But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. ¹¹And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”

Jonah cares more about his own comfort from the plant than all the people in the city – Do we care about our own comfort more than all the people in our neighborhood with God or without hope that Jesus brings, Or all the people in the world without food and water or medical care?

What shall we say about this story today

• The book of Jonah is a story of God’s love for all people – which includes his enemies and ours. What a contrast between God’s love vs our love.

• The book of Jonah is an invitation to be a better servant of God. God loves us all and wants us to be more like him, people of compassion and grace. People willing to love our enemies and forgive those who hurt us.

• The book of Jonah is an invitation to see troubles as Gifts. God provided a storm and big fish when he was running away to help him realize He couldn’t run from God and God provided a plant, a worm and a hot wind to help him learn compassion for others and to look beyond his own comfort.

What will happen next - how will Jonah react. Will Jonah listen to God and change his attitude?

Will Jonah feel some compassion for the Assyrians? We don’t know?

The way this book is written is almost like a TV serial - the last verse is a hook to make us wonder what happens next

Chapter 1 God sent a fish to swallow Jonah – what will happen to him?

Chapter 2 After his prayer the fish spat him on the sand- what is next will he run again?

Chapter 3 God did not bring the destruction on the city. What is next for Jonah?

Chapter 4 – Jonah is grumpy God meets him – what happens next? We don’t know?

How will you react to the message has been speaking through this book?

Will you respond with faith and repentance like the people of Nineveh or will you be representative of God who acts nothing like the God we claim to serve. What happens next? – it is up to you.

We sing Lord make me like you as a response

And O come to the Altar

Is there other connections between your bible readings and your highs and lows for the week?

Was there a word, sentence, or phrase that stood out to you in the readings or the message today?

Pray for those who shared their highs and lows giving thanks for the blessings and asking for God’s help with the struggles.

This will be updated when we get the written version of the prayer by Stefan, Dylan and Zoe

This Written prayer is by Barry Thrupp

Prayer for Ourselves and Others –

Let us pray

Almighty God, As we pause where ever we are, we bring you our prayer of intercession. We give you

thanks for your Word from Scripture which encourages us in all circumstances, for the opportunity to do Church together in the way we are operating at this time, for the Church community we are a part of and most of all for the Salvation we have received in Jesus Christ.

Currently Father we find ourselves in a disruption of normal life. Among all the confusion and

uncertainty, we pray we would be anxious for nothing, We pray you would give as the courage and the Faith to live responsively and respond to those in need the best way we can. Through prayer, keeping in touch and sharing what resources we can. We are grateful for the essential services we have access to and for those who work outside their bubble to keep us all safe and secure and those supplying the necessities of life so that we have food on our table.

Lord God, not all our circumstances are the same. We are aware of the pressures this lockdown has put on family relationships, especially those whose financial future is uncertain, or those who have had elective surgeries delayed and those with mental health issues. We pray for the lonely, the isolated, the bereaved and the depressed. Hear our prayers Lord for those we know who need your special touch. We name them now in a time of silence.

We pray for our heroes at this time Lord. Our Government and our Health professionals who are leadingus through this pandemic crisis. Give them competence, wisdom and a sustained energy to see us through these unprecedented times.

Lord, guide Political leaders of all Nations as we, together, now fight an unseen enemy. Our prayers go out to all those suffering from this virus and the impact it is having on families and communities. We ask Lord you bring an end to this chaotic crisis ,together with the world of research in finding a vaccine to rid the World of this pandemic. From it all we pray that we would all learn how to work together and care for one another.

Heavenly Father we pray for your Church at this time. We rejoice that you are always with us. As we

adjust to a different way to Worship we still feel a part of our Church community. Bless Brett as he leads us and brings us your Word and encourages us to keep the Faith. We pray for those still working behind the scenes, keeping us informed and keeping our young people involved as part of our Worship team. Be with us oh God, over all with your protection as we commit each

other and all those we love to your tender care.

We pray all this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Amen

Final HYMN Shine Jesus shine

Say this to one another – (and yourself)

The Lord bless you and keep you;
May the Lord be kind and gracious to you;

the Lord look upon you with favour and give you peace.

Numbers 6:24ff

Go now in peace, Go now in peace. May the love of God surround you, Everywhere, everywhere, you may go.

NOTICES

Help during the health crisis: We are wanting to be able to offer help where we can and where it is needed. For example, this might be to pick up some groceries and leave them at the door of someone who feels unable to be in contact with people at that time. It might be a ride to an appointment. If you wish your name to go onto a list of those willing to help please let anyone Brett or the church office know. Please note - in order to protect everyone, you must be in good health yourself to be involved in this.

The Prayer Team: If you or someone you know would benefit from having some prayer support we have a prayer chain so please feel free to send your requests to office@stcolumba-taradale.org.nz and the team will spring into action. (You can be assured of confidentiality).