Sunday, May 17th 2020
Welcome to Worship
Start with this link if you are new
We continue our study in the book of Jonah today looking at Jonah’s sermon to the people of Nineveh and their surprising response. Let us allow God to surprise us with his grace as we worship today
Call to worship
God is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
He is the good shepherd and our Heavenly father
He is a friend of the poor, he is my fortress, a mighty rock and
refuge.
He is the God who hears, the God who saves
Let us worship God
Jonah reminds us that that love is stronger than hate, and mercy is
greater than vengeance.
We are grateful that you have revealed your love for us in so many ways.
If we were to count them they would be more than the grains of sand on a
beach. Yet sometimes we like to keep
your blessing to ourselves. Sometimes we
think sharing will mean we truly have to live up to the message we proclaim and
we are not sure we can do that. You call us…and sometimes…we duck under the
table, hoping you didn’t notice us. You call us…and sometimes…we grab a stapler
and a stack of papers…trying to look too busy to do any more. You call us…and
sometimes we just say, “No!” Give us the grace to say “Yes” to your call…
Forgive
us when we are reluctant disciples, and renew our desire to follow you even if,
like those first disciples, it means having the direction of our lives
completely changed. Forgive us when we forget that we do not have to do
everything in our own power when challenged to take risks of faith. But we can depend
on your power and grace. Holy Spirit, breathe new life into us now, as we can
only offer true worship and provide faithful discipleship when we are empowered
by you.
Hear the Assurance of Pardon (2
Corinthians 5:17-18)
If
anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation: everything old has passed away;
see, everything has become new! All this is from God, with whom we are
reconciled through Christ.
Thanks be to God!
Thanks be to God!
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
Opening Songs
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?
The children speak about what they have been doing in lockdown and getting back
to school next week means
Bible Readings:
Matthew
21:28-32 read by Barbara Stewart
Brett’s
Message: Jonah a whale of a tale
The story so far. God calls Jonah – who runs in opposite direction,
taking boat as far away as possible. So God sends a storm which threatens the
boat and the sailors wonder why and see God’s and in storm and wonder if
someone is to blame. Finally decide maybe Jonah is the problem - and he agrees and
asks to be thrown overboard to save the boat. As he sinks he is swallowed by a
big fish good sends to rescue him. To
Jonah the fish doesn’t feel like an answer to prayer but like a grave and so he
prays for God to rescue him. chapter 2
is Jonah's prayer where he tells of his woes but ultimately commits himself to
stop running from God. The chapter finishes with the wonderful line Gods answer
is to get the fish to spit Jonah out on the shore.
God calls Jonah again – the same as chapter
1 to preach to Nineveh but there is a slight difference – in Chap. 1 he was to
preach against the city, in chapter 3 he is to preach to it.
This is the first little hint there is hope
for Nineveh.
If there is hope for a wayward prophet who
should know better, there is hope for Nineveh and there is hope for you and me.
Jonah goes and preaches and there are surprising
results from Jonah’s preaching - the whole City turns to God. Not because he is
a great preacher. Clearly Other factors are at work. This means our Success or failure is not the
result of our effort alone -Jonah succeeded when he was an unwilling and ungracious
preacher. Farmers can be the best farmer
– but if you get no rain as they have had in HB – your results will be bad. Or
business people cannot take the blame if their business fails – for who expected
a virus to shut down the economy. What can we do to cooperate with God to
maximise our chances of success?
Nineveh where Jonah preached was a large
city. 120 000 people – with a huge wall
you could drive two chariots a breast on with the inner city wall about 6/7
round. Jonah says it is a 3-day journey through
the city but this probably includes the villages around the edge of the walled
city (or maybe it was slow because it was congested with people)
Nineveh is the modern Mosul in Iraq and an Inscription
at Mosul says - “The
palace of Esarhaddon, great king, mighty king, king of the world, king of
Assyria, son of Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria, descendant of
Sargon (II), king of the world, king of Assyria.”
When Jonah first walked into the city he
would have walked past the armed guards and chariots, the piles of skulls that
were to warn traitors and invading armies what happens to those who defy the
Assyrians. Jonah walked into the city
one day and would have seen the ordinary people, the women and children yet
these do not seem to have softened his heart towards the city and its people.
Jonah proclaimed his 7-word sermon- “In forty days Nineveh will be
destroyed!” (in
Hebrew it is only 5 words). It is not a
turn or burn sermon – it is burn only. I think it is probably the worst sermon
in the history of preaching (even if it is one of the most effective ever.)
This sermon goes viral – passed from person
to person until even the king and his nobles hear and everyone responds with
humility and prayer. The King pass an
edict calling on people to fast and pray, to put on sackcloth and to reform
their ways.
IN our
Wednesday study group, we have been studying Exodus and in chapter 5 we read of
Moses speaking to Pharaoh. Pharaoh asks
some reasonable questions Ex 5 .2 “Who is this Lord? Why should I listen to him
and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord; and I will not let Israel go.”
We see none of that – for reasons we cannot see
and are not told – the people respond with faith turning to God. Jonah’s sermon doesn’t even mention God – He
doesn’t say how the city will be destroyed or by who? Yet everyone turns to God
or as V5 says “The people of Nineveh believed Elohim. - The God most high”
It seems to
me that there a 2 little hints at why they respond in this way
1.
That Jonah is preaching at all. They treat Jonah’s message as a warning not a final
judgement. If they respond right perhaps
a different outcome is possible. We know
that if the Dr says your blood pressure is up or the Accountant says your
business is broke you have to decide if that is the final word or if you still
have options. You can pray and fast but also change behaviour by changing your
diet or your spending habits or start seeking new customers.
V 9 hints at this when they say “Perhaps God will change his mind; perhaps he
will stop being angry, and we will not die!”
The only
ground on which their faith rested on was the fact of God sent someone to warn
them instead of destroying them at once; this suggested the thought of a
possibility of forgiveness.
They had no assurance that they would be
saved but they had hope. As Christians
we have hope but we also have the promises of God. If the only verse you know is John 3:16 it
tells us “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only
Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” We have the Love of God and the gift of a saviour. This is no clutching at straws but part of
our sure hope and confidence in the face of every trial.
2. The
second sign of Hope is hidden in the word Jonah used for the city being
“destroyed”.
It literally means being over turned, which can mean Destroyed but it can also mean transformed (by faith and repentance).
It literally means being over turned, which can mean Destroyed but it can also mean transformed (by faith and repentance).
Their response to grasp these branches of
hope that were being offered to them and acting by praying and turning from
their sin.
Jonah is a book full of surprises. A runaway prophet, a fish, a pagan city that
turn to God. It reminds me that we often
don’t see the plan of God –who would pick the Assyrians to believe in God? Who would pick Jonah to find God in the belly
of a fish (in the worst of circumstances).
Who sees the plan of God in the things we
are going through? Will this covid 19
situation end in our destruction or in our blessing? Perhaps the answer to that question is how we
respond as a church and as a society.
Will it be bad news or good? It
might be too early to tell yet. Can we grasp the signs of hope, can we respond
in faith and love? Or will we respond in fear and depression? I know I was pretty disappointed we weren’t
allowed be back into church this week – but then I thought maybe God has more
to do – can I still grasp the branches of hope God offers?
In v7-8
The king makes an edict with 4 parts. To fast and pray, to wear
Sackcloth and to change their ways.
No one is to eat anything; all persons, cattle,
and sheep are forbidden to eat or drink.8 All persons and animals
must wear sackcloth. Everyone must pray earnestly to God
It is pretty
funny that the animals have to join the fasting and sackcloth. The Ninevites really wanted
God to get the message. God may not feel
sorry for fasting people but might have sympathy for fasting animals – who can
resist a sad faced dog or cat? I know if we were eating and our Labrador gave
its big hungry eye look no one could resist or the sound of bleating hungry calves would move the
most hardened person or God.
The edict also required moral change v8 “Everyone must pray earnestly to God and must
give up their wicked behavior and their evil actions.” Prayer and sackcloth are good – but action
is better. Especially when the judgement is caused by their actions. It seems prayer without
repentance is a waste of time. There are
lots of great scriptures about this for example Isaiah 58:6 -9“
The kind of fasting I want is this: Remove the chains of oppression and the yoke
of injustice, and let the oppressed go free. 7 Share your food
with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those
who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives.
8 “Then my favor will shine on you like the
morning sun, and your wounds will be quickly healed. I will always be with you
to save you; my presence will protect you on every side. 9 When
you pray, I will answer you. When you call to me, I will respond.
Jonah 3
finishes in V10 the comment “God saw
their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the
evil, that he had said that he would do unto them;”
What a surprise – but in the book of Jonah
everything is a surprise. Jonah didn‘t see the storm as God’s gift to get him
back on track. Jonah didn’t see the fish as God’s rescue plan. Jonah didn’t see
God saving the Assyrians from destruction as a lesson to him that God’s love
reaches to everyone not just the Israelites or those already God’s followers.
We should not be surprised by God’s
grace. WE are to see the hints of God’s
grace everywhere but as Christians also have the clearly stated promises of God
in the scriptures. Jonah learnt that God’s
love was bigger and broader than he thought.
Jonah learnt that God’s plans are wiser than he thought.
Jonah
3:10 reminds us that we have a God who sees what we do – our response is important.
Famous verse is 2 Chron 7:14 which say our first response should be
prayer:
if my people, who are called by my name, will
humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then
I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
This prayer is based on the confidence of
God’s promises but also on God’s Son, our saviour and intercessor Heb. 4:15 says
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable
to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every
way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach
God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find
grace to help us in our time of need.
Our Prayer
is then to be joined with our action – doing what is right, showing mercy and
kindness. Responding in faith and obedience to the things God tells us to do or
we know we ought to do.
Let us
allow God to surprise us as we respond to the situations we face with faith and
love, with prayer and repentance.
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 today?
The video has a wonderful introduction of the
story of the man whose words became the basis for this hymn
Pray
for those who shared their highs and lows giving thanks for the blessings and
asking for God’s help with the struggles.
A further Prayer
Written and spoken by Ron Sim
Let us pray
God of
healing and of caring, as we start to return to a new normality after this time
of lockdown and separation caused by this pandemic, we pray that you will keep
people safe and that the kindness and care which developed stays in our hearts
and actions.
So many
people have reassessed their lives and recognized the importance of personal
wellbeing and a calmness in their lifestyles.
Lord give them the ability to withstand the pressure of materialism and
understand your desire for them, that peace comes from faith, kindness and love
Lord God as
people in this land of Aotearoa New Zealand start to come out of this pandemic,
we pray for those folk in disease ravaged locations where fear is rife, medical
equipment is sparse and over crowding negates the option of social
spacing. We pray that your awesome love
will enter the hearts of these folk and bring a calm to replace panic.
As people
see the conflict between commercialism and social safety and both sides fear
for the future, remind them that a future in you provides a security that
transcends all else,
Father to
those people who have lost family or friends but haven't been able to grieve in
the comfort and physical presence of others because of social distancing rules
or fear of infection, be present and
show them you are the source of comfort and enduring love and through that give
them peace.
Lord I pray
that you lift up those who have put their own health and safety at risk to help
others. These people show the true
meaning of love, faith and kindness.
Lord bless them and keep them safe.
Gracious
Lord as we struggle with the domination of covid 19 don’t let us forget those
that still struggle with chronic illness, family dysfunction, adjustment to
loss or the pressure of insidious bullying.
Give them the strength to carry on and surround them with a calm and
peace in the knowledge that you have a plan for their lives.
Father as
our leaders, international, national or local, make decisions at this time,
guide them to do so for the good of the people not as politically motivated
point scoring.
Gracious
Lord place your hand upon us,
your spirit
within us
And your
love around us until we can come together again in our spiritual home of St
Columba's
Amen
Final HYMN my hope is built on nothing less
We have a sung version of this which is a prayer for the Nation (the Video is
the UK version)
Say this to one
another – (and yourself)
The Lord bless you
and keep you;
May the Lord be kind and gracious to 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).
Zoom Meeting after worship (BYO cuppa and chat)
We are having a get together on Zoom on Sunday after worship at 10:30am.You can also use your regular phone and dial in the numbers below and add the meeting id when asked.
Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 376 981 534 Password: 014488
One tap mobile +6498846780,,376981534#,,1#,014488# New Zealand
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Ministers all the people Parish contact
details
Website: www.stcolumba-taradale.org.nz
Church office Will be unstaffed but Anna will answer
emails for all needs or questions Phone Brett Walker
Home 06 8442256
Mobile 0274083658
or go to
https://brett-walker.blogspot.com
