“When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.”
Jonah 3:10
Dear HBIC Family,
In the telling of the story of Jonah, we are consistently reminded of God’s love and mercy. God is loving and merciful by calling Jonah to go preach against the wickedness of Nineveh. God is loving and merciful when Jonah disobeys. God is loving and merciful to the people on the ship, to Jonah inside a big fish, and in chapter 3 to the people of Nineveh.
We too are extremely blessed by God’s love and mercy. God is loving and merciful by sending Jesus for us. God is loving and merciful as the Spirit convicts us of sin and calls us back to God. God is loving and merciful even when we disobey. God is loving and merciful to believers and non-believers, in the midst of triumph but also struggle. God is loving and merciful to us, the people of God.
This week, as we continue our Jonah: A Story of God’s Love and Mercy series, our focus will be on chapter three and Jonah’s crusade into Nineveh. God sends Jonah yet again, but this time Jonah obeys. The people hear the word of God and they repent. God hears the people’s prayers, sees the change in their heart, and shows love and mercy. To prepare for this week’s services, I would like to invite you to read and reflect on Jonah 3. As you reflect, I would like to ask you to focus on the following questions:
How have you responded to the call of God in your life?
What is the work that God is currently asking you to do?
Where have you seen the power of God’s love and mercy in your life?
How was God answered your prayers this week?
Jonah 3 is a story about how God calls us. It teaches us that when we obey God and use our gifts for the kingdom, people are blessed. God’s love and mercy is for all and available to all. The wonder is that, with the Spirit’s help, we are empowered to share God’s love and mercy with our world. We may never partake in a scene as dramatic as Nineveh’s repentance in Jonah 3. Nevertheless, our call is to be faithful.
Sisters and brothers, I pray that God’s love and mercy finds you today. I hope that wherever you are, the presence and Spirit of God is near. I trust that whatever you do, Jesus our Savior is carrying you through. And I pray that for today, and all of our days, we are all living to share God’s love and mercy with our world.
Love in Christ,
Pastor Hank (Jonah 3:10)