call:
The Lord be with you.
response:
And also with you.
call:
Today’s symbol is the great fish. God sent the prophet Jonah to Nineveh, but Jonah tried to run away. God was with Jonah in the storm, and in the fish, and finally when Jonah went to Nineveh. Jonah could not run away from God.
response:
Thanks be to God!
Scripture reading : Jonah 3:1-5 (or Jonah 1 and Jonah 3:1-5*)
Jonah was a prophet, and God gave him a message to take to the people of Nineveh: stop doing wicked things! Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh, and he tried to run straight out of God’s presence. He got on a ship in the opposite direction, and hoped he had left God and his messages behind for good.
But Jonah couldn’t run away from God, or from the work that God wanted him to do. God was with Jonah in the great storm that struck his ship, sailing far away from Nineveh. God was with Jonah in the water, when he was thrown overboard. God was with Jonah in the sh, and when the sh threw Jonah back onto dry land, God was waiting there with his message for Jonah: “Go to Nineveh.” And at last, Jonah obeyed.
God loved Jonah too much to let him run away. And God loved Nineveh too much to let Jonah run away! They needed to hear Jonah’s message. God stays close, even to runaway prophets and wicked cities.
pray:
Merciful God, there is no place we can run that is out of your presence. Even if we try to run away, you come to find us. Help us know your presence this week as we wait for you to come to us in Jesus. Amen.