Sermon Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Sermon Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Text: Jonah 3:10-4:11, Matthew 20:1-16

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ who is gracious beyond our understanding.

Jonah is probably one of my favorite stories in the whole Bible. Its just good. Jonah is there, God calls him, Jonah does not want to go, so he runs. He gets on a boat, and in the midst of storm the crew throw him overboard, a large fish swallows him, and after 3 days and nights he is belched up on the shore, and finally he reluctantly agrees to go to the town of Nineveh. That's the story we really know, but the rest is very good as well.

Now Nineveh is the capitol of the Assyrian Empire. It is by far the worst of Israel's enemies at this point in history. They are seen as ruthless and horrific. Jonah is written down after the Assyrians have destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel, leaving only the southern kingdom of Judah. These are not liked people.

Jonah finally goes to Nineveh telling them that if they do not change their ways God will destroy them. And they listen to him. They change their ways, even the animals put on sack-cloth and ashes.

You would think that Jonah would be ecstatic. He just walked into the center of a city, and with just one speech makes an entire city change its way. But, instead he cannot get over his hatred for the Ninevites. He does not care that they changed their ways. He wants them destroyed. They were bad, and will always be bad. They deserve this punishment. God, don't you remember all the horrible things they have done?! Who cares if they have changed now, get them! They deserve nothing less.

After Jonah has gone through his outburst, God asks him a question, Is it right for you to be angry. Jonah doesn't even answer it, but walks into the desert surrounding Nineveh still fuming, probably hoping that God will rechange and destroy Nineveh. Obviously thinking that he has every right to be angry. Sitting under the beating hot sun, God causes a plant to grow up and give Jonah cool shade. Jonah is finally happy, and enjoys the comfort it brings.

And then the next day, God sends a worm which eats the plant and puts Jonah back into the hot, penetrating sun.

And Jonah begins to fume again. What's going on God!!! I liked that plant! It gave me comfort. I am now so angry that it is gone that I think I could die. Again, God asks Jonah, Is it right for you to be angry about the bush? Yep, I'm so angry I could die!

You didn't do anything to deserve it. I made it for you, you didn't deserve it. It grew, and died through none of your work. One day you are happy about it, and the next angry. If you can change your mind, why can't I? There are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who did not know what they were doing, didn't even know left from right, and all those animals. Why can't I change my mind? You are so concerned about that plant, why can't I be concerned about those people.

I see similarities between Jonah and our Gospel. The workers that started at the beginning of the day think they deserve more than those that started at the end of the day. Those others didn't work like we worked! We deserve more! We are better people, why don't you remember all the good things we have done! They haven't done as much as we have! WE deserve it!

It's not fair! Is Jonah's cry, and the morning worker's cry. And much to often our cry. We think we deserve it. Jonah thinks the Ninevites still deserve destruction, He still deserves the plant, the workers think they deserve more.

We spend all our time fighting over who deserves what. Who deserves God's love, who deserves to be in the church.

These texts ask us, Why are we envious of those we think don't deserve it? Why are we upset that God cares? Why are we upset that God is generous?

Is it because it may mean we have to change who we care about? If God is concerned about Nineveh, shouldn't Jonah also be concerned about Nineveh?

If God rewards those who work only a little the same as those who work all day, should we as well change our understanding of who is deserving?

What if we have to change who we are concerned about?

And if we do, what if it works? What if God really does work through us?

I saw an article last week about a church called the Unity Church, which after some research seemed barely Christian, more of the spirituality, but not religious vein, concerned about feelings rather than what God actually calls them to do. The headline read, “Church closes food bank because it attracts poor people.”

"'It's attracting a lot of street people that make it uncomfortable,' said Charlotte Prossen, Unity Truth Centre minister Thursday, 'It's creating social unrest in the church'

If we go to Nineveh and proclaim God's grace and generosity, can we accept that God is gracious and merciful and slow to anger if they actually listen? If Jesus calls us to go feed the hungry, and help the poor, what if they actually come when we do feed them, and help them. What if we realize that we aren't better and we don't deserve it.

The church is not a social club. It is a place to come because we know we deserve nothing, and yet God gives everything.

We don't deserve God's love. And yet God gives it.

We didn't deserve Christ dying for our sins. And yet Christ did.

We think we are the first workers, and we think we are Jonah. But we are not. We are the great city of Nineveh who does not deserve mercy. We are the last workers, who have done no work. And we receive grace.

Maybe that's the biggest change of understanding we need to make.

Let us pray,

God of unsurpassing grace, of never ending generosity, we thank you so much for coming to us, who deserve nothing. We are sinners and will always be sinners, and yet you love us. Help us to go out and see that we are no better than anything else in all of your grand creation.

Amen