To Flee the Presence

A couple of years ago, I revisited one of the precious books of my adolescence, a wilderness survival tale called "Hatchet." The thing I could not get over this time was how little of it I had understood when I had touted it as a favorite. My twelve-year-old self had been enchanted by the events and images and characters, but I had not grasped the significance; the meaning of those things. There were layers there to explore, like an onion, (or an ogre). I felt as though I had never really read it at all!Likewise, Jonah's story is one whose familiarity can make it difficult to really pay attention to. Maybe we feel that we've already mined and mastered the childish insights of these Sunday School favorites and it never occurs to us to revisit the "basics." Maybe we're trying to focus our adult years on more of the "meat" of Scripture. Well, I can assure you that this story, not unlike Noah's and Esther's, is both arresting to a child's imagination and profoundly piercing to the adult soul.So we'll see you this Sunday as we begin our exploration of Jonah's depths, and I hope you're planning to stay for our Fall Festival, featuring world-class BBQ, games, and our first annual Trunk-or-Treat!- Josh