There is Mercy in the Storm

Everywhere Addison and I go is a race. She gets down in a runners stance and says, “On your mark. Get set. Go!" And off we go. From kitchen to bedroom, from car to YMCA, from house to barn. etc. You get the idea. It is really not a race. It is her running and me chasing. She always wins. It really is better if she wins and I don’t catch her. She is a vision of glory—head back, laughing, hair bouncing, and a picture of pure pleasure. That is something that occupies much of my time when we are en route between places.

Jonah reminds me of that, but in a darker form. The story of Jonah is: Jonah runs and God chases. Heck, the whole story of the Bible is people running from God in their sin and God in his mercy and love chasing them down. That is it, isn’t it? It seems to be the narrative of my life anyway. So Jonah runs from the presence of God and God who is a good father and more jealous for his creatures' ultimate happiness and joy than they are comes after him in a storm.

Does that plot line sound familiar? This week we will talk about the storms that come into our lives because our love of our idols. And we will talk about the exacting love of a good father who refuses to let his children settle for mud pies when greater joys await.  As C. S. Lewis reminds us in his book, The Problem of Pain, "Love may forgive all infirmities and love still in spite of them: but Love cannot cease to will their removal."

 

What a day of Worship it will be Sunday! We are receiving new members, baptizing a profession of faith, and because Sunday is the day set aside to pray for the persecuted church, we have guest from Aida’s ministry, Take Heart, who will be in the lobby after worship to talk about their ministry to refugees from countries where they are persecuted for believing in Jesus. Hope to see you Sunday so we can celebrate the grace and mercy of Jesus together. I don’t know about you, but I need to be refreshed in worship and praise!

 

Blessings, 

 

Jim