Sunday Worship (Jonah 4:1-11)

This week we'll be exploring Jonah 4:1-11.  

But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”
But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”
“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”
But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”

Each Sunday you can find the live stream here or watch the archive here. 

A Light to My Path (Jonah 4:1-11)

Our Scripture for the week is Jonah 4:1-11

But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”
But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”
“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”
But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”

Question for Reflection:

Jonah was angry at God's gracious reception of the Ninevites. When was the last time you were disappointed/angry in someone else's success?

Love Your Neighbor (Jonah 3:1-10)

In our text for the week, Jonah listens to God and begins to tell his Ninevite neighbors the message from God. The Ninevites listen and respond to God's call through repentance. One of the main themes of the Book of Jonah is God's vigorous and tenacious work of restoration even when God's messenger (Jonah) is fearful and slow to action. God's love for our neighbor is already in motion and at work. Our task as disciples of Jesus is to step into the work God is already doing in the lives of our neighbors. When we don't, we walk in the path of Jonah and miss the opportunity to celebrate with God when people seek him and find him.

About the Author
Isaac Gaff is the Managing Director of Worship and Creative Arts at Calvary UMC

Teach Us to Pray (Jonah 3:1-10)

Prayer is always an opportunity to return to God. No matter what we've done, what we're doing, or what is yet to be done; God will always listen to those who call upon him in a moment of turning. Jesus echoes the sentiments of this section of Jonah when he tells us that God listens to the swift prayers of the repentant over the confident prayers of the righteous.

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” - Luke 18:9-14

As you pray this week, remember that God always receives those who seek him. When we bring our whole selves to God in an attitude of repentance, he is always ready to receive, restore, revive, and renew us.

About the Author
Isaac Gaff is the Managing Director of Worship and Creative Arts at Calvary UMC

Sunday Worship (Jonah 3:1-10)

This week we'll be exploring Jonah 3:1-10.  

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”
Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh:
“By the decree of the king and his nobles:
Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”
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.

Each Sunday you can find the live stream here or watch the archive here. 

A Light to My Path (Jonah 3:1-10)

This week's text is Jonah 3:1-10:

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”
Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh:
“By the decree of the king and his nobles:
Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”
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.

Question for Reflection:

This section is full of reconsideration (relenting) - Jonah's, the Ninevites', and God's. With which form of reconsideration do you identify most?

Who Is My Neighbor (East Bay Camp)

When we find out during Sunday morning worship that a neighbor needs help, it’s much easier to pull together a team to immediately respond.  That’s what happened on Sunday, June 18, when one of our members, Doug Fujimoto, who is a staff person at East Bay Camp got word that an early morning storm had caused major damage to the camp which was expecting campers to arrive in just a few short hours.

Doug texted his mom, Leann, who told Randy and I what had happened just prior to the 9:00 worship service.  We were able to ask for help and even go in shifts to the camp, chainsaws and gloves in hand, to help with the cleanup.  Nearly 2 dozen Calvary folks, on this Father’s Day Sunday,  on short notice, joined the East Bay staff, in cleaning massive amounts of branches, limbs, trees, etc., so that the campers could enjoy their week.  In fact, there were enough Calvary folks to help that the camp staff was able to move to their jobs in preparing for the children rather than spending their time with clean up.

Steve and Debby Paullin decided it might be good to take their truck to the camp and she said it was good that they did that:  they hauled away 3 very full loads of branches, etc.

Leann Fujimoto described it well, “The whole experience was neat because we met people from the church that we didn’t know before.   There were also people from several generations there, and that was cool to see everyone working together towards a common goal.  Fathers and sons working together on Father's Day was pretty special.   Fellowship can come in many forms!  For me personally,  I love being part of a church that responds so quickly to people in need- no matter what that need may  be...I have read the red letter version of the Bible many times, and it seems like this is what Jesus teaches us to do:  serving others and meeting their needs.”

East Bay Camp is one of the Illinois Great Rivers’ conference camps located just north of Bloomington/Normal.  Not only does it provide camps for all ages throughout the summer, but many retreats and other events are held throughout the year at the camp.  In fact, the Great Banquet Community, many of whom are Calvary folks, has their weekends at East Bay.

When the people of God can respond to a need in order for others to learn about Jesus, that’s when we get to serve our neighbor in a way that we can see immediate results.  That doesn’t happen often…...we usually plant seeds and often don’t know what they produce.  Occasionally, God allows us to see the fruit of our labors…..that’s always fun!

Well done, good and faithful servants!

About the Author
Debbie Reese is the Co-Directing Pastor of Calvary UMC

Love Your Neighbor (Jonah 1:17-2:10)

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On Monday, we prayed the prayer of Jonah from three different perspectives; one of those being the perspective of someone going through trouble. It’s good to remember that our neighbors living around us don’t always wear their trouble on their sleeve. Thoreau was keen when observing “the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation” (Walden, ch 1). As we pray for those around us today, let’s be mindful that many of their ‘belly of the whale’ moments may be under the surface and more quiet in nature. When we pray prayers like Jonah’s through the eyes of our neighbors, we begin to cultivate a heart of solidarity, empathy, and love for them that reflects the heart of a God who spent “three days and nights in the heart of the earth” and knows our deepest pain.

 

From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said:

“In my distress I called to the Lord,

and he answered me.

From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help,

and you listened to my cry.

You hurled me into the depths,

into the very heart of the seas,

and the currents swirled about me;

all your waves and breakers

swept over me.

I said, ‘I have been banished

from your sight;

yet I will look again

toward your holy temple.’

The engulfing waters threatened me,

the deep surrounded me;

seaweed was wrapped around my head.

To the roots of the mountains I sank down; “

“the earth beneath barred me in forever.

But you, Lord my God,

brought my life up from the pit.

“When my life was ebbing away,

I remembered you, Lord,

and my prayer rose to you,

to your holy temple.

“Those who cling to worthless idols

turn away from God’s love for them.

But I, with shouts of grateful praise,

will sacrifice to you.

What I have vowed I will make good.

I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’ ”

 

— 

About the Author

Isaac Gaff is the Managing Director of Worship and Creative Arts at Calvary UMC

Deeper Dive Podcast (Jonah 1.17-2.10)

This week Debbie, Randy, and Isaac talk about how to receive each other in our moments of brokenness and hardship.

Listen in your device's podcast app – Apple version here and Android version here or use the desktop-only player below. 

Questions or discussion? Click here to comment.

About the Authors
Randy and Debbie Reese are Co-Directing Pastors at Calvary UMC
Isaac Gaff is the Managing Director of Worship and Creative Arts at Calvary UMC

Teach Us to Pray (Jonah 1:17-2:10)

Since the majority of this week's text is, in itself, a prayer; our opportunity to pray through the text is fairly straight forward. Try praying through this text three times from three different perspectives: First, pray through this text in your circumstances - whether you feel akin to Jonah or not. Second, pray through this text from the perspective of someone you know is in a troubling circumstance. And third, pray through this text from the perspective of Jesus as he begins his journey to the cross.

From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said: 
“In my distress I called to the Lord, 
and he answered me. 
From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, 
and you listened to my cry. 
You hurled me into the depths, 
into the very heart of the seas, 
and the currents swirled about me; 
all your waves and breakers
swept over me. 
I said, ‘I have been banished
from your sight; 
yet I will look again
toward your holy temple.’ 
The engulfing waters threatened me, 
the deep surrounded me; 
seaweed was wrapped around my head. 
To the roots of the mountains I sank down; "
"the earth beneath barred me in forever. 
But you, Lord my God, 
brought my life up from the pit. 
“When my life was ebbing away, 
I remembered you, Lord, 
and my prayer rose to you, 
to your holy temple. 
“Those who cling to worthless idols
turn away from God’s love for them. 
But I, with shouts of grateful praise, 
will sacrifice to you. 
What I have vowed I will make good. 
I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’ ”

About the Author
Isaac Gaff is the Managing Director of Worship and Creative Arts at Calvary UMC

Sunday Worship (Jonah 1:17-2:10)

This week we'll be exploring Jonah 1:17-2:10.  

"Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. 
From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said: 
“In my distress I called to the Lord, 
and he answered me. 
From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, 
and you listened to my cry. 
You hurled me into the depths, 
into the very heart of the seas, 
and the currents swirled about me; 
all your waves and breakers
swept over me. 
I said, ‘I have been banished
from your sight; 
yet I will look again
toward your holy temple.’ 
The engulfing waters threatened me, 
the deep surrounded me; 
seaweed was wrapped around my head. 
To the roots of the mountains I sank down; "
"the earth beneath barred me in forever. 
But you, Lord my God, 
brought my life up from the pit. 
“When my life was ebbing away, 
I remembered you, Lord, 
and my prayer rose to you, 
to your holy temple. 
“Those who cling to worthless idols
turn away from God’s love for them. 
But I, with shouts of grateful praise, 
will sacrifice to you. 
What I have vowed I will make good. 
I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’ ” 
And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. "

Each Sunday you can find the live stream here or watch the archive here.  

A Light to My Path (Jonah 1:17-2:10)

Our text for the coming week is Jonah 1:17-2:10:

"Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. 
From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said: 
“In my distress I called to the Lord, 
and he answered me. 
From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, 
and you listened to my cry. 
You hurled me into the depths, 
into the very heart of the seas, 
and the currents swirled about me; 
all your waves and breakers
swept over me. 
I said, ‘I have been banished
from your sight; 
yet I will look again
toward your holy temple.’ 
The engulfing waters threatened me, 
the deep surrounded me; 
seaweed was wrapped around my head. 
To the roots of the mountains I sank down; "
"the earth beneath barred me in forever. 
But you, Lord my God, 
brought my life up from the pit. 
“When my life was ebbing away, 
I remembered you, Lord, 
and my prayer rose to you, 
to your holy temple. 
“Those who cling to worthless idols
turn away from God’s love for them. 
But I, with shouts of grateful praise, 
will sacrifice to you. 
What I have vowed I will make good. 
I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’ ” 
And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. "

Questions for Reflection:

While most of us have not been thrown overboard and swallowed by a large fish, we all have had moments of deep trouble. In those moments, what did you do? Did you pray? If so, how? Did the situation turn out how you wanted? How did you change (for good or bad) because of the situation?

Who Is My Neighbor? (Haiti - Part 2)

Calvary recently sent a mission team to Haiti which consisted of 5 Calvary folks, a friend who now lives in Chicago, and our Haitian friend, Junior Cineas who lives in Port Au Prince (the other side of Haiti from where the mission team works).  I asked each of the participants to write a paragraph about how they saw God at work in Haiti.  This is part 2 of these stories.  See last week’s ‘Who Is My Neighbor’ for Part 1.

From Nancy Behrens:

As we are on the plane from Miami to Chicago, we are 6 tired, itchy, blessed, and inspired people. We saw Jesus in so many ways this week, but I will choose one story.  The team had asked Bob Bills to prepare some Bible studies for use with the pastors and friends of the church at Fev and also with the staff of Streethearts, as time and opportunities allowed. As you would expect, Bob prepared thoroughly, even though he wasn't even sure if he would have a chance to share. But he did have some chances. At both Fev and Streethearts the participants were very actively engaged and had a lot of  answers and questions, that reflected varying levels of biblical knowledge, spiritual maturity, and, frankly, interest. But for me, I saw Jesus in the pure joy that came over Bob's face when people were moved by the Holy Spirit and engaged in the study. He would smile radiantly and nod to encourage the participants to dive deeper. He would answer truthfully, including sometimes saying "we don't know the answers" to some questions such as "Who created God?"  I have known Bob for more than 30 years and I have never seen him smile so  broadly. I imagine Jesus smiled something like that whenever anyone actually showed that they caught a glimpse of what He was trying to tell them.

From Al Behrens:

I would refer to our trip to Haiti this year as an ‘enlightenment trip’.  Each of the team members has been on at least one previous Haiti trip, but each trip brings new experiences.  Our team might be considered a little unique to other teams that travel to Haiti, as God has put it on our hearts to focus on building relationships with the Haitian people we come in contact with more than building material things.  In the beginning of Acts 8, we read about “and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions “.  It goes on to say in verse 4 “But all the believers who scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went”.
This relates back to how God works through our team, just made up of common believers, spreading the word of Jesus Christ to the groups we interact with in Haiti.  Every year, I see how God helps deepen the faith of the team through the different experiences we encounter.   The Bible study and discussion times we have with the Haitian groups and individuals provides a time for deepening our understanding of their culture and needs.  Not only the adults, but the teenagers and little children are full of questions and eager to learn. A lot of where I see God working on our trips is through taking the time to share our love with them.
God has also opened doors through the basketball program we have continued to support through the Streethearts organization.  The basketball program provides a means for the staff at Streetheart’s to connect with the boys off the streets of Cap Haitien, and provide a spiritual lead place for the boys to live. 
When we meet someone that God has prepared, and we have the opportunity to lead them to faith or to share the Good News of Jesus Christ, the purpose of the trips to Haiti become much clearer.

From Joe Landon:

I saw God in Fèv when I saw Shu Shu and La La as church leaders this year. They were two of the original girls we evangelized in the very beginning.  I also saw God working when we were evangelizing this year and three people accepted Jesus Christ into their hearts. All three showed up to church on Sunday.
I also saw God at Streethearts.  God allowed me to communicate with several boys by drawing portraits with a crayon. It is amazing how a crayon and God's love breaks down all communication barriers.

Haiti 2017 Photos:

Love Your Neighbor (Jonah 1:4-16)

Link to Jonah 1:4-16

The big picture story in the Book of Jonah is about loving God and loving your neighbor, but that love comes from the unlikeliest of characters. God’s prophet, Jonah, runs away from the call to love his neighbors, the Ninevites, by boarding a ship headed for the edge of the world crewed by sailors who did not share his religious, political, or social ideology. These sailors, even though they share little in common with Jonah, wind up demonstrating how to love your neighbor when they work for Jonah’s rescue and stand in solidarity with Jonah through the storm. Even though Jonah ends up thrown into the sea, the crew’s efforts to save him and their worship of the God of Israel are examples of mercy and love to this runaway prophet. The Bible is full of God using those on the “outside” to demonstrate his purposes to this on the “inside” (think of Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan). As you love the neighbors around you this week, be mindful and aware that God may be using them to speak to you instead of the other way around.

About the Author
Isaac Gaff is the Managing Director of Worship and Creative Arts at Calvary UMC

Deeper Dive Podcast (Jonah 1.4-16)

Randy, Debbie, and Isaac discuss the actions of the crew in Jonah's story, the nature of sin, and the distinctions between accountability and judgment.

Listen in your device's podcast app – Apple version here and Android version here or use the desktop-only player below. 

Questions or discussion? Click here to comment.

About the Authors
Randy and Debbie Reese are Co-Directing Pastors at Calvary UMC
Isaac Gaff is the Managing Director of Worship and Creative Arts at Calvary UMC