Angry Enough to Die
Thursday, October 14, 2010 -- Week of Proper 23, Year Two
Samuel Isaac Joseph Scherechewsky, Bishop of Shanghai, 1906
To read about our daily commemorations, go to our Holy Women, Holy Men blog:
http://liturgyandmusic.wordpress.com/category/holy-women-holy-men/
Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 989)
Psalms 18:1-20 (morning) 18:21-50 (evening)
Jonah 3:1 - 4:11
Acts 27:27-44
Luke 9:18-27
God said to Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?" And he said, "Yes, angry enough to die."
Jonah's bush is a great metaphor for our pitiful self-centeredness. Pouty Jonah gets relief for a day from the shade of the bush. Then it shrivels and he is buffeted by sun and a sultry wind. He is miserable. Miserable enough to die. He cares more about the bush and the brief comfort it gave him than he does for the fate of 120,000 people in Nineveh. When I've got a headache, I don't want to see what's happening to the flood victims in Pakistan.
But then again, why should Jonah care about Nineveh? It is the capital of the Assyrians. They are the ones who invaded Israel so many times. They've sacked and destroyed cities. They've subjugated his nation and impoverished them with tribute. Nineveh is the great enemy of Israel. And God wants to save them. In fact, God does save them. They respond to the reluctant prophet Jonah, and God relents. They turn from their evil ways, so God lets them off the revenge hook. Even though they've done so many evil things for so long, when they repent, God changes his mind, the story says, and does not bring about the calamity they have so richly earned. No wonder Jonah is mad. He wants revenge, not forgiveness; he wants calamity, not compassion.
So do we, don't we? Shock and awe. We want to wreak havoc on the bad guys. We can get so incensed and self-righteous that we want revenge and calamity on people who we might associate with the bad guys, even if they are our friends and neighbors. Don't you dare build that Muslim community center near Ground Zero. We pout and huff and puff. It's all about us. It's always all about us. We've always got a headache, and that's the most important thing in the world.
God is willing to chase Jonah into the belly of a whale to help him share God's work of compassion. God is willing to teach him and put up with him as he fusses and pouts. And God reaches out to the enemy, the foreigner, the abuser, with the open hand of forgiveness and reconciliation. You'd think God has no pride.
Well, we sure do.
Samuel Isaac Joseph Scherechewsky, Bishop of Shanghai, 1906
To read about our daily commemorations, go to our Holy Women, Holy Men blog:
http://liturgyandmusic.wordpress.com/category/holy-women-holy-men/
Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 989)
Psalms 18:1-20 (morning) 18:21-50 (evening)
Jonah 3:1 - 4:11
Acts 27:27-44
Luke 9:18-27
God said to Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?" And he said, "Yes, angry enough to die."
Jonah's bush is a great metaphor for our pitiful self-centeredness. Pouty Jonah gets relief for a day from the shade of the bush. Then it shrivels and he is buffeted by sun and a sultry wind. He is miserable. Miserable enough to die. He cares more about the bush and the brief comfort it gave him than he does for the fate of 120,000 people in Nineveh. When I've got a headache, I don't want to see what's happening to the flood victims in Pakistan.
But then again, why should Jonah care about Nineveh? It is the capital of the Assyrians. They are the ones who invaded Israel so many times. They've sacked and destroyed cities. They've subjugated his nation and impoverished them with tribute. Nineveh is the great enemy of Israel. And God wants to save them. In fact, God does save them. They respond to the reluctant prophet Jonah, and God relents. They turn from their evil ways, so God lets them off the revenge hook. Even though they've done so many evil things for so long, when they repent, God changes his mind, the story says, and does not bring about the calamity they have so richly earned. No wonder Jonah is mad. He wants revenge, not forgiveness; he wants calamity, not compassion.
So do we, don't we? Shock and awe. We want to wreak havoc on the bad guys. We can get so incensed and self-righteous that we want revenge and calamity on people who we might associate with the bad guys, even if they are our friends and neighbors. Don't you dare build that Muslim community center near Ground Zero. We pout and huff and puff. It's all about us. It's always all about us. We've always got a headache, and that's the most important thing in the world.
God is willing to chase Jonah into the belly of a whale to help him share God's work of compassion. God is willing to teach him and put up with him as he fusses and pouts. And God reaches out to the enemy, the foreigner, the abuser, with the open hand of forgiveness and reconciliation. You'd think God has no pride.
Well, we sure do.
Lowell
__________________
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| The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church is to explore and celebrate God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love. See our Web site at www.stpaulsfay.org Our Rule of Life: We aspire to... worship weekly pray daily learn constantly serve joyfully live generously. Lowell Grisham, Rector St. Paul's Episcopal Church Fayetteville, Arkansas |
posted by Lowell @ 7:41 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Lowell,
This same discussion came up in recent group conversation. It was with the Cain and Abel story. Cain was angry with God, as his brother had been praised by God. Cain was angry enough to kill his brother. Some would say his anger was justified.
And we talked about choice. Could not Cain have looked at his part and said in some way I have been disobedient in my offering to God? But let me rejoice for my brother has been blessed!
So much of it is about pride and justifying our anger. So much of that takes us away from what God is trying to work in our lives, through our lives and lives of our brothers.
Peace, Janet
I agree with Janet and wounder why it is always about "me". Sounds like part of our discussion in EFM (Education for Ministry) Class this past Monday. We were discussing the mask of God. When tongue in cheek I said "we all want the mask of God to look like (Me)".
How self righteous we humans are to think God is in our mindset instead of the other way around.
I get much from these morning reflections- thank you!
Janet and JCross, thanks for the thoughtful comments. I like the way Thomas Keating interprets the story of the 3 Temptations as a metaphor for our construction of the False Self. We create self-centered energies focused on our exaggerated needs for security, esteem and control/power. In reality, all of these are gifts of God. So much of the spiritual journey is our dismantling of these energy centers.
Lowell
I am one of those people prone to headaches, migraine and colds. Usually, my first recourse is White Flower Embrocation (embrocation.50webs.com), also called White Flower Oil.
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