Welcome to the Mantua Center Christian Church. We are part of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and have been doing ministry here since 1827! We’re so glad you have joined us today and hope you feel God’s spirit as we worship. This week we explore the wonderful story of Jonah and wonder together what he might have gone through. What does it mean to forgive? Why does forgiveness matter?
Prelude - “Love Divine, all Loves Excelling” [by J. Zundel] Sarah Park
Welcome to the Mantua Center Christian Church
We are a community seeking to have open minds, open hearts, and open arms.
- Thank you for joining us here in the house and online. Welcome to everyone!
- ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Next week is Founder’s Day, celebrating MCCC’s 197th birthday. We will hear stories about MCCC and have cake afterward. We will also hear from Everett Baynes right after church about his trip to Philmont.
- Lent is around the corner
Scripture Reading - Colossians 3:12-13 - Rev. Chad Delaney
12 As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. 13Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Welcoming Song - “Sister, Let me Be Your Servant” #490, v.2
We are pilgrims on a journey, fellow trav'lers on the road.
We are here to help each other, walk the mile and bear the load.
*Call to Worship - Pam Baynes
One: The word of God came to Jonah
All: The word of God comes to us:
One: Go
All: Despite your fears
One: Speak
All: the truth of God
One: Love
All: your neighbor and you enemy
One: Forgive
All: as you have been forgiven
One: Receive
All: grace upon grace overflowing from the fullness of God.
~ written by Joanna Harader
*Opening Hymn - “There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy” #73, vs. 1-4
1 There's a wideness in God's mercy, like the wideness of the sea;
there's a kindness in God's justice, which is more than liberty.
2 There is welcome for the sinner, and more graces for the good!
There is mercy with the Savior; there is healing in his blood.
3 For the love of God is broader than the measure of our mind;
and the heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind.
4 If our love were but more simple, we would rest upon God's word;
and our lives would be illumined by the presence of the Lord.
Invitation to Generosity
Invitation - Pam Baynes
Offertory
Music: “All to Jesus I Surrender” [by W.S.Weeden] - Sarah Park
*Response - “Make Me a Blessing”
Make me a blessing, Make me a blessing.
Out of my life may Jesus shine;
Make me a blessing, O Savior, I pray.
Make me a blessing to someone today.
Offering Prayer - Pam Baynes
Children’s Moment - Rev. Chad Delaney
- What would happen if someone pushed you down on the playground?
Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer - Rev. Chad Delaney
Living and loving God, we come to you from all walks and places of life. We come with many different experiences. Some we are proud of. Some we aren’t. Some great joys and some great sorrows. God of Grace, you know us inside and out and we’re thankful about that, but sometimes we wonder where we stand. Reassure us of your love and grace. Help us to remember we are safe with you. That we are who we are in this moment, but you walk with us as we seek to be more like the people you have created us to be. We thank you for your patient and accompanying love. We thank you for the ways you challenge and ignite our spirits. We thank you for being on our journey with us. In this time, we come as we are to offer who we are.
Today we lift up to you our church. Together we are exploring improvements to our building. We are seeking to be an even more welcoming and loving congregation. We remain in search of those wanting to work with our children and nursery. We continue to serve families in our community with weekend meals and suppers. We are planning for the Day of Kindness, finding ways to make people smile, have the clothes they need, and to grow deeper in our faith. There is much and more we are seeking to do and be as a congregation…guide us with your Holy Spirit. Help us to offer your steadfast love, mercy, and grace in all we say and do.
On this day, we come also bearing grief in our hearts for those who have known suffering and pain in these recent weeks. For friends, loved ones, and enemies, we lift them to you in silent prayer….
We trust God that you hear our prayers. Unite us as we pray the prayer you taught us saying....
Communion
Meditation - Steve Hurd
Communion Hymn - “Softly and Tenderly” #340, vs. 1-3
1 Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me;
patient and loving, he's waiting and watching,
watching for you and for me.
[Refrain] Come home, (Come home,) come home, (come home,)
ye who are weary, come home; earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, "O sinner, come home!"
2 Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading, pleading for you and for me?
Why should we wait, then, and heed not his mercies,
mercies for you and for me? [Refrain]
3 O for the wonderful love he has promised, promised for you and for me;
tho' we have sinned, he has mercy and pardon,
pardon for you and for me. [Refrain]
Prayer - Brian Hurd
Words of Institution - Brian Hurd
Music: “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” [Arr. by L. Mason] - Sarah Park
Scripture - Jonah 3:1-5,10-4:5
The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, 2‘Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.’ 3So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across. 4Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, ‘Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!’ 5And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.
10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.
But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry. 2He prayed to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing. 3And now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.’ 4And the Lord said, ‘Is it right for you to be angry?’ 5Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city, and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, waiting to see what would become of the city.
Sermon - Forgiveness Matters - Rev. Chad Delaney
In the Jewish tradition, the key concept in the process of repentance is teshuvah (or return). Teshuvah is a transformative process to RETURN to a state of wholeness with our community and with God.
Rabbi David Blumenthal describes the 5 steps needed in such a process:
- Recognition of one’s sins as sins (hakarát ha-chét’) - conscious reflection and acknowledgment
- Remorse (charatá) - a feeling of regret and pain at what has been done
- Desisting from sin (azivát ha-chét’) - In our actions to turn away from the immoral behavior
- Restitution where possible (peira’ón) - making good on the damage done
- Confession (vidui) - Through ritual or personal confession to seek God’s forgiveness
These are not incompatible with the Christian tradition or Jesus’ teachings, afterall Jesus was Jewish. And…they are helpful in thinking about a process to be forgiven or to forgive others.
In the story of the Ninevites in Jonah ch.3, we can see several of these at work. It is a story, so we’re not going to get all the nitty-gritty details, but even so we see the people of Nineveh are repentant and seek God’s forgiveness. They put on sackcloth which is a sign of great remorse and recognition of one’s sin. The scripture says they “turned from their evil ways.” So…by this point of the story, we can see God is satisfied, convinced of their sincerity as it says… “God changed his mind about the calamity he would bring upon them.” So then, if God forgives them, shouldn’t everyone?
Well...not Jonah. Clearly Jonah is not on board. In fact, Jonah is incensed. He is bitter. He is frustrated.
The storyteller doesn't exactly tell us why, but we can imagine. In that time Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire: the dominant force in the world economically, culturally, and militarily. They were violent and brutal. They conquered and destroyed swiftly and savagely.
Did Jonah have family, friends, loved ones killed or oppressed by the Assyrian Empire? Was there generational trauma and hatred he carried with him? What is Jonah’s side of the story here? Why is he so angry?
Perhaps Jonah wanted restitution. Afterall that is part of the pathway of forgiveness but in the story there seems to be no sign of it. The Ninevites wear sackcloth, repent, turn and God forgives them. But this clearly was not enough for Jonah. Jonah says to God, “That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing.” Jonah just can’t stand the idea of them getting away with it, receiving forgiveness after all they’ve done. Why would God let them off so easy?
Very often, Jonah gets a bad rap in this story and--in some ways--it is deserved. He is self-absorbed, resentful, small-minded, and begrudging. But perhaps we can empathize with his point of view, too? Afterall, all of us at one time or another or maybe even RIGHT NOW…are struggling to forgive someone for something. Maybe something big…maybe something small…but we carry it with us.
It is amazing that stories thousands of years old were trying to teach people of faith something about forgiveness and repentance and God’s unconditional, overflowing love…yet, it is still as hard today as it was then.
Forgiveness is such an elusive topic that there is still today ongoing scientific, religious, and philosophical research and reflection happening. In April of 2023, Harvard held a conference called, “Forgiveness: Interdisciplinary Perspectives.” The description reads: “"To err is human, to forgive, divine”; but what is forgiveness? When can it rightly be sought or offered? Can it be corporate as well as an individual? What role should forgiveness play in law, public policy, or even public health? How can we become more forgiving?”
We are STILL trying to figure this out? Yes. Yes we are. OF COURSE, we understand where Jonah is coming from. Forgiveness is complex. Forgiveness is hard. God is quick to forgive and abounding in love…and we are still working on it.
Today’s research says there’s different kinds of forgiveness. In particular here are two I wanted to share with you:
- Decisional forgiveness - Decisional forgiveness is the decision to eliminate revenge and avoidance. However, one can have decisional forgiveness while still holding a grudge
- Emotional forgiveness - Emotional forgiveness is the replacement of negative, unforgiving emotions with positive, other-oriented ones. When one genuinely feels like forgiving the person.
Interestingly, the researchers are urging people to shoot toward emotional forgiveness as much as possible. Why? Well, not because of some religious ideal, but because they are finding that those who carry grudges, bitterness, and anger…are at greater risk for heart attack, depression, and other health issues. Even a greater mortality risk.
As Nelson Mandela once said, “Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.”
Johns Hopkins Medicine research says: “Studies have found that the act of forgiveness can reap huge rewards for your health, lowering the risk of heart attack; improving cholesterol levels and sleep; and reducing pain, blood pressure, and levels of anxiety, depression and stress.”
We can see how Jonah is affected in the story. If you read Jonah chapter 4 you can feel Jonah’s blood pressure go up! You will feel his angst, pain, anger, depression. He is carrying all this and more with him and it drives him to despair. He and God have a rigorous dialog and you can see the toll it takes on him. In some ways we understand where Jonah is coming from and as the listener I just want him to let it go. Let the anger go. Stop carrying it with you. Work on it. Be free from it. Let love drown it out.
Yet still, we know that we have something to work on.
Different traditions do give us guidance on the process of forgiveness…all helpful…and Jesus had a lot to say about it.
As followers of Christ, it is nothing new to make forgiveness central to who we are as people of faith.
- Luke 6:37 (NIV):
Jesus says, "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven."
- Matthew 18:21-22 (NIV):
"Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, 'Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?' Jesus answered, 'I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.'"
- Luke 23:34
Jesus says on the cross regarding those who are crucifying him: “‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’
Forgiveness and mercy are part of who we are as Christians. Something Christ calls us to. And yes…it is easier said than done. To be human is to wrestle with this difficult call to forgive and to try to move forward in our lives. Forgiveness is intensely personal and public. It matters to our bodies and our health. It matters to those around us, our family, our friends, and our community. It matters to our spiritual life and our relationship with God and our neighbor. Forgiveness matters in more ways than we might recognize!
So then…what about us? What anger, what bitterness, what disappointment do we carry with us? What ill do we wish on others? What do we need to let go of? What do we need to work through?
To close I want to offer a brief time of silent prayer and I’ll close the silence with a blessing called “The Hardest Blessing” written by Jan Richardson…
The Hardest Blessing by Jan Richardson
If we cannot lay aside the wound,
then let us say it will not always bind us.
Let us say the damage will not eternally determine our path.
Let us say the line of our life will not always travel along the places we are torn.
Let us say that forgiveness can take some practice,
can take some patience,
can take a long and struggling time.
Let us say that to offer the hardest blessing,
we will need the deepest grace;
that to forgive the sharpest pain,
we will need the fiercest love;
that to release the ancient ache, we will need new strength for every day.
Let us say the wound will not be our final home—that through it runs a road,
a way we would not have chosen but on which we will finally see forgiveness,
so long practiced, coming toward us, shining with the joy so well deserved. Amen.
*Closing Hymn - “Wonderful Words of Life” #323, vs. 1-3
1 Sing them over again to me, wonderful words of life;
let me more of their beauty see, wonderful words of life.
Words of life and beauty, teach me faith and duty:
[Refrain] Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life.
Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life.
2 Christ, the blessed one, gives to all wonderful words of life;
sinner, list to the loving call, wonderful words of life.
All so freely given, wooing us to heaven: [Refrain]
3 Sweetly echo the gospel call, wonderful words of life;
offer pardon and peace to all, wonderful words of life.
Jesus, only Savior, sanctify forever. [Refrain]
Benediction - Rev. Chad Delaney
- Stay for fellowship and Sunday School
- Wonderful conversations on Wednesdays.
As we go…
May we find the strength to forgive as Christ calls us to.
May we recognize that forgiveness is not only a gift to others but a gift to ourselves.
May the Holy Spirit help us let go of anger and resentment.
May we go with hearts open to forgiveness, spirits attuned to grace, and a deep assurance of the boundless love of Jesus Christ.
May each of us be a beacon of his mercy, radiating Christ’s love and transforming power now and always Amen.
Postlude - “When we Walk with the Lord” [by W. H. Doane] - Sarah Park