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  Somewhere along the way I collected a 1940 edition of Henry Morton’s book “In the steps of the Master”, his account of his journeying throughout Palestine in the early 1930s.  In the book he gives an account of a drive that he undertook one day from Jerusalem to visit Jericho and the Dead Sea.

  He was warned before he left Jerusalem to return by dusk, because of the dangers of being robbed along the road to Jericho by the local brigand at the time, Abu Jildah  (Henry Morton in In the steps of the Master p85)  .  We read of the exact dangers of travelling in the parable of the Good Samaritan, in Luke 10: 25 – 37.  He describes the countryside as barren with many places where a robber could ambush an unwary and unaccompanied traveller, as Jesus described in his parable.  He describes stopping at the only Inn along the road between Jericho and Jerusalem, an Inn of some antiquity, as Jesus describes the Samaritan in his parable of doing exactly the same thing with the injured Jewish traveller.

  Several times in his journeys from Galilee to Jerusalem Jesus had walked between Jericho and Jerusalem and back again, on the very road along which H V Morton drove.  Jesus used his experiences and observations of walking along this road as the basis for his parable of the Good Samaritan.  Jesus had no need to rely upon fanciful fiction nor ‘make-believe’ as the basis for his parables.  Jesus could draw lessons from his observations of real people in real places doing real things in real time.  This adds substance to our trust in the words of Jesus, and to our acceptance of the lessons portrayed by Jesus.

  And it also adds substance to our trust in the claim of Jesus to be the Son of God, and of our acceptance of the offer presented by Jesus of the forgiveness of our sins.  For Jesus had no need to rely on mythology or symbolism in his message of the Gospel, but relied on the very words of God.  We gather together here today to offer our worship of God who planned for and undertook through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, to reconcile a disobedient Humanity to Himself and to offer to lead Humanity in the right path in this life and in the next.

Prayer of Praise  

(Psalm 62: 5 to 8 and 11) 

I depend only on you O God,

I put my hope solely in you.

You alone protect me and save me.

You alone are my defender.

On you, O God, rests my salvation,

You are like a rock that shelters me, you are a refuge for me.

We put our trust in you, O God, at all times.

We pour out your hearts before you,

we tell you of all of our troubles,

for we find that you are the source of our strength and of our relief.

All power belongs to you, O God,

Your love is unfailing.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to or join in singing 2 songs:

‘Jesus is Lord’  (Scripture in Song volume 2 No 360)

David Mansell

‘Open our eyes Lord we want to see Jesus’  (Scripture in Song Volume 2 No 390)

Bob Cull

Prayer of Confession

(from An Australian Prayer Book p225, Invocations p63, The Book of Worship pp54 – 56, Opening Prayers p60, Prayers for God’s People Year B pp44 – 47) 

Merciful God, we come humbling ourselves before you, recalling our neglects and our shortcomings. 

We recall your standards and acknowledge that we fall short in so many ways.

You are ever coming to us, yet we are ever turning away from us. 

You seek for us to focus solely upon you, yet our minds wander to myriad things and our desires command our attention.  We seek your mercy and forgiveness.

You come beside us and ask us to follow you, yet we pause to consider the cost. 

There are so many Earthly attachments that hold us back from answering your call.  We seek your mercy and forgiveness.

You have great plans for us, yet we disregard your Will for what you intend for us to be and to do.

We are faithless and frivolous, yet you show great patience with us.  We seek your mercy and forgiveness.

Help us to yield to your love, to be your instruments to lead Humanity to unity and peace.  In purity of heart, may we receive the blessings of your light and life.

Cleanse us from all of our sins and restore us to a right relationship with yourself.  To your glory we pray.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(from Mark 1: 15b) 

Mark, in his Gospel, records the preaching of Jesus to turn away from our sins and to believe the Good News of the Kingdom of God.  We have confessed our sins before God.  We have expressed our faith in the redeeming and cleansing work of Jesus Christ.  We, therefore, have the assurance that God has heard us, and that God has forgiven us.

Thanks be to God.

Prayer of illumination   

Almighty, gracious Father, for as much as our whole salvation depends upon our true understanding of your holy Word, grant to all of us that our hearts, being freed from Worldly affairs, may hear and comprehend your holy Word with all diligence and faith, that we may rightly understand your gracious will, cherish it, and live by it with all earnestness, to your praise and honour, through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

(Prayer of Martin Bucer: 1538)

(https://www.reformedworship.org/article/september-1991/pioneer-reformed-worship-celebrating-500th-anniversary-martin-bucer)

Reformed Worship 21 © September 1991 Worship Ministries of the Christian Reformed Church.  Used by permission.

Bible Readings

Jonah 3:

1  Once again the LORD spoke to Jonah.  2  He said,

“Go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to the people the message I have given you.” 

3  So Jonah obeyed the LORD and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to walk through it.  4  Jonah started through the city, and after walking a whole day, he proclaimed,

“In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed!”

5  The People of Nineveh believed God’s message.  So, they decided that everyone should fast, and all the people, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth to show that they had repented.

6  When the King of Nineveh heard about it, he got up from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth, and sat down in ashes.  7  He sent out a proclamation to the people of Nineveh:

“This is an Order from the King and his Officials: 

No one is to east anything; all persons, cattle, and sheep are forbidden to eat or drink.  8  All persons and animals must wear sackcloth.  Everyone must pray earnestly to God and must give up their wicked behaviour and their evil actions.  9  Perhaps God will change His mind; perhaps He will stop being angry, and we will not die!”

10  God saw what they did; He saw that they had given up their wicked behaviour.  So, He changed His mind and did not punish then as He said He would.

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

Mark 1:

14  After John had been put in prison, Jesus went to Galilee and preached the Good News from God.

15  “The right time has come,” he said,” and the Kingdom of God is near!  Turn away from your sins and believe the Good News!”

16  As Jesus walked along the shore of Lake Galilee, he saw two fishermen, Simon and his brother Andrew, catching fish in a net.  17  Jesus said to them,

“Come with me, and I will teach you to catch people.” 

18  At once they left their nets and went with him.

19  He went a little farther on and saw two other brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee.  They were in their boat getting their nets ready.  20  As soon as Jesus saw them, he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and went with Jesus.

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

What Day is it?

  We all know what day is it this coming Friday, 26^th January, don’t we?

  It’s “National Peanut Brittle Day” somewhere in the World!  The Website article reads:

If you love the crunch that comes from salty roasted nuts embedded in a buttery hard sugar bark and broken into multiple pieces, you’ll be excited to celebrate National Peanut Brittle Day on January 26, 2024!  Filled with peanuts, almonds, or pecans, this classic candy is a timeless treat perfect for any occasion!

(https://nationaltoday.com/national-peanut-brittle-day/)

  Alternatively, you can celebrate “Dental Drill Appreciation Day”  The Website article reads:

Dental Drill Appreciation Day is an annual event that is celebrated on January 26. Few patients would think that the dental drill should be celebrated.  It is a fact, however, that over the years, this device has become increasingly sophisticated, accurate, and efficient.  As a result, dentists can carry out procedures in less time and by subjecting their patients to less distress than in earlier times.  The modern drill also minimizes the damage to the surrounding teeth and gums when carrying out any dental procedure.  Researchers continue to invest time in developing even more advanced dental drills so that dental treatments can become truly pain-free, (especially after eating all of that peanut brittle).

(https://nationaltoday.com/dental-drill-appreciation-day/)

  Or, if you are a citizen of India and its Territories, you would be celebrating The Republic Day of India.  The Website article reads:

  The Republic Day of India is on January 26 and the nation welcomes the day with a parade and a tribute to the Indian armed forces. Special celebrations on this occasion are vital as it is on this date that the Indian Constitution was finalised and India would not be the great country it is today without its Constitution.

(https://nationaltoday.com/republic-day-india/)

  Closer to home, though, we will be celebrating Australia Day.

  Now, there have been some negative comments made in the Mass Media about holding celebrations on the day, and presumably they may increase closer to the date.  There have even been reports that some Local Councils will not be holding their Citizenship ceremonies on the day, out of respect for, or fear of, those who claim that it represents ‘Invasion Day’.  But such a stance ignores the intent of those Organisations and those Governments Bodies of all levels of Government to celebrate the Day as a Day of unification and reconciliation.

‘On Australia Day we celebrate all the things we love about Australia: land, sense of fair go, lifestyle, democracy, the freedoms we enjoy but particularly our people.

Australia Day is about acknowledging the contribution every Australian makes to our contemporary and dynamic nation.  From our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have been here for more than 65,000 years, to those who have lived here for generations, to those who have come from all corners of the globe to call our country home.

It is a day we pay respect to the stories, histories and contributions of the Australians who lived, worked and fought for the values and freedoms we often take for granted.  And it is a day we celebrate the diversity of this nation’s people with our various cultures, traditions and belief systems.’

(https://cms.australiaday.org.au/about)

‘Australia Day is a day of national pride and celebration for Australians.  It is a day for Australians to celebrate their country’s diverse culture, heritage, and achievements.  It reflects on the nation’s history, including Indigenous heritage and European settlement, while also highlighting contemporary Australian achievements and multiculturalism.  The day encourages unity and a sense of belonging among Australians of all backgrounds.’

(https://www.awarenessdays.com/awareness-days-calendar/australia-day-2024/)

  That is the stance that I believe should be taken be all Australians on Australia Day.  It accepts the reality of who we are as a Nation we move further into the 2020s.  It doesn’t seek to whitewash those negative aspects of our past that represent pain for some and shame and dismay for others.  It, instead, provides a framework for working together as a people for the betterment of all who call Australia ‘home’.

  The Church of God has always stressed the need to acknowledge the wrongs of the past, to confess our part in the wrongs of the past, and to seek forgiveness from God and from those who have been wronged.  But, we are to also move into the future as a people, united in celebrating what we have in common, celebrating the hope and the promise which the future holds for all of us as God’s people, and expressing our thanks to Almighty God for what He has provided for us here in our Great South Land.

Australia Day Prayer

 [UCA Assembly Day of mourning 2021 Worship Resources, Anglican Defence force chaplains Australia Day worship resources 2014] 

We praise you, God of the Universe, for this Nation of ours, for its contrasts of landscape and climate, for its times of droughts and times of floods, for its times of abundance and beauty.  We praise you for the stability of its Governments, for the ready provision of education and health care and housing, and for basic and accepted freedoms to choose how we live and work and believe.

We accept the realities of our History, with its struggles in adversity, with its loss and grief, with its failures and neglect, with its inequality and poverty, with its injustices and abuses committed against peoples of different colours and races and cultures and creeds.

We ask for your forgiveness of us, when by acts of commission or by our failure to act, we have contributed to the needs of others not being met, or we have contributed to the discrimination shown to another Human being who is equally valued and loved by you, or we have contributed to the acceptance of the presence of inequity and neglect when none should exist.

We pray for the healing of our Nation, that you will eliminate any divisiveness and mistrust that divides us.  We pray that you will encourage those who have been wronged in the past and in the present to be moved to forgive the pain that they have experienced, to forgive the loss that they have suffered, to forgive the abuse that has been hurled at them, and to forgive the neglect and inequality that has impacted on their life.

We pray that paths of dialogue may open within and between our communities, dialogue that will lead to cooperation and the advancement for the Common Good, dialogue that will lead to the making of constructive and positive decisions towards the advancement of all peoples.

Give us the courage to ensure that the realities of our past do not determine the realities of our future.  May we not seek to take upon ourselves the guilt for the sins of others in the past, especially the sins of the Church, but lead us instead, Lord God, to celebrate what we have and who we are, to accept that “we are all part of the story”, and to seek pathways for moving forward together as a Nation.  ( Home ‐ Australia Day ) 

So that we may together build a better future for our Nation, teach us to tolerate diversity, to respect all Cultures, and to care for our land and of our waters.  Help us to work towards a just sharing of the resources of our Nation and of the opportunities that it affords.  Give us a passionate commitment towards justice for all, and for structural and social change to improve the quality of life for all peoples in all communities, especially for the disadvantaged and the neglected.

May your authority and love be the foundations upon which we walk together as one People who share this Nation of yours.  Bless us so that we might be a blessing to others.  Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to or join in singing the Hymn TiS 270

‘On Jordan’s Banks the Baptist’s Cry’

Charles Coffin 1676–1749

Sermon

There is a story of a James Bartley, wherein it is claimed that in 1891 he was a sailor on a whaling ship sailing in the seas around the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean.  The account continues by saying that one day, while with other sailors on a small boat attempting to approach a whale so as to harpoon it, the whale upset the boat and James Bartley fell into the water and found himself inside the whale.  The whale was eventually harpooned a couple of days later, and, when they were cutting open the whale, they found James Bartley inside, delirious but still alive.  It is said that he died 18 years later and that his tombstone in Gloucester says “James Bartley – a modern day Jonah.”   

Robert B. Durham, “Modern Folklore”, David Gunston, “The man who lived in a whale”, Sunday Mail, May 12, 1985, page 15  ^ “Swallowed by a Whale”. Ycaol.com. Retrieved 2018-08-14.

  What an opportunity for some in the Church to announce that, here, we finally have the proof that we need to verify that Jonah could have been swallowed by a whale and could had lived inside this whale for three days as his account states, and, therefore, we can, accept Jonah’s account as it stands, accept it as fact and not as a great story based on a moral truth, as it is commonly held.

  But, alas, for this account of James Bartley has been investigated by an Edward Davis, who concluded that it did not occur and that it could not have occurred as it was claimed.  He obtained a letter from the wife of John Killam, the Captain of the ship that was supposedly involved, the Star of the East, who stated:

“there is not one word of truth in the whale story.  I was with my husband all the years he was in the Star of the East.  There was never a man lost overboard while my husband was in her.  The sailor has told a great sea yarn.”

  As well, in his research Edward Davis found that the Star of the East “was not a whaling vessel and its crew list did not include a James Bartley”.

  Davis, Edward (1991). “A Whale of a Tale: Fundamentalist Fish Stories”. Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith. 43: 224–37

  In addition, a study of cetaceans will indicate that while “it is physically possible for a sperm whale to swallow a human whole, as they are known to swallow giant squid whole, such a person would be crushed, drowned or suffocated in the whale’s stomach.”

“Could a Whale Accidentally Swallow You? It Is Possible | Smart News | Smithsonian”. Smithsonianmag.com. 25 February 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2018 – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bartley

  So, where do we find this account of Jonah being swallowed by a whale?  It is not in Jonah’s account, for the passage in the Book of Jonah reads that he was swallowed by a “great fish”.  The Hebrew word that is used is dawg (Strong’s OT1709) meaning fish, from a root word meaning “squirming”, as fish do when they are being handled.  The word is not the Hebrew words tan (Strong’s OT8565) or tan neen (Strong’s OT8577), which are used elsewhere in the Old Testament and which are translated in the Authorised Version as ‘whale’, from a root word also meaning marine or land monster or dragon or sea serpent. 

  The understanding that Jonah was swallowed by a whale comes from the words used in the Authorised Version and the Revised Standard Version of Matthew 12: 40, that record the words of Jesus when he replied to some Teachers of the Law and some Pharisees when they demanded “to see Jesus perform a miracle” so to prove who he claimed to be.  Jesus said: “For as Jonah was three and three nights in a whale’s belly; so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the Earth.”

  The Greek word used in this passage is ketos (Strong’s NT2785).  But note that other Versions of the New Testament translate this word differently, to read sea monster (Amplified and New American Standard) or huge fish or big fish (New International Version, Today’s English Version)  This word is derived from a root word meaning “gaping wide for prey”, as both whales or huge fish would do when they are feeding.

  Roy Jensen, in his book on the Twelve Minor Prophets of the Old Testament, stresses that “the fish miracle is not the main lesson of the Book of Jonah, because the fish was but an instrument in the hand of the Sovereign Lord to help effect His purpose in Jonah’s life.” 

  (Roy Jensen in The Book of the Twelve p3) 

  It is easy to be sidetracked with the question of whether or not a whale could have swallowed Jonah and whether or not Jonah would have survived being swallowed by a whale.  The essence of the Book of Jonah, as Roy Jensen highlights, is the preaching of the Words of God by Jonah to the inhabitants of the City of Nineveh and of its vast surrounding settled area, and of their response to the warning from God that Jonah passed on to them.

  But, never-the-less, you must ask yourself:

“Why would the inhabitants of Nineveh listen to the words of this unknown, insignificant, foreign ‘preacher’ foretelling of doom coming upon them from a foreign god which they neither knew about nor worshipped?”  “Why would God expect a response from the people of the City of Nineveh from a warning from the God of the Nation of Israel being given to them by an Israelite, when it was the Nation of Assyria, of which Nineveh was part, that was the dominant Nation in the Middle East at that time, because, so they claimed, their gods were so much stronger than the gods of any other Nation?”  (2 Chronicles 32: 15, Isaiah 36: 20) 

  Doubts raised by such questions, moreso than doubts raised by the believeableness of Jonah being swallowed by a big fish, underlie the rejection of the Book of Jonah being treated with more respect, and underlie the inability of many to accept Jonah’s account as anything more than just a great story based on a moral truth.

  But I would hold the belief that the answer to these questions can be found if we actually accept Jonah’s account that he was swallowed by a big fish, that he spent three days and three nights inside the fish, that the fish eventually spewed him onto a beach, probably near the Port of Joppa from where he had left, and that it was from there that Jonah heeded the second call from God to go the Nineveh.

  Studies of the religious practices and beliefs of the Assyrian race and Nation make the claim that they worshipped the one god, one god but with a multitude of facets, but the one god never-the-less.

  The Assyrians were one of the first civilizations in Mesopotamia to believe in a monotheistic religion, meaning belief in one god.  The Assyrians believed in their deity named Ashur.

(https://ancientmesopotamia.org/ideology/assyrian-religion)

  Belief in the existence of a single omnipotent God dominated the Assyrian state religion, royal ideology, philosophy and mystery cults to the extent that Assyrian religion in its imperial elaboration, with all its polytheistic garb, must be regarded as essentially monotheistic.

(http://www.aina.org/articles/miaa.pdf)

  We notice that in the Book of Jonah, God is referred to exclusively by the Hebrew word Elohim.  It is a plural term, meaning the Supreme God,  (Strong’s OT430)  .  Jonah did not present God, and the Ninevites did not fear God, as the covenant keeping God of Israel, but as the universal supreme being, a term for God with which they were familiar, and to which they could readily and easily relate.

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  But there was another aspect to the religious beliefs of those who lived in Nineveh.

Dagon | R. Russel / Public domain

  Archaeologists have discovered depictions of the god Dagon, sometimes represented as an upright figure, with the head of a fish above the head of a man, the open mouth of the fish forming a sacred head‑dress, and the feet of the man extending below the tail of the fish.  Images of this fish‑god guarded the entrance to the palace and temple in the mighty city of Nineveh, and they appeared also on Babylonian seals, in a variety of forms.

  Berossus, a Babylonian historian, writing in the fourth century B.C., recorded the early traditions about the origin of the worship of this fish‑man.  According to the earliest tradition, the very beginning of civilization in Chaldea and Babylonia was under the direction of a person, part man and part fish, who came up out of the sea.

  During Jonah’s time, the people of Nineveh believed in a divinity who sent messages to them by a person who rose out of the sea, as part fish and part man.  What better way to be recognized as God’s divinely sent messenger to Nineveh than to be thrown up out of the mouth of a great fish, in the presence of witnesses, on the coast of Phoenicia, where the fish‑god was a favourite object of worship?

Minor Prophets: Jonah or Dagon?

  So when they had a prophet enter their gates who had lived in a fish for three days only to have been sent to them to repent of their ways, the people of Nineveh were ready to listen!  God used Jonah’s disobedience as an opportunity to get the Ninevites’ attention.

  But that was not all.  If we accept that Jonah spent three days and nights in the belly of a huge fish, a fish of sufficient size divinely sent for that purpose  (Jonah 1: 17)  , we understand that Jonah’s skin would have been ‘corroded’ by the digestive juices in the stomach of the fish, resulting in a loss of pigment.  The texture and the absence of colour of Jonah’s skin would have been an ever-present testimony to him having been in the stomach of a fish.  The texture and the absence of colour of Jonah’s skin would have validated the testimonies of the eye-witnesses who talked of having seen the huge fish spew up Jonah onto the beach near Joppa.  The texture and the absence of colour of Jonah’s skin would have justified his claim, in the eyes of the inhabitants of the city of Nineveh, that the divine supreme God had sent him to them with His message.

  So, Jonah proclaimed his message of the coming of God’s punishment upon the city and its inhabitants in 40 days.  (Jonah 3: 4b)  Now, we need to accept that, though these were the words spoken by Jonah, it wasn’t really Jonah’s message; he was proclaiming God’s message to the inhabitants of Nineveh.

  We need to accept that however the inhabitants of Nineveh responded to the words of Jonah, they were not responding to his eruditeness nor his eloquence; they were not responding to his reasoned arguments nor to the emotional emphasis that he placed on his words and phrases.  They would have responded as the Holy Spirit had led them.

  And respond they did.  “The people of Nineveh (from the greatest to the least of them) believed God’s message, and put on sackcloth to show that they had repented (of their evil ways).”  (Jonah 3: 5)  (Roy Jensen in The Book of the Twelve p5) 

  Gordon McConville highlights that the King of Nineveh expressed “a key theological point”.

“Everyone must pray earnestly to God,” the King said, ”and must give up their wicked behaviour and their evil actions.  Perhaps God will change His mind; perhaps He will stop being angry, and we will not die.”  (Jonah 3: 8 & 9) 

  The King is highlighting the rightness of God to judge each person on the basis of how they measure up to God’s standards and to God’s commands as to how we are to relate to him, to others, and to our environment.

  The King is highlighting how crucial it is for individuals to humble themselves before God, and to demonstrate a sincere and absolute repentance for our failure to live up to God’s standards and to comply with God’s commands.

  But the King is also expressing the hope “that God may have mercy if people repent”.  (Gordon McConville in Exploring the Old Testament  Volume four  A Guide to the Prophets p188) 

  “The result of Nineveh’s repentance was that God spared the City.”  (Roy Jensen in The Book of the Twelve p5) 

“God saw what they did; He saw that they had given up their wicked behaviour.  So, He changed His mind and did not punish then as He said He would.”  (Jonah 3: 10) 

  Thus, in one respect, we are to understand that “God did not deal with the Ninevites as He dealt with His covenant people Israel but as He deals with all people generally.  His mercy was part of the “common grace” that He bestows on all people who do what is right rather than a manifestation of “special grace.”  Thus the story teaches that God will be merciful to anyone, His elect and His non-elect, who live submissively to natural divine law.”

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  This is to what Paul refers in his letter to the Church in Rome when he writes of how God will act towards those who have had no access to the Jewish Old Testament Scriptures nor to the New Testament Gospel account.  They are held accountable as to:

“(whether or not) they do by instinct what the Law commands (and that ) their conduct shows that what the Law commands is written on their hearts.”  (Romans 2: 13 to 16)  

  Peter Craigie, in his Commentary on the Book of Jonah, writes:

“The book of the Prophet Jonah “is a vision of a multitude of Human beings, diverse in their lifestyles, disparate in the drabness of their daily existence, yet all sharing a common need and a common capacity.  The common need is for God; the common capacity is their ability to repent.”  (Peter Craigie in The Twelve Prophets  Volume 1 p231 & 223) 

  Thus, Peter Craigie is saying that Humanity has a great need to hear the call of God to repent, and a great need to heed the call of God to repent.

  We see Jesus acting on those same two needs. 

  “Jesus said to the people in Galilee, ‘Turn away from your sins and believe the Good News.’”  (Mark 1: 15) 

  This was his bold call to a people who could not conceive that just their belonging to the Jewish Race was not sufficient for being in a right relationship with God.  The call of Jesus was the same as that of the Prophet Jonah to the people of Nineveh, the call to repent of their sins, to repent of their disobedience of God, and to humble themselves before God and humbly submit to the mercy of God.

  And it is the same call that Jesus still issues to people today, to people who cannot even conceive of the existence of God, let alone that they are accountable to God for their thoughts and words and actions.

  Jesus also said to a select few:

“Come with me, and I will teach you to catch people.”  (Mark 1: 17) 

  Jesus called his Disciples in the same manner that God called the Prophet Jonah, to reach out to those who need to hear God’s call to repent and to call them to heed the call of God to repent. 

  God saw a great change in the people of Nineveh.  It is regretted that this change did not last for, today, Nineveh is a wasteland, a pile of ruins, some of it under a pile of debris 14 metres high.  It is located under two mounds on the east side of the Tigris River, across from the modern city of Mosul in northwest Iraq.

  Its demise was foretold by two Prophets of God writing in the mid-6^th century BC.  The Prophet Nahum said that the future of Nineveh would be one of desolation and ruin  (Nahum 2: 10)  .  The Prophet Zephaniah said that God would make Nineveh a dry waste like a desert, where wild beasts would make their homes among the ruins lying about  (Zephaniah 2: 13 &14)  .  In 612BC the Medes, in an alliance with the Scythians and the Babylonians, laid siege to the city, breached the defences, overran the defenders, deposed the King of the Assyrians, pulled down the city walls and burnt the city to the ground.  It is said that Alexander the Great’s army, when they passed nearby four centuries later, found scant ruins to indicate where this great city had once stood.

  How have we responded to the call of God to repent of the sin in our lives?  Have we responded as did the people of Nineveh in the time of the Prophet Jonah with all earnestness and humility?  Or have we not responded as those in the time of the Prophets Nahum and Zephaniah, as people who refused to hear the call of God to repent and who refused to heed the call of God to repent.

  How have we responded to the call of God to “come and to be fishers of people”?  Have we turned our backs on God as was Jonah’s initial response?  Or have we heeded God’s call to go and tell the Good News of the Gospel, as was Jonah’s subsequent response?  Jonah’s account tells us of the amazing response of people to God’s mercy and grace, once they had been made aware of God’s mercy and grace.  God is calling each of to go to our own “City of Nineveh” to declare God’s message to them.  May we heed God’s call to go and to tell.

I will leave you with this poem:

“Help us, Lord, to be a lifeline to a dying World today,

Bringing hope to hopeless people, telling them that Christ’s the way.”

  (David Sper in Our Daily Bread 23 January 2008) 

Amen.

Addendum

Please consider this observation by Gerhard von Rad in his writing on the Prophet Jonah, and see if it makes sense to you.

“The text of the Book of Jonah seems to be seriously disturbed at one point only: verse 5 in chapter 4 is wrongly placed; it should be put after verse 4 of chapter 3.”

(Gerhard von Rad in The Message of the Prophets Note 1 on p255) H

You are invited to listen to or join in singing the hymn TiS 589 “Jesus Calls O’er the Tumult’

Cecil Frances Alexander

Offering

Offering Prayer    

“For the life that you have given”  TiS774 

 [This YouTube clip is for another hymn so disregard the words – only the one verse is needed.]

For the life that you have given,

For the love in Christ made known,

With these fruits of time and labour,

With these gifts that are your own:

Here we offer, Lord, our praises;

Heart and mind and strength we bring;

Give us grace to love and serve you,

Living what we pray and sing.

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Prayers for Others

Almighty God, please bring relief to those who are ill or weak or in pain.  Please quickly restore to them health and vitality and a renewed joy with life. 

Be with those providing medical aid and care, that they will be encouraged and strengthened as they go about their work.

Please be with those who have recently faced the death of a loved one. 

Console them and comfort them; encourage them with the memories of a joyful and happy life.

Challenge those who are allowing some weakness or habit to become a threat to life itself,

Challenge them to change their outlook on life, and their attitudes and behaviours.

Challenge those who are so busy with the things of this world that they are neglecting the things of eternity. 

May they stop to reconsider their priorities and what is of important to their lives and the lives of their family.

Give rest to those who are tired and overworked, to those for whom life has become wearisome and grim. 

Give them a glimpse of the joys that life can hold, and the possibilities of personal satisfaction and growth.

Bless our Country and its leaders in all levels of government. 

May they strive for the betterment of all rather than the benefit of a few.  May they work with honesty and endeavour rather than make decisions on the basis of prejudice.

May our Church be seen as a leader in Society, providing critical judgement on social ills and sound advice for moving forward. 

Give it the inspiration to present the Gospel at every opportunity and to be the means whereby you can shine your light into the dark places in the World.

May your Church draw life from Jesus Christ,

may it serve the poor and needy with humility and generosity, be inclusive of all who seek grace, and draw women and men into a spirit of partnership.

May the diversity of our cultures and religions work together to bring national harmony,

may it be a sign to all nations that peace and justice is always possible.

We pray for Australia in its relationship with the nations of the world:

may it be a responsible member of the United Nations, bring relief to those suffering from natural disasters, promote human rights and freedom of religion, and be just and ethical in its trade policies.

We pray for each other: may we have a greater sense of our unity in Christ, knowing that in him there are no distinctions,

may we have a stronger call to work together to build up his Kingdom of mercy, peace and justice in our Country.

Gracious Father, watch over Australia, this Great Southern Land of the Holy Spirit,

and give to all who live here a thirst for the word of your Son Jesus, and a love for his mercy, who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

(https://adelaide.catholic.org.au/our-faith/daily-intercessions)

Almighty God, we pray for a greater openness to your Word, that we may allow the Word to penetrate our hearts, call us to life, and motivate us to serve you lovingly.

We pray for a greater love for your Word, that we may take time to read, ponder, and pray with the scriptures so that we may deepen our relationship with you and take on the mind and heart of Christ

We pray for Christian Unity, that you will heal the wounds and misunderstandings of the past, lead all in your Church to offer a more united witness to the Gospel, and offer greater service to our suffering and vulnerable neighbours.

We pray for a spirit of holy detachment, that we may seek first your reign, and place ourselves, our relationships, and our possessions in your service.

We pray for all who are alienated or disconnected from you, that the Spirit will spark a new flame of faith in their hearts and open them to a new relationship with you.

We pray for greater care for the Earth and its resources, that you will guide us in being good stewards of the Earth and protecting its resources for future generations.

We pray for all levels of our governments and Local Councils, that you will inspire their understanding of the pressing issues and guide them in addressing the healthcare, refugee, and violence issues of our society.

We pray for all who have experienced persecution for their faith, that you will give them the strength to remain faithful and protect them from further harm.

We pray for healing of our Nation, that you will heal the divisiveness and mistrust that divides us and open a new path of dialogue, cooperation, and advancement of the Common Good.

We pray for all who are suffering, that you will protect all who have fled violence, guide the homeless to safe shelter, and open the pathways for food, water, and medicine to those in need.

We pray for Peace, that you will change the hearts of those inflicting violence and open opportunities for dialogue so that peace and justice may be established.

Copyright © 2021. Joe Milner. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use. – https://liturgy.slu.edu/3OrdB012124/ideas_other.html

We pray for the peoples of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

We are thankful for the ancient cultures and religions that have been sustained in this area for millennia, for those who continue to pursue peace in the midst of ethnic strife and terrorism, and for Christians who practice their faith even when they are a small, often discriminated minority.

We pray for women and others in these countries who are deprived of basic freedoms and human dignity, for those who misuse or exploit religious identity for extremist political ends, for the wise use of the benefits of oil and other natural resources for the sake of all, and for the emergence of stable democratic societies based on the rule of law, social justice, and respect for religious and other freedoms.

Prayers before scripture reading

Make us wise in your law and enlighten our thoughts with your knowledge. Sanctify our

souls with your truth, and grant us to be obedient to your words so we fulfil your commandments at every hour, O Lord of all, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for ever.

O you, who enlighten the rational with the knowledge of your greatness, enlighten, O my Lord, my thoughts that I may meditate upon your holy and divine Scriptures at every hour, O Lord of all, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for ever.

(From “Prayers of The Hallowing of Addai and Mari Disciplers of the East,” English translation M. J. Birni,  http://www.nestorian.org/nestorian_liturgy.html)

Sufi Prayer for Peace

Send your peace, O Lord, which is perfect and everlasting,
that our souls may radiate peace.

Send your peace, O Lord,
that we may think, act, and speak harmoniously.

Send your peace, O Lord,
that we may be contented and thankful for your bountiful gifts.

Send your peace, O Lord,
that amidst our worldly strife we may enjoy your bliss.

Send your peace, O Lord,
that we may endure all, tolerate all in the thought of your grace and mercy.

Send your peace, O Lord,
that our lives may become a divine vision,
and in your light all darkness may vanish.

Send your peace, O Lord, our Father and Mother,
that we your children on earth may all unite in one family.

(from http://www.worldhealingprayers.com/6.html)

We pray for the rebuilding of the Anandaban Self-Care Unit (SCU) in Nepal, for safety for the builders working on steep, hilly terrain.  We pray that patients at the SCU will continue receiving treatment and training they need to live with dignity and free from pain.  We pray the new buildings will provide a safe and welcoming place away from home and be a blessing to them.

We give thanks that the Indian provincial government have seen the value of the Mobile Care Unit, and have ordered another 39 units to support help reach more people who have difficulty travelling to a health clinic or hospital.  We pray for The Leprosy Mission Trust India board and staff as they continue to advance the needs of people affected by leprosy through advocacy, training, empowerment, research, treatment, and livelihood support.

(The%20Leprosy%20Mission%20January%202024%20Prayers.pdf)

We pray for the East Devonport Holiday happening on this Monday and Tuesday.  

We pray for guidance and encouragement for the new team leader for “Life Under the Sea”, Ben James and his enthusiastic team from the Pathway Shed and local churches.  

We pray for the success of the Staff retreat for all Northern Territory SU staff on this coming Monday and Tuesday, that it will be a productive time of building relationships and of planning.

We pray for our first A2B training in the West, for our chaplains and key staff members, and pray for Andrea as she travels to facilitate this training.  We pray participants who are doing the training will feel equipped to take it into their ministries.

We pray for the success of the CHAT (Cultural, Hearing, Asking, Telling) Training in Darwin this coming Wednesday and Thursday.

We pray for the wellbeing of our WA Young Adults embarking on our first Snorkels Camp from Thursday to Sunday.  We pray they’d be blown away by God’s creation around Perth’s beaches.  We pray for support and guidance for Bianca who is leading the team.

We pray for SRE Teachers in NSW as they prepare their lessons.  We pray they connect with God each day before school routines fill up their days, so that they are strengthened and ready to face any challenges the new school year presents.

We give thanks and praise for all our SU Prayer Breakfast hosts in Tasmania, the days they’ve organised for 2024, and the blessing they are to their communities and our entire SU movement.

(2024/SU%20SEQ-Prayer-Guide-DEC23-FEB24.pdf)

We pray for those who plan to undertake Religious Instruction classes at Bald Hills State School in the coming weeks.  Guide them in their preparation for the words to say and the approach to take with the children in their classes. 

We pray for Kylie Conomos, the Scripture Union Chaplain at Bald Hills State School, as she rests during these holidays before returning in the coming week to address the concerns and needs of children, parents and teachers at the school.

We pray for those who we have not seen for some time and who are unable to attend worship.  Please guide and comfort them in their particular circumstances.  May they be aware of your care for them as they meet what each new day brings.

We bring these petitions to you O Lord confident that you have heard us and will act upon them according to your will and purpose in the World.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil,

For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,

Now and forever.  Amen.

Robert Lowry

Benediction

 [UCA Assembly 2021 Worship Resources] 

Celebrate and demonstrate the unity that we share in Jesus Christ our Lord.  Commit yourselves to worship, to witness and to serve as one People under God, until God’s promised reconciliation of all Creation is complete.

And may the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, rest upon you and remain with you always.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to or join in singing the Benediction Song ‘By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered’  (TiS617)

(This clip is for another hymn, but is used here for the tune)

Verse 1 of 1

By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered,

and confidently waiting come what may,

we know that God is with us night and morning

and never fails to greet us each new day.

We shall remember, all the days we live through,

all of our life before our God we lay.

Dietrich Bonhoffer

Translated by Frederick Pratt Green  (adapted)