Jealousy

•September 14, 2011 • Leave a Comment

We’re working through all the bad emotions this week!

This is another tale of the abundance of God’s love – and the disgruntledness (I think I made that word up, but you know what I mean!) of those who think they should get something more than others.

The workers that were hired early in the day had agreed a wage they were happy with, and had worked hard all day.  The became unhappy when they saw that those hired at the last minute were being given exactly the same wages – how unfair!!

I suspect this was a little bit of the same thoughts and emotions going through Jonah’s mind…

After all I’ve done

All the hard work on my part – and others seem to be getting the same reward.

It is up to God what he does, and his love is so abundant – and so equal.  He loves no one any more or any less.  Far from making anyone feel jealous, or put out – how fantastic is that!!!

God’s love is so immense, there is plenty to go round.  However long we’ve been hanging around outside or working hard for him, we are all accepted and welcomed in – and we are all treated the same.

Praise God that he welcomes you as much as the next person, wherever you or they have been.  So, let’s welcome others in, and be thankful that God accepts them as he accepts you and me.

Thank you Lord

That you value us all,

and welcome us in.

Thank you that you treat us all the same,

whether we have been near or far.

Thank you for inviting me to work for you,

on the same terms as you invite others.

May my focus be on you,

and not me

or them.

Posted in God, Jesus, justice, Lectionary, love
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Sulking

•September 13, 2011 • 1 Comment

Sulking is one reaction to not getting your own way, or feeling that what you’ve done has not been appreciated.

It seems to be the option Jonah took!

Jonah had had a rocky ride with God and what he had asked him to do.

God asked him to go to Nineveh to tell the people how wrong they were getting things.  Jonah didn’t want to do that, so he ran off in the opposite direction.  After a diversion via a boat trip, a storm, and a whale Jonah agreed to do what God asked him.

Jonah’s mission worked, and the people believed God’s message and stopped he wrong they were doing.

And then Jonah has what we would call where I from ‘a right strop’.

He turns on God and says,

‘I knew you’d do this’.

Jonah is clearly annoyed that God has changed his mind and decided not to punish the people of Nineveh at all.

Perhaps he thought God had been taken in, perhaps he thought God had given in too easily, or let them get away with it too lightly.  Perhaps he was just annoyed that people who had done so much wrong could be forgiven.

It may seem a strange reaction to seeing God’s love and forgiveness in the lives of others.  You’d think he would be pleased, especially after all the trouble he’d gone to.  May be he had been hoping he’d be able to tell God,

‘I told you so!’

To be proved right and now he can’t.  Is he perhaps jealous that others are having a part of God’s kingdom?  Did he want to see them punished for what they had done?  We’re not told why he got so angry.

How are we when God does something?

Do we like to be the ones to tell God what he should and shouldn’t be doing?  Who he should and shouldn’t be loving?  Who and what he can or can’t forgive?  Do we like to be calling the shots, rather than letting God.

Surely the fact that the Ninevites have changed their ways and discovered God’s forgiveness is a good thing?  Yet it makes Jonah so angry.

We aren’t told the end of the story, how Jonah finally responds, what he says to God, if he stops sulking – perhaps that is not the important part.  What really matters is that those who have lived their lives so wrong for so long hear what God has to say on the matter, and give all the wrong things up.  They discover for themselves God’s patience, kindness, love and forgiveness.

That patience, kindness, love and forgiveness is available to everyone, whatever they have done, however stroppy they’ve been, how far from God’s ways – God welcomes and forgives and takes us on with him.

Forgive me Lord

when I respond to what you are doing

by sulking

and being angry –

questioning your ways.

Thank you

that we I get things wrong

you still love me

and forgive me

as I turn to you.

Lord may I turn and not run,

rejoice and not sulk,

hear and know your forgiveness and life,

and share it with others

Posted in forgiveness, God, hope, Lectionary, love
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To e-read, or not to e-read

•September 12, 2011 • 2 Comments

A small diversion from my usual topics today, but I’m looking for some wisdom.

I love to read.  Always have, probably always will.  One of my favourite hobbies is people watching, and you can do that so well in books.  They are also a good way to explore other views, other cultures, other situations.  In short reading is a joy.

So… with an impending birthday, and a collection of vouchers for a certain internet book store, I got round to wondering again about an electronic reading device.

But…

I can see many advantages:

  • It’s light
  • I can get several books on it – no taking up space with books when I go on holiday – last time I took four!
  • I can read it when other people are asleep without disturbing them

I can also see disadvantages:

  • what about all the books I already own?
  • I’m not sure about it for the beach
  • It costs a more than a paperback to take out and about and risk losing it or it being taken
  • I’m worried for when I fall asleep reading and it lands on my head!!

But then I got to thinking about some other issues, perhaps ones that effect the wider community:

  • I get most of my books from the library.  I like it that way.  It enables me to read books I might not otherwise pick up, for fear of spending money and not liking it.  It also allows me to read as many books as I want, not as many as I can afford.  Having to buy rather than borrow books, would cost me a lot more.  But there are much wider issues than that.  If we all start reading e-books on readers, where will that leave our libraries?  Libraries are valuable community spaces, and every person that stops using them puts them further at risk of closure or even shorter opening hours – and where will that leave those people who have to depend on them – not just the buildings, but the mobile libraries.
  • What about the people who I can share books with now?  I can’t pass on an e-book that I’ve downloaded.
  • And the same applies to charity shops.  I guess a fair bit of their trade comes from selling second-hand books.  If we all moved to e-books, that would be one more thing they have less of to sell and fewer opportunities to raise much-needed funds. (Though I’m not sure of the law re copyright and re-selling in both these cases.  I appreciate that authors have a right to earn their money for the work they have produced, maybe that’s another question…)

So I find my self in not just a financial, but a moral dilemma.  Can anyone offer me any help in unpicking it?

To e-read or not to e-read – that is the question…

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