Good Morning Friends,
Today’s lectionary is about the good side of what can happen when people get a second chance. The examples are some stubborn people. We have Jonah, who finally goes to Nineveh and revival comes. And then we have the story of Mary and busy Martha. Both Mary and Martha were followers of Jesus. They both loved Jesus but how they viewed life and witnessed about Christ were very different. When it came to duty and devotion, those internal motivators, they were very different. Here we learn that it is not an either-or proposition but a matter of ordering with the first thing being of God in the experience of life. The story is one that encourages us to have it all in proper order. Here devotion is always to come before duty…love before the law… attending before acting. Here it becomes clear that we are to learn not just intellectual lessons but be prompted to respond to the transformational demands of choosing a grace-filled life and learn by doing too. Along these lines let’s explore what might not be such an easy question. So, If You Would You Like To Have A Do Over Are You Listening And Singing A Tune To God’s Prompting?
Scripture: The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, “Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” So 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. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth. When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. Then he had a proclamation made in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water. Human beings and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands. Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish.” 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.
Jonah 3:1-10 (NRSV)
Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:38-42 (NRSV)
Let the word of Christ* dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God
Colossians 3:16 (NRSV)
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
Acts 16:25 (NRSV)
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.
Ephesians 2:19-22 (NRSV)
Message: I am so glad that God gives second chances. After Jonah experienced the inside of a fish for three days God instructed him a second time to preach the message of repentance to the people of Nineveh. And though it was a surprise to Jonah the people responded. God gives second chances. That is what God does. When we make mistakes, or disobey Him, He will usually correct us, but God lets us start over. David got a second chance after his experience with Bathsheba. Paul got a second chance after helping to stone Stephen. I imagine you have experienced mercy in your own life. No, it does not always work but, I for one, am very thankful that God gives second chances. If God was less merciful you probably would not be reading this. And the message is this, if you would like a redo, ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. Jesus will put things in perspective. It is that simple. At least to begin with. Of course, just because you are a Christian, it does not mean one no longer makes mistakes. The point is this: wrong thinking results in wrong living. Actions begin as ideas. If our ideas are wrong, then the things we do will be full of error. We need to fill our minds with the Word of God, just as we need to fill our lives with the love of God. Sometimes we need a do over to get it right. We need faith. We need God’s grace. We need to believe the way God would have us to believe. We need to act in a way that reflects the power of Christ in us to transform. We need to listen to the Spirit and reflect this in what we say and sing. In today’s lectionary selection we have an example of weak links and issues of structural integrity. You see, there is a privilege and peril for every person that they might be inspired by God and be strong in the Spirit on a firm foundation of Christ or choose a cornerstone of their motivation that is not of God. Sometimes do-overs are in all our best interests.
And So, the Christian life is being in a loving relationship with Jesus…. following him…. listening to his voice…staying near him…. trusting in him. It is a path of humility but also this listening and conviction is an art as well as an act of love. It is designed to set us free. Today, responding to the supernatural promptings of the Holy Spirit I listen to the still small voice that calls out nudging us to do on earth that which is the way of heaven. Maybe this focused unity of listening is as close as we get to being at the feet of Jesus. The message here is clear. We live in a world that is upset and duty bound… influenced by the cultures of religion, media, business, education, government, family, arts, and entertainment. We are captives of culture. We live in a Martha world that is in desperate need of a witness of a reality of God with us…to a love within us. We are prisoners in need of the songs of God. To reclaim our influence and sanity we need to stop doing things out of habit and instead begin doing things out of love. We must listen to the opportunities. It is in listening that people become more alive, clear, and beautiful. Without listening there is no poetry, no music, and no prayer. Here our soul is nurtured in the connection that communication creates. Here the deepest insights of our creative mind emerge as we are comforted by the counselor in a concert for our character in the power of listening as well as singing. Here Christ mediates both our worship and relationships.
Pray we reflect on how we think related to how we act. Pray that we understand that what appears to be failure is not final. Pray we realize that even bad results can be used for a greater purpose. Pray that the future is not yet set. Pray that true change will happen in our lives when we seek the truth and change our actions. Pray that we realize that life is more about thinking differently than it is about trying harder. Pray we have balance in our lives of work and play. Pray we maintain a healthy attitude. Pray we have faith in God’s grace and believe differently than the world would have us believe. Pray that we do not lose our joy in serving. Pray we listen so we might obey. Pray we listen and are nourished by the deep roots of God’s word. Pray we listen to build up others. Pray we listen as a way of fighting the good fight. Pray we listen to be spiritually strengthened. Pray we listen so we might walk a God-designed pathway to joy. Pray we listen to glorify God. Pray we listen in a way to communicate clearly what needs to be said. Pray we focus on Jesus; not what others are or are not doing. Pray we experience the great power in the great pardon of God. Pray we listen with love in order to build up the body and communicate in a Christlike way.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 
Good morning, Brother John.
As intrigued as I am regarding “do overs,” I am not sure there is such a thing. The closest I can come to that is a golf term called a “mulligan.” For many people, a mulligan is a decision to ignore the ugly shot you just hit. You then hit what you hope will be a better shot and you simply put down the score you get with you second ball. Even then, though the scorecard will not reflect that errant shot, you cannot erase it from your memory.
Bad shots, like other mistakes we make in life cannot be overcome by thinking it is a second chance. The doubt that creep into our minds from that errant shot, will continue to influence the rest of the round. The mulligan is not really a “do over.” It is just a way to pretend that we are better than we would like to think we are.
Noah gave in to God, not because he was getting a “do over” but because he knew he had no choice. And once he finished his task, he sat down and pouted. He continued to gripe about the work God has chosen for him.
In Martha’s case, she doesn’t get a “do over.” Jesus simply says, “You are missing the point, Martha.” He knows that Martha is missing so much because she is focused elsewhere. No where in the text does she acquiesce. She continues her work instead of sitting down next to her sister.
God offers us grace, mercy, and forgiveness. He does not say, “let’s try it again.” What we have done, or failed to do, in the past is complete. It is over. What we do next is not a “do over.” It is an opportunity to find a better way to move forward. What we have said or done cannot be erased. But it can help us see the present in a new light. And will hopefully help us create a future more in tune with the love and peace of God.
I don’t use mulligans for a reason. I try to evaluate the ugly shot I just hit so my next one will be better. I accept the penalty I deserve and move on. Hopefully I can create a better swing with future shots that will make the rest of the round better. At the end of the day, the score I turn in is more reflective of my capabilities than taking mulligans would suggest.
chesed ve shalom,
M
That is what we hope to be as children of God. We should confess our failures and use them to help us to be better in the future. The good news of the gospel doesn’t call us to “do overs.” It calls use to forgive ourselves as we forgive others. Then move on.
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