Preach Magazine Issue 4 - Preaching in the digital age | Page 53

SERIAL

superfluous. He talks about the heart
of the sinful prophet, the heart of the
compassionate God, and how God
wants to change our hearts to be
more like his. He says at the start that
although we may be familiar with
the story of Jonah, he will be taking
us into it in a new way. While his
approach is solid, true to the book’s
content and well-applied, it isn’t new.
Having said that, I listened carefully
throughout and at no time did I feel
bored or wish it was over.
At the start of the talk, he asked us to
think about the very last person we
would want to see walk into the back
of church. He gave some suggestions,
and it was a very effective way to
connect with how Jonah felt about
being sent to the Ninevites. He then

gave us some helpful historical context
about Israel’s relationship with this
nation, and about how Ninevite
society had evolved. He dramatised
how Jonah responded to God when
he understood God might show them
mercy, and it brought the story to life.
He then showed us how this prayer
contrasted with the prayer he prayed
from the belly of the whale: justice for
them, mercy for me. I squirmed; I could
relate.
The middle section was a helpful
reminder of the character of God. It
caused me to realise how infrequently
I take time to properly consider the
revealed qualities of our creator – his
love, compassion, kindness, holiness
and majesty.

53

I AM AWARE THROUGHOUT
THAT HE IS NOT AN
EXPERIENCED PREACHER, AND
MOST OF THE THINGS I COULD
FIND TO CRITICISE I AM SURE
WILL BE IRONED OUT OVER TIME.
The last section was where the bulk of
the application came, and it focussed
on how no one is beyond God’s reach
and how we should play our part
in delivering the message of mercy.
He reassured us that we wouldn’t
necessarily have to go to India as he
had done, or anywhere other than our
own context, but that we should look
for opportunities wherever we are.