Week of January 30, 2000
Debbie B.

"....I called to the Lord out of my distress,
and he answered me;...."
Jonah 2:2

The book of Jonah was familiar to me as a child. It was the story of the man who was swallowed by the whale. I never really looked at the story as an adult until the death of my friend Linda. You may remember Linda, she belonged to our congregation, and many of us were involved in her life because she was sick and alone. Members of our congregation drove Linda to worship, we drove her to appointments, we brought her food, we visited her.

In the end we cleaned her apartment, we washed her clothes, we fed her, and we even bathed her. Linda had made some serious mistakes in her life and she was estranged from her children. Abiding Presence became her family. As part of that family we would sometimes go up to Linda's apartment when we brought her home from church. Linda had a crystal model of Jonah in the Whale on her coffee table. Matthew who was a preschooler at the time was quite fascinated by the man encased in the glass belly of the giant fish. Linda told us that Jonah was her favorite book of the Bible.

I never really gave it much thought until a year or two later when Linda died. David (our Pastor) called to ask me to speak at her Memorial Service. In preparing for that service, I remembered Linda's comments about her favorite Bible story. I sat down and read Jonah that day, and I was overwhelmed by the message that I never knew was there. This was not the cute little children's story of a man rescued by God from the belly of a whale. This was the Good News that nothing can separate us from the love and forgiveness of God. This was Linda1s favorite story because she knew that the message was for her, she knew that God forgave her and loved her.

Whenever I'm reminded of Linda now, I don't see her as the person who needed me. Now I see her as the person God sent to me so that I could hear the message of His love and forgiveness. At Linda's memorial service I urged everyone to read Jonah, because it was Linda's favorite Bible story.

This week I'm urging you to read Jonah, (it's only a couple of pages) because it has a message for you about God's love and forgiveness.

Lord, thank you for the surprise messengers that you send into our lives. Help us to hear your message and then to live our lives in a way that glorifies such a loving and forgiving God. Amen.

Contributed by Debra B.
Published Sunday January 30, 2000
Week 10 of Liturgical Year B