The Patron Saint of Schadenfreude
A preview of the last sermon in the Jonah series and a look ahead to what's next!
If the Book of Jonah ended with chapter 3, we'd all consider it to be a feel-good, happy ending with the prophet learning his lesson and an entire nation repenting and turning to God. But here comes chapter 4 and instead of feeling good, Jonah seems to exude nothing but rage. The word "anger," in fact, appears six times in just eleven verses, and Jonah's anger isn't so much directed at the Ninevites and their repentance as it is directed at God. God doesn't act like Jonah wants or expects. God's grace goes against his assumptions, and so he pouts. We might call him the patron saint of schadenfreude--a German word referring to the delight in the downfall of another. Jonah's anger has a lot to teach us about managing our own assumptions about God and the world, and offers us a lesson in how to be "slow to anger" as God himself is. Join us Sunday as we end the Book of Jonah with a cliffhanger!
If you missed last week’s sermon, you can watch it here:
We also just posted a new promo video for the new sermon series “Fables for Families” which begins on July 21. I’m excited about this one and I encourage you to share this with your social networks. Learning to manage anxiety and conflict is something we all need in our relationships, and this series of “fables” gives us a chance to explore some common problems we encounter and how we can manage ourselves in the midst of them. Here’s the promo:
See you Sunday at Aldersgate, in person or online!