Liturgy that Matters – September 20, 2020 – Jonah 3:10-4:11

Themes: Jonah’s anger broils before the mercy God extends to Ninevah – the capital of Assyria. While Jonah often gets a bad rap for this, we listen to his anger through the voice of those who continue to face violence at the hands of power. When mercy is extended at the expense of the oppressed, where is the God of justice? If destruction is sometimes necessary to disrupt power’s grip, how do we know if it’s a time for mercy or a time for destruction? Jonah’s anger is a vital invitation into conversations with and about God in our world today in the land of an empire not unlike the one Jonah wishes to see brought down.