Jonah's Story, Jonah's God

I've been lecturing on the story of Jonah for the past two weeks and the importance of story in scripture for shaping our stories, and this is a short poetic distillation of some of it. (Note: this is now a revised version one week further on with 2 extra verses and a few other amendments.)

The Word of the LORD came to Jonah
The capital L.O.R.D. Lord
The God who is
Rather than the God we might prefer

The Word which commanded light to be
Begins this story and all stories
That ever were
And all that are still to be written.

But will we respond to this command
Or will we just like Jonah resist?
No way Yahweh!
My story is never going there.

Is God prompting us to cross borders
And the boundaries between us and them?
Love the other
Whosoever that other might be.

Does God need to catch our attention
With sea monsters and swift growing vines
To turn us round
And reset our stories back on track?

Are we ready to change direction?
Not just to confess all our failings
But change our ways
And minds, knowing that God can change his

Or do we prefer immutable
Kings and Gods who command and control?
Do this! Go there!
Say this, think this and don’t do this!

Rather than the Word which asks questions
Wanting us to use our God given brains
And who doesn’t
Finish the story…

Selah

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