Welcoming the Holy Interruptions

With the 1st Sunday in December, we welcome Advent, and once again a new church year. In similar fashion, on December 31st, New Years Eve we will bid goodbye to one year and welcome a new one, 2025! It's times like these that we pause to consider where we’ve been and where we’re going.

You may be familiar with the practices of making resolutions - goals for what you’d like to do over the course of the next year. I do it as well as many of you also. However, I’m sure you’re well aware that many times those well-intentioned resolutions somehow go astray by the first or second week of February, if they make it that far at all! This morning, very much so by accident, I was given the opportunity to consider that in a fresh light while leading Bible Story time with our children in the Preschool.

The story for the day was that of Jonah and the big fish. You likely know it well but here are the highlights. Jonah was called by God to go to Nineveh, longstanding enemies of Jonah’s people, to proclaim God’s call to repentance and Grace. This Jonah did not want to do, so he jumped the first ship so he could run as far away as possible. God was not pleased and sent a storm that nearly sank the ship. Jonah, recognizing that the storm was God’s persistence, asked to be thrown overboard. The storm subsided and Jonah was swallowed by a big fish. After three days he was spit up on dry land and half-heartedly did what God asked. The whole city of Nineveh listened, repented, and felt God’s Grace. Jonah was the most successful prophet in all of Scripture!

As I thought about that story with our preschool children it struck me that what Jonah experienced was a distraction, or, put another way, a Holy Interruption. Jonah didn’t want to do this; it wasn’t in his plans. Nevertheless, here he was having to contend with it and as a result the Grace of God was shared.

As we embark on a new church year and on a new year of 2025, I’m sure that you have many hopes, dreams, and resolutions. Perhaps though for this year you can keep your eyes open to the distractions, the Holy Interruptions that will no doubt find you along your way. Perhaps this year you welcome them as opportunities to see God’s Grace in action both for you and for your neighbor. Happy New Year!

+Pastor Jonathan