8 August 1999

As I was sitting down to write this morning’s sermon, a story my
Coptic Christian Egyptian friend Marianna told me came to mind. Back in Egypt, every Easter Eve, people crowd around the tomb where tradition says Jesus was lain.
After the tomb is checked for matches, a special priest, who is also checked for matches, enters holding a handful of UNLIT candles. The door is closed, and no one knows what goes on inside.
When the priest comes out again, all of the candles are miraculously glowing.
People then touch their own candles to those which came from the tomb so that they too may be part of this profound miracle.
These flames may be placed anywhere and will NOT burn anything.
People even place the lit candles in their purses.
You can see God’s light glowing from inside the purse, but none of the contents are burned.
I assure you, this story is not a myth, it is true.
Wow, doesn’t that just give you goose bumps?

This story reminds me of a few things from this morning’s readings and Gospel.
Though today’s reading was not specifically Jonah’s story, but rather his prayer from inside the fish, his story tells a lot like Marianna’s story.
As you know God wanted Jonah’s help to deliver a message to
Nineveh, but Jonah did not want to help God because Nineveh was such a messed up and horrid city.
So he tried to run away from God.
Uh, yeah, I would really like to have seen that one.
I guess it was an interesting attempt.
Anyway, Jonah went to sea, but because God was so P.O.’d at him for his lack of trust, God made a big storm, and the boat rocked violently.
Jonah finally convinced the crew to throw him overboard
because he knew he was the cause of the storm.
After being thrown into the sea, Jonah got swallowed by a big fish.
Jonah prayed, said he was wrong and sorry and the big fish spit him out.
Jonah went on delivering God’s message and preaching in God’s glory

Anyway, these stories both remind me of each other in quite a few ways.
Though the Jonah and the priest have very different reasons for being in their circumstances, they have (at least) two things in common.
One, both were in a physically dark place where they couldn’t see, and came into light.
The priest entered the dark tomb and came out with bright flames.
Jonah was in the dark belly of the big fish and was spewed forth into the brightness of day and the knowledge that you can’t run from God.
Two, they both entered with some doubt.
Jonah doubted himself and his ability to preach and be a messenger for God
Though the priest probably does not doubt himself or this miracle, others may have.
Perhaps some in the crowd may doubt.
Possibly some of you even doubt this story’s truthfulness.
But out of the tomb with special flames in glory the priest comes forth --
Hopefully clearing the doubt of the crow, - that is unless you think you can come up with fire that won’t burn through anything.
But out into glory, both come.

Now Jonah totally DID NOT want to go to Nineveh.
Have you ever totally and completely not at all wanted to do something, but you did it anyway and it turned out for the better?
Were you ever forced or begged to go to a party which you absolutely DID NOT want to attend?
Your friend wants you to be there with her; she wants you to join in the fun, but you just don’t think parties are your thing,
For your friend you go, secretly knowing that you will have a simply horrid time.
So you go.
You get to the party and wind up having a good time, and are glad you went.

I guess the big question is “Why do we walk into these dark situations anyway?”
For the priest at the tomb, it’s probably not a so dark a situation, unless you count that visibly there is no light.
The priest must be apprehensive about going in.
After all, what if the candles DON’T light?
How will he face the crowd of believers?
But, he knows that this HAS to get done.
If, for some reason, it doesn’t work, he would probably be smarter not to come out . . . .
But, he trusts in God, and knows it WILL work out.

Now Jonah on the other hand . . .
Jonah probably feared for his life.
In case you haven’t noticed, the God of the Old Testament’s punishment were often harsh, to put it mildly.
How would you like to be swallowed by a big fish for three days?
I think I’d prefer in-school detention.!

But why do we, not dead Bible characters or clergy - us normal, average, everyday people walk into these situations.
And no, I don’t think stupidity is always the answer.
There’s peer pressure.
“Friends” have convinced people to do almost anything!
Who wanted to go to that party anyway?
I didn’t really want to go, but I had a decent time.
There is also fear.
People are often afraid of what would happen if they DIDN’T take a particular path.
Would the consequences be worse?
Cancer patients often endure painful treatment.
I doubt chemo tops their list of their favorite things to do, but the alternatives are often far worse.

The knowledge of what you can get out of a seemingly dark situation is a different reason.
People often do things because they believe they will gain something physically, mentally, spiritually, or financially
But sometimes, what you CAN get out of a dark situations amounts to NOTHING when you ask yourself the question, “Am I GOING to get out of this situation?”
I don’t think, for instance, you’re likely to emerge intact if you walk into an eruption volcano while in a bathing suit. Just an opinion, but . . .

Let’s assume we’ve decided to do something worthwhile which seems dark at the time
We are sure we will get through and out of it.
We are ready to proceed (anxious, but ready.)
STOP!! How do we know we are going to get out of it?
Well, trust has a lot to do with that.
Jonah finally trusted God when he decided to go to Nineveh and deliver the message.
Granted, his trust came after a few swift kicks in the pants.
When Peter trusted Jesus, he could walk on water;
it wasn’t until he doubted that he started to sink.
The priest trusts God, knowing that the Easter miracle will reoccur.
I’m not saying that with trust in God, anything will be completely fine.
You can trust all you want to, but if you put your hand on the hot stove , you will get burned.
Trust needs to be tempered with common sense.
But then again, isn’t it always common sense to trust in God?
I’ll leave that up to you to decide.
As you ponder this question,
I want to remind you not to let you own doubting cloud you from hearing God’s call -
even when God’s call tests the limit of your doubt!