‘A Tale of Three Cities’ by Rev Allister Lane - 22 May 2022

‘A Tale of Three Cities’ by Rev Allister Lane

22nd May 2022

Jonah 1 and Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5

Last Sunday we introduced the new Vision that St John’s Session has been discerning.

And I want to explore this some more today.

Charles Dickens wrote A Tale of Two Cities.

Today, I want to talk about A Tale of THREE Cities.

I should say, this isn’t a sequel – but a story about three specific cities that tell us about God, and ourselves.

The FIRST CITY

Nineveh

(in our first Bible reading we hear) God says to Jonah: “Go at once to Nineveh, that great city…” (v2)

So what does Jonah do…? He goes in the opposite direction.

The story of Jonah is about a stubborn and petulant prophet, who cannot fathom the love God has for people unlike him.

So, the story of Jonah is on one lever about racism.

Jonah can’t stand people who are not like him.

Ironically, in disobeying God to get away from ‘unclean foreigners’, Jonah ends up on a ship surrounded by ‘unclean foreigners’.

And when their lives are threatened by the storm, …we see God changing Jonah’s heart.

Amazingly, Jonah says: “throw me into the sea; then the sea will quieten down for you” (v12)

Jonah is willing to die for them.

This is the kind of sacrificial love we see God fulfilling in Jesus Christ.

However, as the story of Jonah continues, his change-of-heart doesn’t last very long.

But, after this experience of the storm (and three days in the stomach of a fish)

Jonah DOES do what God has told him; he goes to the city of Nineveh.

What sort of city was Nineveh…?

BIG:

·      It was the largest city in the world for several decades (circa 600 BC)

·      Population= 120,000 (Jonah 4:11)

·      Size= “Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across.” (Jonah 3:3)

It seems Jonah was so distracted by the power of this city, he didn’t believe God could transform Nineveh.

As well as assuming God couldn’t transform Nineveh,

he wished God wouldn’t transform Nineveh.

Jonah is cynical and selfish.

He doesn’t think that the city can be changed.

What about us…?

Do you believe God’s love and mercy can transform those around you?

Those in your neighbourhood, your workplace, this city?

An intriguing part of the story in the first chapter we hear today, is where the nonreligious captain rebukes Jonah:

“What are you doing sound asleep? Get up, call on your god! Perhaps the god will spare us a thought so that we do not perish.’

In other words: why don’t you use the resources of your faith for the public good?

Can we as the Church be guilty of what Jonah is guilty of?

1) not even knowing about the world’s problems,

2) not doing anything about the world’s problems.

The story of Jonah makes it clear that to love God is to love what God loves.

If we love God, our hearts will be changed.

Can our hearts be hard compared to the mercy of God?

The FIRST CITY shows us: God loves

(and us?) If we love God, we are to love those God loves

The SECOND CITY

Is the New Jerusalem in the vision we heard from Revelation.

“the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.” (v10)

This is a vision of something that hasn’t happened yet –

and although some may interpret this will literally happen one day –

we can recognise in this vision imagery of fulfilment.

God’s promises becoming the new and complete experience – as God always meant things to be.

What has been, is transformed.

For example, we hear:

“I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.” (v22)

This is about relationship.

In the past the Temple in Jerusalem represented relationship with God:

·      God’s presence,

·      God’s holiness among humanity

·      connection/communication

Furthermore, we hear in this vision

1.    the city will be a place for everyone – nations and kings will live there (v24)

2.    the city will be a place that of safety and security – “Its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there” (v25)

This second city is different from every city we know;

this city is all that God wants for us.

Tim Keller quotes Malcolm Muggeridge:

“As Christians we know that here we have no continuing city, that crowns will roll in the dust and every earthly kingdom must at some times flounder.

Whereas we acknowledge a king men did NOT crown, cannot dethrone;

as we are citizens of a city of God they did NOT build, and cannot destroy.”

Although this second city is different from every city we know, it also is a vision for every city we do know.

The SECOND CITY shows us: God promises

And we have hope.

The THIRD CITY is…

Can you guess…?

THIS city we are in today.

We (at St John’s) are discerning a vision for how we can share the Gospel with this city.

This is unapologetically about our faith in who God is.

Much discussion about the character of the city uses sociological and anthropological jargon –

we need to reclaim MORAL language to describe the city.

We have resources of faith to offer.

We trust in God who is loving, merciful and makes promises.

The message for Nineveh was to repent (to turn to God).

Jonah struggled with this message. Jonah was cynical and selfish.

What about us? Do we have confidence in God’s message as the hope for our city?

Do we feel we can make a difference?

Do we trust God’s power to work through us?

Jonah was one person, and God used him to transform the city.

The history of the early Church shows that the Gospel spread at first through the cities.

The Gospel transformed the thinking, the culture, the arts, the academics, etc. and this allowed Christian faith to be better understood and change more hearts.

Our Vision here at St John’s is about continuing to share the Gospel in this city;

continuing what began at the time this became a city.

This city continues to change, and so our context for our mission has changed.

The residential population in this neighbourhood is the greatest it has ever been!

What a wonderful time to be a church in the city!

Who does God want us to be?

What does God call us to do?

How are we to live our faith?

What are our strengths? Our assets?

What are the relationships we know we already have in the neighbourhood?

We have been gifted God’s love, are we ready to share love with others?

VISION STATEMENT: We want to share the gospel with our changing neighbourhood. We will do this by increasing entry points to our faith community, fostering intentional community connection, and growing faith.

1.    Multiple Entry Points – enhance and increase those for new people to connect with.

How do people come to know us and know God?

2.    Intentional Community Connection – not in silos, but interconnected.

How do we welcome people into a place of belonging?

3.    Growing Faith is our reason for being – to know God better every day.

How do we deepen spirituality that engages with our lives?

IMAGE OF A POHUTUKAWA TREE:

Living – dynamic – growing – reaching out – interacts with the surrounding eco-system.

All three parts exist and function at the same time.

Diverse experiences are united in our identity as followers of Christ.

The THIRD CITY shows us: God calls.

How will we respond?