Jonah and

the

Whale*

* Yes, I know the text says “fish”.

Don’t be a dull pedant.

Gratitude

For what are you grateful?

Jonah and

the Whale

Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying, ‘Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before me.’ But Jonah set out to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and such a mighty storm came upon the sea that the ship threatened to break up. Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried to his god…. He said to them, ‘Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will quieten down for you; for I know it is because of me that this great storm has come upon you.’

So they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea; and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the LORD even more, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.

But the LORD provided a large fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights.

Jonah 1:1-3a, 4-5a, 12,15,17

Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish, saying,‘I called to the LORD out of my distress,

and he answered me;out of the belly of Sheol I cried,

and you heard my voice. You cast me into the deep,

into the heart of the seas,and the flood surrounded me;

all your waves and your billowspassed over me…

Then the LORD spoke to the fish, and it spewed Jonah out upon the dry land.

Jonah 2:1-3, 10

The Night Journey

Out of control, a long, long way

from the light of the sun. The

journey of suffering and grief

takes you away from where you

wanted to go. Is God absent?

The Word of the

LordDoes God send suffering to

people?

Christological Theology

Whatever we can say of Jesus,

we can say of God.

Suffering

Is God present

in situations of

suffering?

Traumatic Suffering

The overwhelming of three domains of our being-in-the-

world

The first is that the world is a meaningful and coherent whole and

not a basket of coincidences. The second is that the world is

benevolent toward us and not inclined to do us harm. The third is

that I am a person worthy of care and love.

Tedeschi & Calhoun

Transformation

Can suffering lead to

transformation?

“exposure to major life crises does indeed increase the risk

of developing psychiatric problems…. we have been finding

that reports of growth experiences in the aftermath of

traumatic events far outnumber reports of psychiatric

disorders." The five domains of posttraumatic growth are:

greater appreciation of life and changed sense of priorities;

warmer, more intimate relationships with others; a greater sense of

personal strength; recognition of new possibilities or paths for one's

life; and spiritual development.

A surprising discovery about these five domains is that they

can co-exist with ongoing suffering.

Tedeschi & Calhoun

Theological Framework

Dorothy Soelle

1. Silent, inarticulate

– The Ocean

2. Psalmic

– The psalm in the whale

3. Action

– Preaching the word in Nineveh

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial

and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are

yours

now and for ever. Amen.

Go in peace;

may you carry God’s Wisdom,

speak forth God’s Word,

and embody God’s Presence

wherever you are.

In the name of Christ. Amen.

References

• Sölle, Dorothee. Suffering. Philadelphia: Fortress Press,

1975.

• Tedeschi, Richard G. and Lawrence G. Calhoun.

"Posttraumatic Growth: Conceptual Foundations and

Empirical Evidence." Psychological Inquiry 15, no. 1

(2004): 1-18.

http://www.jstor.org.divinity.idm.oclc.org/stable/20447194

.