Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes (Turn and Face the Strange)

This Sunday's sermon was presented by the Rev. Mary Cat Enockson who had Jonah 3:1-5, 10 along with 1 Corinthians 7:27-31, and Mark 1:14-20 as scripture readings for today.

Her initial description of Jonah's difficulty changed the story a little. Her version, unlike the section read during the service, suggested that Jonah also presented a message for the people of Nineveh to repent, but what we read was

"‘Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!’"

To me, Mary Cat's version fails to reveal the embarrassment of Jonah when God changes his mind and spares the city. In addition, the lectionary curiously omits verses 6-9 where the King gets credit,

" When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. Then he had a proclamation made in Nineveh: ‘By the decree of the king and his nobles: No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water. Human beings and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands. Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish.’ "

I love that "Who knows?" in the new translation, but I would like to point out the KJV of verses 9-10:

3:9 Who can tell [if] God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?

3:10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did [it] not.

The new translation helps with the tricky questions of God repenting and of God doing evil.

While the sermon focused on Jonah, we ignored a question that I have regarding this business about God changing His mind. I have often wondered if this might be an argument against "Predestination." It certainly is an argument for intercessory prayer.

Also by focusing on Jonah, her deviation into the gospel of social change during the latter part of the sermon was weak.

I agree that Christ changes lives, and can change society, but there is more to it than that. I disagree that resurrection is the transformation of us into a mere instrument of social change. What about the transformation from a mere mortal into someone who, through Christ, is given eternal life? Did we hear about salvation today? No.

The scriptures from today made me think that the changes we get from becoming Christians are not always what we expect. If the 1 Corinthians passage meant that the people of that day were preparing for the end of the world, then they got it wrong and we got something different ("Thy will be done") or maybe God "changed His mind."

Likewise, what were those simple fishermen thinking when their lives changed at the Sea of Galilee in Mark 1:14-20? They did not know that they would later be witnesses to a real Resurrection. Nor could they know at the time of the promise of eternal life. They were changed, over time, into people who could spread the Gospel of Christ resurrected, the message that saves souls, and yes, changes society.

Changes
David Bowie




(Note there has been controversy over one word in this song so I included some alternative interpretations, I believe Mr. Bowie wanted his band to sing "strange" and many of us believe they do.)

"I still don't know what I was waiting for
And my time was running wild
A million dead-end streets
Every time I thought I'd got it made
It seemed the taste was not so sweet
So I turned myself to face me
But I've never caught a glimpse
Of how the others must see the faker
I'm much too fast to take that test

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strange/strain/straight)
Ch-ch-Changes
Don't want to be a richer man
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strange/strain/straight)
Ch-ch-Changes
Just gonna have to be a different man
Time may change me
But I can't trace time

I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence and
So the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're going through

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strange/strain/straight)
Ch-ch-Changes
Don't tell t hem to grow up and out of it
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strange/strain/straight)
Ch-ch-Changes
Where's your shame
You've left us up to our necks in it
Time may change me
But you can't trace time

Strange fascination, fascinating me
Changes are taking the pace I'm going through

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strange/strain/straight)
Ch-ch-Changes
Oh, look out you rock 'n rollers
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strange/strain/straight)
Ch-ch-Changes
Pretty soon you're gonna get a little older
Time may change me
But I can't trace time
I said that time may change me
But I can't trace time "