An Open Door Is Not the Same as Going | Too Much Mercy – Week 1

An Open Door Is Not the Same as Going

After several weeks of anticipation, we finally kicked off our new sermon series, Too Much Mercy, this past Sunday! I'm looking forward to walking through the Book of Jonah with you over the next four weeks as we discover what this familiar story has to say to the Church in the twenty-first century—and to Atonement Lutheran in particular.

Many of us think we know Jonah's story. We remember the great fish. We remember Nineveh. We remember the reluctant prophet. But as we slow down and let the book unfold at its own pace, we begin to notice things we may have overlooked before. Jonah is much more than a children's story. It is a story about God's mission, God's mercy, and God's determination to bring His saving Word to those who need to hear it.

The book of Jonah begins with a clear command: “Go immediately to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it.”

Jonah hears the word of the Lord. He knows the voice speaking to him. He has carried God's message before.

So Jonah gets up.

For one brief moment, it looks like obedience.

Then he heads in the opposite direction.

The text does not yet tell us why. That answer comes later. For now, the important thing is the outcome: God sent a message to Nineveh, but Jonah did not take it there.

The message remained undelivered.

That ancient story has something to say to the Church today.

Jesus has also given His people a commission: "Go and make disciples of all nations."

The word go assumes movement. It means carrying the Gospel beyond the places where it is already known.

Open church doors are a wonderful thing. Every congregation should welcome those who enter. But an open door answers a different question than the Great Commission.

An open door asks, "Will people come here?"

The Great Commission asks, "Will we go to them?"

Those are not the same question.

The Church has not been entrusted with advice for better living or a message about itself. We have been entrusted with the good news of Jesus Christ.

The Father sent His Son into the world, and Jesus did not flee. He embraced the Father's will, went to the cross, entered death, and rose again on the third day. Through His death and resurrection, He secured forgiveness, reconciliation with God, and eternal life for the world. These gifts are received through faith in Him.

This is the message Christ sends His Church to carry.

And Jonah leaves us with an uncomfortable question:

When God's Word does not reach the people to whom He has sent it, does the reason ultimately change the outcome?

What good is an undelivered message to those who never receive it?