Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

Unexpected Truths: Grace is amazing!

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Give a single big bag of M&Ms to siblings in middle school and tell them to share. You will witness counting and division done with mathematical, accounting-like precision. Each child will get an equal amount of candy. Because that is fair. That’s what’s expected! We human beings have an incredibly strong sense of fairness.
 

That is why it can be so amazing when we see how God unexpectedly dispenses blessing and grace. It's not fair!
 

The prophet Jonah was perplexed when he saw God’s mercy on a nation that was an enemy to Jonah’s people. Jonah wanted justice. God showed mercy.
 

Like Jonah, we need to stop expecting God to be fair. He does not give us what we deserve. Instead, in his grace, he shows us mercy. 
 

That’s amazing!