The great city

God cares about his world. He wants us to care too.

On Sunday we are going to look at the biblical book of Jonah. There's a lot of exciting stuff in this book about storms, big fishes and trees that suddenly shrivel up. But it's really about a city that God cared about and a man who didn't agree with him. 

Jonah knew that God was compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. The problem was that Jonah wasn't.

Nineveh was a great city. It was the centre of a great empire. God thought it was great. We know this because it says so in the book of Jonah. Three times. Jonah  hated the city.  He wanted God to condemn it. History tells us that he may have had good reasons, but Jonah was not looking through God's eyes.

So here's my advice today: love the place where you live and work. And if God has called you somewhere: love that place too. Decide that it is great. Think of it as a place that God loves. Show God's compassion. Be slow to get angry. Try to love the place as God does.  There's lots of practical things you can do, but work on your attitude as well.

Manchester is a great city. Oldham and Rochdale are great boroughs. God thinks so. Let's agree with him.

In his love


James