This week begins our new series, Cosmic Thoughts for Everyday Life, where we explore how the vast, sweeping truths about Christ connect directly to the smallest details of our daily living.

Paul’s letter to the Colossians moves between cosmic-scale theology—Christ as the center of creation, redemption, and the future—and very practical issues like family relationships, work, and community life. For Paul, you can’t separate theology from everyday ethics.

The book of Jonah is a strange tale that you probably remember from Sunday School. It’s got a big whale, a rebellious prophet, a tree eating worm, and a repentant Nineveh. These features make Jonah perfect for the screen but a bit hard to understand as scripture. Should we read Jonah like any other prophet or is it a parable? That strange ambiguity takes some work to understand but it’s also what makes the book of Jonah so powerful. At the heart of the story of Jonah is a reluctant prophet frustrated by the mercy of God. As we read this strange little story, we’re invited to look at our own lives and ask ourselves, do we really want God to love our enemies? Do we really want God to be merciful?

The book of Jonah is a strange tale that you probably remember from Sunday School. It’s got a big whale, a rebellious prophet, a tree eating worm, and a repentant Nineveh. These features make Jonah perfect for the screen but a bit hard to understand as scripture. Should we read Jonah like any other prophet or is it a parable? That strange ambiguity takes some work to understand but it’s also what makes the book of Jonah so powerful. At the heart of the story of Jonah is a reluctant prophet frustrated by the mercy of God. As we read this strange little story, we’re invited to look at our own lives and ask ourselves, do we really want God to love our enemies? Do we really want God to be merciful?