We’re glad to gather this morning to worship our God and King.

Pastor Bodner leads us further in our study of Jonah this morning, considering his importance both in the context of his time and in the wider context of the whole Bible and the unified story of redemption that is told in its pages.

Happy Reformation Day!

Today is a day Protestant people and churches like Calvary remember and give thanks for the Reformation. On October 31, 1517, a law student-turned-monk called Martin Luther nailed 95 “theses” to the announcement board on the door of the church in Wittenberg (Germany). For many years, he had been struggling to understand God and how he, Martin, could be rightly related to Him. After years of intense, agonizing spiritual struggle and serious study of the Bible, these 95 Theses were Luther’s points of disagreement with the Holy Roman Catholic Church based on what he had read in the scriptures. He put forward his theses hoping to see Bible-based reforms in the doctrine and practices of the Church (which was the most powerful and wealthy institution in the world at that time). But God had other plans. Those 95 Theses became the starting point of a movement we now call the Reformation because it led to reforms in Christian doctrine and worship based on God’s Word, the Bible. And it also reformed European society, splitting Western Christianity into two branches: Catholic and Protestant. God worked through Martin Luther to change the world forever.

God worked through Jonah, too, to bring truth to darkness, and that is the subject of our sermon today, brought to us by Pastor Bodner. May we cherish the truth of God’s Word and seek Him for the courage to live boldly by it.

It’s a delight to be with you today, Calvary.

For the past few weeks, we have been looking at less well-known parts of the Old Testament and appreciating their place in the unified story of God’s Word, the Bible. Pastor Bodner takes us into the Book of Jonah today.

May God open our minds and hearts to the light of His Word.