P. Sherman 42 Wallaby Way

Recently my wife read a book that suggested we’ve turned the Bible into a moral guidebook instead of a story of God’s incredible grace.

She wanted to test this out—so she asked our daughter, “What does the story of Jonah tell us?”

Shari was anticipating answers like…

“Don’t disobey God or else you’ll get thrown in the sea and swallowed by a whale.”

“Even when you run from God, he rescues you and gives you second chances.”

Instead, Ashah said…

“That’s the story about a whale. Y’know, P. Sherman 42 Wallaby Way.”

Ha! At least she got the whale part right.

With all the Finding Nemo imagery, we never figured out if Ashah’s perspective of the Bible was “God will thump you if you do something bad” or “God is our rescuer, the God of second chances.”

Eugene Peterson, in his introduction to the book of Jonah, says,

“Stories are the most prominent biblical way of helping us see ourselves in ‘the God story,’ which always gets around to the the story of God making and saving us.”

And that, my friends, IS what the Bible message is all about…

The story of God making and saving us.

He’s the hero of the story.

God is our rescuer, the God of second chances.