The Reluctant Messenger
Third Sunday after Epiphany
January 25, 2026
St. John's Presbyterian Church, Houston, Texas
First Scripture Reading, Jonah 3:1-10
The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, "Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you." So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days' walk across. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's walk. And he cried out, "Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.
When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. Then he had a proclamation made in Nineveh: "By the decree of the king and his nobles: No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water. Human beings and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands. Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish."
When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.
Sermon Scripture, Acts 9:1-19
Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” He answered, “Here I am, Lord.” The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus.
Sermon
Well, this is fitting.
Here we are on a Sunday when we're supposed to gather and worship together, and instead we're scattered across Houston, reading a sermon about reluctant messengers who didn't want to go where God sent them.
I can't help but smile at the irony. God has a sense of humor about these things.
Maybe you're reading this in your pajamas with coffee still warm in your hand. Maybe you're relieved you don't have to brave the icy roads this morning. Or maybe you're disappointed because Sunday worship is the one thing that grounds your week, and now even that feels disrupted.
Either way, you're exactly where this sermon finds you. Because the message isn't about showing up in a building. It's about showing up in your life when God calls you somewhere you'd rather not go.
When God Calls the Wrong Number
Let's talk about Jonah first.
You probably know the Sunday School version: Man runs from God, gets swallowed by big fish, fish spits him out, man obeys. Clean and simple. A nice little morality tale about obedience.
But read it again like an adult and you realize Jonah isn't a children's story. It's a comedy about how God uses the most unwilling people to accomplish the most unexpected grace.
God tells Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach repentance. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, the brutal empire that terrorized Israel. These were the people who tortured prisoners, destroyed cities, and made cruelty an art form. And God wants to save them?
Jonah's response is basically, "Absolutely not."
So he runs. Gets on a ship heading the opposite direction. You know what happens next: storm, sailors panic, Jonah gets tossed overboard, fish shows up right on cue.
Chapter 2 is Jonah praying from inside the fish, which sounds repentant until you realize he's mostly complaining. Chapter 3 is where it gets interesting.
"The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, 'Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.' So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh."
Notice what's missing? No confession. No "I've seen the light, Lord!" Just... he went. Still reluctant. Still resentful. But he went.
And here's the kicker: His sermon is terrible.
Eight words in Hebrew. That's it. "Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!"
No gospel. No grace. No invitation to repent. Just doom. The shortest, angriest sermon in Scripture.
And the people of Nineveh? They believe God. All of them. From the king down to the livestock. They put on sackcloth, they fast, they turn from their violent ways.
God sees their repentance and relents. The city is spared.
And Jonah? He's furious. Chapter 4 opens with him having a meltdown because God showed mercy. He literally says, "I knew you'd do this! That's why I ran in the first place! You're too compassionate, too gracious, too slow to anger. You forgive people who don't deserve it!"
Let that sink in. Jonah's complaint is that God is too good.
The Inconvenient Calling
Now flip to Acts 9.
Saul of Tarsus is on a mission. He's hunting down Christians with the kind of zealous efficiency that earns you a reputation. He's got letters of authorization from the high priest, permission to arrest believers in Damascus and drag them back to Jerusalem for trial.
This is his purpose. His calling. His identity.
And then Jesus shows up.
"Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"
The light knocks him flat. The voice strips away everything he thought he knew. When he opens his eyes, he can't see anything.
His traveling companions have to lead him by the hand into Damascus, where he sits in darkness for three days, not eating, not drinking. Just waiting.
Meanwhile, God's talking to a believer named Ananias. "Go to Straight Street. Ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He's praying. He's had a vision of you coming to restore his sight."
And Ananias, bless him, pushes back. "Lord, I've heard about this man. He's done terrible things to your people in Jerusalem. He came here with authority to arrest everyone who calls on your name."
Translation: "God, you've got the wrong guy. Or I've got the wrong guy. Either way, this can't be right."
God's response? "Go. He is my chosen instrument."
So Ananias goes. Still scared. Still uncertain. But he goes.
He finds Saul, puts his hands on him, and says the most extraordinary thing: "Brother Saul..."
Brother. The first word out of his mouth to the man who came to destroy them.
Saul's sight returns. He's baptized. And almost immediately, he starts preaching in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.
The people are shocked. "Isn't this the man who was trying to destroy us?"
Yes. That's exactly who he is. And that's exactly why God chose him.
What Reluctance Reveals
Here's what Jonah and Paul have in common: Neither one wanted the assignment they got.
Jonah didn't want Nineveh saved. Paul didn't want his whole identity dismantled.
But God doesn't call the qualified. God qualifies the called. And sometimes the most powerful messengers are the ones who never wanted the job in the first place.
Because reluctance keeps you honest.
When you don't want to be there, you can't rely on your own charm or credentials. You can't coast on your reputation. You're forced to trust that God is doing something bigger than your comfort zone.
Jonah's terrible eight-word sermon shouldn't have worked. But it did, because God was already at work in Nineveh before Jonah ever showed up. The message wasn't Jonah's. It was God's. Jonah was just the delivery system.
Paul's conversion shouldn't have been believable. Nobody should have trusted him. But Ananias called him "brother," and that single act of grace cracked open a future nobody saw coming.
Think about that. The greatest missionary in Christian history started as a reluctant convert who had to be knocked off his horse and blinded before he could see.
The pattern is everywhere in Scripture. Moses didn't want to confront Pharaoh. Jeremiah said he was too young. Isaiah said his lips were unclean. Mary questioned how God's plan could possibly work.
God specializes in using people who know they're not enough.
Your Inconvenient Calling
So what does this mean for you, sitting at home in Houston on a snowy Sunday when you'd rather be in the sanctuary singing hymns with people you love?
It means God might be calling you to something you don't want to do.
Maybe it's a hard conversation you've been avoiding. Maybe it's forgiving someone who doesn't deserve it. Maybe it's showing up for a neighbor when you're barely holding your own life together.
Maybe it's staying in a relationship that feels harder than leaving. Or leaving a situation that feels easier than facing the truth.
Maybe it's saying yes to a role at church you don't feel qualified for. Or saying no to something good so you can say yes to something better.
Whatever it is, you know what it is. You've been circling it like Jonah circling Nineveh, hoping God will change His mind.
But here's the truth: God's grace doesn't depend on your enthusiasm. It depends on your obedience.
Jonah went reluctantly. And a city was saved.
Ananias went scared. And the gospel reached the ends of the earth.
Your willingness matters. But your perfection doesn't.
Grace on the Other Side
The beauty of these stories is what happens after the reluctant obedience.
Jonah sees an entire city turn to God. He witnesses repentance on a scale he never imagined possible. And even though he's still angry about it, he can't unsee what God did.
Paul becomes the greatest advocate for the grace he once tried to destroy. His inconvenient calling becomes his whole life. The thing he resisted becomes the thing he can't stop talking about.
That's how God works. He doesn't just use reluctant messengers. He transforms them.
The places you don't want to go? Those are often the places where you'll see God most clearly.
The people you don't want to forgive? They might be the ones who teach you what grace really means.
The assignments you don't feel ready for? They might be exactly what grows you into who God created you to be.
The Storm and the Stillness
I don't know what Houston looks like outside your window right now. Maybe ice is still clinging to the trees. Maybe the roads are clearing up. Maybe you're just grateful to be warm and safe inside.
But I know this: Sometimes God cancels our plans so we can hear His.
We couldn't gather today. But we're still the church. And God is still speaking.
Maybe this sermon finds you in a season of reluctance. You know what God is asking, but you're not ready to say yes.
That's okay. Jonah wasn't ready either. Paul didn't volunteer.
But when they finally went, they saw God do more than they imagined.
So go ahead. Take the next small step. You don't have to have it all figured out. You don't have to be excited about it.
Just show up. Say yes. Trust that God is already working in the places you're afraid to go.
Because the most unexpected grace often comes through the most reluctant messengers.
And who knows? Maybe the storm that kept us home today is part of the story God is writing.
Maybe the message you needed wasn't going to come from the pulpit at all.
Maybe it was always meant to meet you right where you are.
Amen.
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P.S. I have a book about Jonah.
Jonah's Mission: Mercy, Message, and Metamorphosis
(Bible Studies) Paperback – August 27, 2024
by Rev. Jon Burnham (Author). This is
Book 2 of 8: Bible Studies.
Jonah’s Mission: Mercy, Message, and Metamorphosis is an in-depth exploration of one of the most captivating stories in the Bible—the story of Jonah. This book delves into the profound themes of divine compassion, obedience, and personal transformation, offering fresh insights and practical applications for modern believers.
Whether you are a Christian seeking a deeper understanding of Jonah’s story, a leader facilitating an adult Bible study group, or a pastor preparing a sermon series, this book serves as a valuable resource. Through a series of carefully crafted chapters, the book takes you on a journey from Jonah’s initial reluctance to obey God’s call to his ultimate realization of God’s boundless mercy.
Each chapter includes a personal story that resonates with the struggles and triumphs of everyday life, connecting Jonah’s ancient experiences with contemporary challenges. You will also find sermon excerpts, detailed analyses of key biblical texts, thought-provoking reflections, and practical applications that encourage personal and spiritual growth.
The book is structured to facilitate both individual study and group discussion, with sections such as poems, prayers, visual imagery descriptions, and questions for reflection. These elements not only enhance understanding but also create opportunities for deep, meaningful conversations about faith, obedience, and the transformative power of God’s love.
In addition to the rich content provided in each chapter, Jonah’s Mission offers worship resources, including calls to worship, prayers of confession, and prayers of the people, making it an invaluable tool for worship leaders and congregations alike.
The book concludes with a powerful, personal story that ties together the lessons learned from Jonah’s journey, leaving readers with a sense of hope, purpose, and inspiration to embrace God’s mission in their own lives.
Jonah’s Mission: Mercy, Message, and Metamorphosis is more than just a Bible study guide; it’s a call to see through God’s eyes, to answer His call with courage and faith, and to join in His mission of compassion and redemption. With wisdom distilled from years of pastoral experience and engagement with believers around the world, The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham presents a book that is both deeply theological and profoundly practical.
Join the journey through Jonah’s story and discover how it can transform your understanding of God’s love, challenge you to live with greater obedience, and inspire you to participate in His mission with renewed purpose. Whether for personal reflection, group study, or sermon preparation, this book offers insights that will resonate with readers long after the final page is turned.
