Rev. Dr. Jenn Pick

After chapters of argument—after wrestling with mercy, justice, election, inclusion, and offense—Paul does something unexpected.

Jonah ends his story unchanged. The city repents. The people turn. Even the animals are drawn into God’s mercy.

Paul does not try to make this comfortable. He does not soften the claim or explain it away. He simply names the truth: mercy does not belong to us.

I grew up keeping score. My Granny and I could play games for hours—Uno, Go Fish, and especially Scrabble.

Long before Jesus tells a story about workers in a vineyard, God gives instructions about labor, wages, and dignity.

We live as though the world runs on scarcity.

I tend to read this verse as reassurance—God is patient with others.

Patience is not a virtue I possess in abundance. I admire it. I practice it—at least in theory.

This passage has long been a compass for those who serve the Church.

I have always stumbled a bit over the word “chosen” (or as our Presbyterian brothers and sisters would translate it, “elected”).