Revised Common Lectionary Reflection, Third Sunday after the Epiphany, Year B
January 21, 2018
Lessons: Jonah 3:1-5, 10; Psalm 62:5-12; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20
Theme: God’s faithful and generous people are involved in the stewardship of relationships as part of our call to “fish for people.”
Key Scriptures: And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. Mark 1:17-18
Preaching/Teaching Reflection
Immediately! Really Jesus? Do you expect me to believe that Simon, Andrew, James, and John left their boats, nets, livelihoods, and families to follow you on a whim? That seems so…radical, nonsensical, absurd even.
Have you ever had these kind of thoughts about Jesus’ call of the disciples in Mark’s gospel? We know that Mark has a fondness for the word we translate as immediately. It does help to keep the story moving right along. However, all scholarship and language translation aside, I have to admit that for me this word is compelling. Even as one who heard and finally responded to God’s call to ministry, who spent a lot of years, money, and effort in completing the necessary degree and internship to be a pastor, and who still tries (albeit quite imperfectly) to listen to God’s voice and follow the Spirit’s guiding, the idea of immediately can be quite terrifying. I mean come on; I can fill a novella with “what ifs” and reasons to take pause.
But then there’s also a part of me that longs for the freedom to follow Jesus immediately — unencumbered by the weight of my possessions and responsibilities. The very notion of being able to drop everything and devote my all to Jesus seems so simple and responsive yet so utterly impossible.
If it sounds and feels this way to me, I wonder how it might feel to my fellow disciples whose calls are to various secular vocations. Are they tempted to gloss right on over this story as something “those guys did but certainly not intended for me”? Immediately is mighty easy to replace with impossible when you put it like that.
Or maybe it works out to something in between that sounds more like some other time: “Hang on, Jesus, I’ll follow you once the kids are out of college.” Or, “I’ll get to that ministry once I retire.” Or, “Maybe next year, Jesus, after I get my car paid off.”
When you think about it, immediately begins with one small step followed by thousands of other small steps. It’s really more of a process than a once-and-done happening. When we’re talking about the call to follow Jesus, we’re talking about an eternal immediate that transcends time.
After all, the disciples may have dropped everything and taken off after Jesus, but that was not the end of the story. The road didn’t lead down a straight, easy highway of luxury, and they certainly had their share of major doubts and lived pretty regularly in a state of confusion about what Jesus was up to.
What if immediately for us is that instant when we quit fighting Jesus and embrace our baptismal identity as beloved children of God? What if immediately continues throughout life as we follow Jesus’ great commandment to love God with all we have and our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:30-31)? Could immediately be that first step into forever, into time and discipleship that transcends our human notions?
There’s a saying, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” Maybe that immediate call to fish for people happens one step and one breath and one prayer at a time. Now that’s an immediately I can wrap my heart and my soul — and maybe even my stubborn head — around.
Blessings on your preaching and teaching!
In Worship
“For God alone my soul waits in silence,” says the writer of this week’s psalm (62:5a). How often do you build periods of silence and holy pauses into your worship? The temptation is often to keep things moving and to keep our eyes on the clock more than our hearts resting in God’s stillness. Granted, you may not be able to add a 10-minute silent meditation, but consider carefully how you can build in small pauses and slow the pace of prayers, the creed, and the pace of scripture reading. Consider beginning worship by asking those gathered to take a series of three deep, long, cleansing breaths, with ample pause between each one. You will find that doing so may help you proceed at a more deliberate pace wherein silence feels not only right but necessary.
With Youth
Consider the story of Jonah this week. In it we learn that God changes God’s mind when the people repent and change their ways. Invite your youth to ponder how the God who sends Jonah and spares the people of Ninevah squares with their ideas about how God operates. What other examples of God changing God’s mind can they find in scripture? What hope does that vision of God give us today? How might this knowledge of a God who is big enough to change and who cares so much about all of creation inform the way we look at others and the world?
With Children
Fish for people?! Is this a joke? No, Jesus wasn’t kidding when he called the disciples. They were good at what they did. They had skills and knowledge of how to catch fish. Jesus was simply calling them to use those same good skills and knowledge to catch the hearts and minds — and souls — of all the people God loves (and that’s everybody!).
Show the children a collection of equipment they might need to catch fish today (license, rod and reel, bait, hat, line, sinkers, bobbers, etc.). You might even bring a small inflatable dinghy or a kayak into the worship space. Now ask them what they would put in their “discipleship tackle box” to fish for people. Give space for all answers. You might mention a Bible, time, love, energy, smiles, invitations, prayer, etc.
Finish with a simple prayer and give each child a simple “Fishing for People License” with Mark 1:17 printed on it, their name, your congregation’s name and address, some biblical fish art, or anything else that would work in your context.
Weekly Stewardship Bulletin Insert
There’s a sense of immediacy and urgency to this week’s lessons from Jonah, 1 Corinthians, and Mark. This focus on the fleeting “now” of life is a good reminder that every choice we make and each breath we take are in themselves acts of stewardship in response to God’s abundant love and provision. The next time you feel the nudge or whisper of God calling you into action, don’t brush it aside or save it for later. Just do it—now.
Stewardship at Home
Jesus calls us to “fish for people,” to follow our Lord’s radical way and share the good news with as many people as we can. In a world where the key messages are individualism, self-gratification, consumerism, and fear of never having enough, the call to “fish for people” can be a downright scary proposition.
Have no fear! With Jesus all things are possible. The Holy Spirit equips each one of us with gifts and talents for ministry, and Jesus does not call one person alone. He called a dozen close disciples, and they in turn called and equipped others. We do not journey alone. Together in community we are stronger – and the “fishing” is better, too.
This week, pray and make a list of gifts and talents you believe God has given you for the sake of ministry and mission. Gather with family or with a small group of friends and compare your gifts and talents. How might you use them together? Pray about what God may be calling you to do. Take one small step this week and cast a line in the life’s waters, trusting the Holy Spirit to lead you.
Note: Reprint rights granted to congregations and other church organizations for local, nonprofit use. Just include this note: “Copyright (c) 2018, Rev. Sharron Blezard. Used by Permission.” Other uses, please inquire: thewritelife@hotmail.com.
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