3 Epiphany Year B
January 24, 2021
Jonah 3:1-5, 10; Psalm 62:6-14; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20
A few years back, I was reminded of a wonderful quote, that is often used as a closing benediction at services of all kinds…or sometimes, simply shared with others as words of encouragement, to accompany a call to action….
“Life is short. We don't have much time to gladden the hearts of those who walk this way with us. So, be swift to love and make haste to be kind.” (Henri-Frédéric Amiel)
In a time of so much uncertainty and unrest marking our daily lives right now, this quote is certainly one that speaks truth and wisdom with such unwavering clarity, leaving no room to doubt the urgency of its message… “Life is short. We don't have much time to gladden the hearts of those who walk this way with us. So, be swift to love and make haste to be kind.” (Henri-Frédéric Amiel)
Our scripture readings today…reference the urgency of a similar message for God’s people, too, then and now…
In Jonah, we heard that the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time…and this time, after many, many times of God speaking to Jonah, and Jonah dismissing what he heard, he finally goes to the people, and proclaims the message just as God asked him to…. In our reading from the letter of Paul to the 1st Corinthians…Paul says to the people: brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short…
And finally, in the gospel of Mark today, we sense the urgency of proclaiming the Good News of God’s love and nearness right here, right now, in this moment… when the reading began in this way:
After John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
As the reading continues, we sense the urgency of responding to God’s call, when Jesus calls Simon, Peter, and they immediately leave their nets and follow him….and we hear the urgency of Jesus’ invitation, when he comes across James and John, and immediately calls them, too.
If we look back over the past year, since the covid-19 pandemic began to show up, we can see first-hand, how people, all around us, have responded to the urgency of what was right in front of them: a new, unknown virus that we began to hear about early last year…We have seen how people of all walks of life, have responded to the urgency of the needs all around them, by using and sharing their expertise and gifts as signs of love and care and kindness for others…
Scientists, front-line workers in hospitals and facilities, teachers, grocery store staff, restaurant personnel, travel industries, mothers, fathers, children….people of all ages, all cultures, all walks of life…too numerous to count….have learned to respond to the urgency of now…not by walking away from the unknown…but by trusting and believing, that God is very near, that there is a way forward, together…a way of love and kindness that turns away from my needs only, to a way of love that calls us to be mindful of the needs of others…. a way of love and kindness, that makes a way for the well-being and healing for all people when we turn our hearts to follow the way of love Jesus calls us to….a call to action that says…now is the time…to proclaim this love….for God, and one another…
We’ve seen signs of God’s love all around us, in the creative ways and new ways people have learned to love and care for one another, in these difficult times…we wear our masks, keep our distance, wash our hands, and now a vaccine is another new opportunity to love and care for one another, in these difficult days…
We’ve also seen, all around us, that we’ve fallen short at times, in loving one another as we have been called to……And when we acknowledge this, we can repent, turn around…begin again…the time is now…
There are endless possibilities and opportunities to continue to love one another and help one another through these difficult days of the COVID-19 pandemic…We will get through this together….by continuing to seek ways to listen to the needs of one another, and respond in ways that speak and proclaim that the love of God…is very near to every one of us…
We only need to look back and see how far we’ve already come by working together, and by having faith and trust in a God, who has been with us along, and will be with us for all our days to come…
The time to respond to the urgency of God’s call to love one another, and to follow Jesus, in the way of love he invites us to…is always now…in this moment…
“Life is short. We don't have much time to gladden the hearts of those who walk this way with us. So, be swift to love and make haste to be kind.” ( Henri-Frédéric Amiel)
The time is now….in this moment…
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” (Mark 1:14-20)
Rev Julie Platson
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church
Sitka, AK
Hymn after sermon: Wonder Love and Praise - #758
You have come down to the lakeshore
You have come down to the lake shore
seeking neither the wise nor the wealthy,
But only asking for me to follow.
O Jesus, you have looked into my eyes;
kindly smiling, you’ve called out my name.
On the sand I have abandoned my small boat;
now with you, I will seek other seas.
You know full well my possessions.
Neither treasure nor weapons for conquest,
Just these my fish nets and will for working.
Refrain
You need my hands, my exhaustion,
working love for the rest of the weary
a love that’s willing to go on loving.
Refrain
You who have fished other waters;
you, the longing of souls that are yearning:
As loving Friend, you have come to call me.
Refrain