So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh,
according to the word of the Lord...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. [Jonah 3:3a, 4b-5]
For God...alone is my rock and my salvation...my safety and my
honor...and my refuge. [Psalm 62:7a, 8b]
I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has
grown short...for the present form of this world is passing away. [1 Corinthians 7:29a, 31b]
As Jesus passed along
the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the
sea...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 1:16-17]
I love the Book of Jonah! In an early
part, he tries to hide from God, running off to a ship in the opposite
direction of where God is ordering him to go. Then, thrown overboard by the
crew, he gets caught up in a whale of an experience [cheap shot, I know]. After praying to God and
being granted his release from the fish, he finally, though still grudgingly,
goes where he is told to go and tells the people what God wants them to hear,
that God is preparing to destroy them in forty days. Nineveh has been steeped
in nasty, ghastly, evil-doings but Jonah had previously told them that because
God was close to them, God would continue to support them no matter what they
did. Now, Jonah is the one ordered by God to deliver this message of impending
doom. God’s sense of ironic humor?
Suddenly,
perhaps out of an “oh yeah watch this” attitude, Jonah is so convincing that
the people hear, believe, and seriously repent. Later in this story, Jonah ~
who never wanted to be a prophet ~ is actually angry because God changes
direction and decides not to destroy the city after the people
overthrew their own evil ways because of Jonah's
prophecy. Such a human response: wait, what, you're NOT going to kill
them? But I said what you told me to say... The book leaves us as it
finds us with Jonah still a very grumpy man.
Paul, who thought that the Second Coming of Jesus was imminent, grimly and
still accurately reminds us that our time in this life is short and we need to
pay attention to how we are living. We will come as we are at
the time we are called by God to the next life, as the Psalmist also says of our God
of steadfast love, for you repay everyone according to his deeds.
And then there is Jesus who calls the next group of disciples ~ Simon, Andrew,
James, and John ~ to leave their current lives NOW and follow Him. Can you even
imagine walking away from your life as you know it, from family, and
responsibilities, and all that you have worked for because someone like Jonah,
Paul, or Jesus says you must? It certainly requires a high level of trust, that inner sense of I believe, a strength in faith I'm not sure I have, or maybe one I didn't want.
Realistically, I believe we are to change our spiritual path starting where we are ~ not abandoning our earthly responsibilities and loved ones ~ but remembering that we were created to be in this world, just not of it. It's time to examine my faith and begin to accept that I can do better, I can answer the
call, I can live a life that calls others to see, respond, and
join me in the net cast by God. And we are not alone in any of it. It does sound a little fishy to an
un-faith-filled ear, but then, is there a better way to be caught? Just
come as you are…Tick-tock...
LET
US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~
O God, our Rock and our Salvation, You call us
through Prophets, Gospels, and Teachers, and the Voice of the Holy Spirit
within, to come as we are to follow the path of Christ’s Good News. Let us, in
the fleeting breath of our human existence: hear
again, trust, repent, and leave our nets to Your care, turning our
hearts toward Yours to accept and thrive in Your steadfast love.
Gracious,
Merciful Lord
RESPONSE:
We put
our trust in You
~
O God, our Rock and our Salvation, grant us
continuing courage to walk the path of discipleship and call to account the
leaders of this World, this Country, and this Community. As we strive to
establish more justice, mercy, and peace, and other ways of enhancing the lives
of all Your People, let us strive equally to eliminate all actions that
diminish them. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Gracious,
Merciful Lord
We
put our trust in You
~
O God, our Rock and our Salvation, sustain the
hope for all laid low by chronic or terminal illness, homelessness, or despair;
and encourage the hearts of all those who provide support. We now join our
hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions
Gracious,
Merciful Lord
We
put our trust in You
~
O God, our Rock and our Salvation, soothe the hearts of all who grieve as You receive our faithful
departed with open arms, into Your everlasting love and light. We pray especially
for… add your own petitions
Gracious,
Merciful Lord
We
put our trust in You
~
O God, our Rock and our Salvation, we pause in this moment to offer You our
other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions
Gracious,
Merciful Lord
We
put our trust in You
~
O God, our Rock and our Salvation, we ask Your
special favor upon all You have chosen to lead us in Your Church. Fill them
with the words and actions that will cause us to re-think, re-work, and
re-direct our lives toward You. We pray especially
for: add your own petitions
Gracious,
Merciful Lord
We
put our trust in You
The Celebrant adds: Most Holy and Loving
God, You call us to go where we do not want to go, to do what we do not want to
do, to be who we do not want to be. Grant us willingness to accept the hook of
Your salvation and to become a humble, faith-filled lure as the fishers of
people that Jesus asks us to be. We ask through the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, who together with You, live
and reign in the bliss of eternal life, One God, now and forever. Amen.
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