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 and still, a chosen prophet of God.
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.
We are called 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? Our Christ calls us as we are…
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.
O
Lord of Steadfast Love
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, peace, and mercy, 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
O Lord of Steadfast Love
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 to pray for those in need… add
your own petitions
O Lord of Steadfast Love
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
O Lord of Steadfast Love
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
O Lord of Steadfast Love
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
O Lord of Steadfast Love
We
put our trust in You
The Celebrant adds: Most
Holy God, our Safety and our Refuge, 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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