The Time Is Now!

Jonah 3:1-10, Psalm 62:5-12, 1 Corinthians 7:29-31, Mark 1:14-20

Third Sunday after the Epiphany, January 22, 2006

Heritage Congregational Church, Madison, WI

I’m always excited when year B of the lectionary comes around, because it means that Mark’s gospel will play a prominent part in our church year. The Revised Common Lectionary is organized into a three year cycle, years A, B and C. Year A focuses on Matthew’s gospel—the gospel that explains and teaches almost everything Jesus says. Year C focuses on Luke’s gospel, the gospel of beautiful writing, making the story of Jesus’ life so poetic one can almost sing the entire text. All three year’s intersperse parts of John’s gospel in the cycle, filling in the many ideas and events that are unique to John.

Mark, what we worship with in year B, is widely considered to be the first gospel written, between 68 and 70 AD, right around the time the Jerusalem Temple is reduced to ruins. Both Matthew and Luke, written later, borrow parts of Mark for their texts and then add portions from another source called Q. These three together (Mark, Matthew and Luke) are called the Synoptic gospels, there are marked similarities, much shared materials. John stands alone, therefore the three year cycle.

What sets Mark apart from the others is length and tone. Mark is the shortest of the gospels, a mere sixteen chapters. And, throughout these chapters we find a sense of urgency. Mark doesn’t explain or spend time with beautiful writing. He gets right to the point, painting a fast and furious portrait of Jesus’ ministry. With this sense of speed, the writer of Mark does his best to propel us into thinking for ourselves, coming to our own conclusions. Mark hopes to move us to action, the action of faith. (presentation on Feb. 11 at Orchard Ridge)

And, he wants us to do it right now! Immediately is the word used most often in Mark’s gospel—it occurs twenty times in these sixteen concise chapters. We find it used twice in today’s short passage. Jesus’ ministry has begun, and we are taken along for the ride.

In Mark’s version of the Jesus story, there is no birth narrative, no long temptation story. Mark lets us know what he thinks is important. It is Jesus’ ministry. The message of the Good News, the coming of God’s Kingdom, the formulation of faith, this is what Mark’s gospel is all about.

Today we find Jesus making a proclamation. He picks up right where John the Baptist leaves off, urging those who would listen to repent and believe the Good News, for God’s Kingdom has come. He then strikes right off to a position of action, calling disciples. Follow me, and I will make you fish for people, Jesus says to the fishermen He sees at their trade in the Sea of Galilee. Immediately they follow Jesus, and immediately he calls two more. They leave their work, their family, their hired men, and follow Jesus.

No explanation is given as to why the four fishermen follow. We do not know what they see when they see Jesus. We do not know what goes through their minds or their hearts. We only know that they follow. Right away. Without hesitation. Without knowing where they are going.

From the writer of Mark, this is not surprising. He wants us to think about it. He wants us to see that when Jesus speaks, it is irresistible. He wants us to ponder in our own lives what it would take for us to follow, for us to be disciples, acting in faith. What would it take for us to follow immediately?

In Jonah we find the prophet finally making his way to Ninevah, the city of sin. He has already run away from God’s call, ending up in the belly of a big fish. And after much prayer and practice of humility admits his need for God and is spit out onto the shore. Now he is ready to go where God will send him.

But Jonah is not the only person who turns toward God and acts in faith in this story. The King of Ninevah hears that he has forty days, forty days until his city will be destroyed. He sees that his people believe God. He witnesses their mourning through repentance of ashes and sackcloth. And he follows suit. The king makes a proclamation of public repentance and fasting. Somehow he hopes that God will change God’s mind, that there may be a future for the city of Ninevah. And God did. Ninevah would no longer be destroyed. The king believed something good could happen, he imagined God’s forgiveness. He took a leap of faith and followed. He acted in faith. Immediately.

In 1 Corinthians we have three verses out of a much longer section, where Paul is teaching about Christ’s second coming. They were expecting him to come soon, right away, almost immediately. They wanted to be ready, and Paul didn’t want any earthly thing to keep them from readiness. And so Paul encourages the people of Corinth to examine their attachments. How much do they value their marriages, their mournings and rejoicings, their possessions?

These are not bad things, they have their place, Paul says. But just how invested are we in them? If Jesus is coming again, and if He is coming immediately, just how important are they? Which will rule your life? Which will determine your actions—faith or the ways of the world? Paul urges the Corinthians to make haste with their decision. Act in faith, Paul’s compelling message urges.

Just what does it mean to act in faith? All of our passages ask this question in one way or another. They speak of making decisions based on faith, of ordering our lives by putting faith first.

Last week in our class before church, we were brainstorming on ways to become an authentic Christian community. Many wonderful ideas were shared, and many observations made. One of them went right along with today’s passages. It was a statement about how we act as Christians, one that is crucial to discipleship. Venture forth — improvise with imperfect knowledge. Take a leap of faith.

We talked about this idea for a while, about being willing to follow God even when we don’t know where we are headed. We talked about stepping out in faith when we don’t know the way and don’t know if we have the skills. We shared ideas about what this kind of following might look like, and how it is a true reflection of our faith, a reflection of the trust we place in God.

Psalm 62 is a powerful song that speaks to our trust in God. The text is filled with assuring, trusting words. More than anything else, the psalm says that God is in control, that God has the power, that God is good and will care for us. It says that God is our hope, our rock, our salvation, our fortress, our deliverance, honor, and refuge. God’s steadfast love will never fail. God speaks and we know.

When we trust God more than ourselves, we are true disciples. When God speaks we know. When God tells us to step out in faith, we are willing to take the risk. God’s voice is clearer to us than the voice of the world, it is the most persistent—the voice of truth. When we are disciples, we act as those who believe in the Good News, brought by Christ, who ushered in the coming of God’s Kingdom. And we act with urgency, wanting to be ready, knowing that Christ may call us at any time.

Today’s choir anthem speaks of such a faith, such discipleship. Awake my heart! it cries to God. With a sense of excitement, of moving forward in faith, of urgency, the anthem sings of trust in God and God’s Word. It uses many of the same names for God that are used in Psalm 62. Awake My Heart! speaks of a faith that is alive and active.

As much as the author of Mark’s gospel wants us to think about these things for ourselves, he will not be satisfied until we are moved by our faith to action. He leaves out any explanation in his version of Jesus’ life because he wants us to become part of the story. Don’t just listen, don’t just think. Be a part of it. The story goes on. Discipleship is a process. Enter into it. Let your life be moved by the things God would have you do in this world.

I believe that God has spoken to each of us, called each of us, as surely as He called those at the lakeshore. That is why we are here, gathered together in this place of worship, it is why we are a church. God is speaking to us, calling us, urging and encouraging us to act in faith, to become part of the story. May the urgency of this moment fill our hearts and move us to a faith that is alive. Amen.