21 Jan SUNDAY, JANUARY 21, 2024
After John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the good news of God, expanding upon John’s message of repentance for the sake of forgiveness to remind listeners of two more important things: First, that “Time is fulfilled.”
Not too long ago, over a billion people watched a gigantic crystal ball descend in the midst of Times Square in NYC. Once the countdown ended, time was fulfilled; another year was over and a new one had begun. In his own way, Jesus himself was dropping a crystal ball of sorts and significantly marking time by saying, “The past has passed, a new era has begun. Nothing else has ever been as what will be from this day forward.”
Everything surrounding John’s call to repentance has been altered. No longer is it about a person’s ability to turn around and right themselves. Now, “The kingdom of God has come near,” in the flesh. God himself has become incarnate and is among the presence of men, women, and children within the material world.
He walked among them, passing along the Sea of Galilee, seeing with his own eyes Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea. He recognized each of them at once, as he had each of the other disciples he’d already called.
Yes, he called them. He didn’t ask or invite disciples to follow him and become his. He merely said the words, “Follow me.” Like so many pop-up ads these days, he appeared instantly without a prompt. He did not show up because anyone expressed interest or upon request. None of his disciples had searched for or anticipated having their day interrupted or the course of their pursuits forever changed. 
The inconvenient timing of God’s plans holds much in common with pop up ads. It is almost as predictable and annoying. It is nearly as unrelenting and enticing as any computer algorithm. A lifetime of input and output signals a person’s readiness to respond to God’s prompting and God knows everything the future holds.
Jesus did, too, since he was God. Jesus knew exactly what the future held for his disciples. He knew that he was inviting them on a journey involving heartache and misery. But, he knew that was part of life, regardless of what choices they made. What was different about what Jesus offered was the chance to journey personally with him, in close companionship, to experience God at first hand, directly, rather than by being told what God is like.
They had grown up being taught how to cast and mend nets, take their boats out and catch fish. In other words, they had practiced learning skills and using them regularly. They had proven themselves reliable to an acceptable degree and made themselves useful as partners, siblings, and sons. They’d been able to contribute in the past so now while in the midst of doing regular business, what they already knew how to do, they are chosen to start anew with Jesus.
Jesus knew that God has a way of preparing people for whatever comes next. Even when it doesn’t seem evident at the time or when timing feels wrong, the event is most unwelcome, and the life-changing episode is no less than disastrous. We don’t choose these moments, they happen to us. That is when Jesus says, “Follow me. I will make use of what you know. I will teach you to adapt the skills you have to some other aim. You will succeed at doing something similar, but different. Follow me.”
But sometimes, we’re too sad, mad or upset to be glad about it. We don’t want our lives to be upended or uprooted in the way Jesus suggests. We don’t wish to start over with new companions in new venues. We don’t agree with God’s grand scheme of things or plan to change people’s lives or circumstances for the population of Nineveh, or the entire world.
So we protest, we ask for more time, we resist or rebel while God watches and waits, patiently full of mercy for our readiness, for the time to be fulfilled as we are able to acknowledge it. Whether we stay up late to watch the ball drop or not, the calendar page turns. We cannot awaken the morning of January 1st and pretend it’s still New Year’s Eve.
The kingdom of heaven has come near whether we acknowledge Jesus Christ as God in the flesh or not. The time is fulfilled, the kingdom has come near, and the word of the Lord has spoken in many and various ways. God never stops trying to get our attention or enlist our discipleship. We are among those called to proclaim a message, to teach and preach, to follow or go, to set out, to keep walking or cry so that others experience God’s love and mercy firsthand themselves.
That’s the point of repentance. It’s not enough to listen to someone else’s testimony of faith. Each one of us must have our own so that when we look at our own lives from the end backwards, we realize that things happened both inconveniently and with fortuitous timing, that God’s plans held much in common with pop up ads.
Fate was predictable and annoying, as nearly unrelenting and entrapping as a computer algorithm. We will see that a lifetime of input and output sent out signals to God of our needs and our readiness to respond to God’s prompting.
Jesus always knew what our future held. He knew he would be with us on a journey involving heartache and misery. He always offered the chance to journey personally with him in close companionship, to experience God at first hand, directly, rather than second hand, by being told what God is like. So that, when we realize that we are recognized and called by name, there’ll be no hesitation on our part to respond.
Gleefully, we will drop what we’re doing and follow. As the psalmist says, we will wait in silence, truly hoping in God, our rock, salvation and stronghold to deliver us and show us honor. For as the actress who plays Queen Elizabeth says in the series entitled, The Crown, “To live a life of service is not a sacrifice, it is an honor.” 
As I listened to patients tell me stories of their lives which involve heartache or pain, I know that God is pleased for them to pour out their hearts. Their words are outspoken prayers whereby they desire to trust God for deliverance, where they are seeking God’s strength and refuge.
I know that they realize that being of high degree is but a fleeting breath and cannot trust themselves, being of low estate in poor health. Placed on the scales together, healthy or unwell, young or old, rich or poor, we weigh even less than a breath.
Those able to make their own way, to acquire wealth through honest work, interest dividends or even robbery ought not to become vain. Set not your heart upon gain. For God has spoken once, twice have I heard that power belongs to God. In fact, all power belongs to God and all mercy for only God is able and willing to invest his all in seeking for us. Jesus came and spoke. He has come and is still speaking. He walked along seeking followers and still walks among ordinary people calling them by name, in person, seeing us exactly now as he did all with whom he came into contact back then.
When the psalmist wrote, “Steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord,” and I read it for the first time, it occurred to me that only God really possesses power. Satan doesn’t. Death doesn’t. Evil doesn’t. Yes, life’s journey is full of heartache and suffering. But with Jesus we come to experience God as merciful and love that steadily appears as needed.
We see an example of this in the OT reading. God wanted the Ninevites to repent and be delivered, delivered from not only punishment, but a way of life that was harmful to their existence. God wanted Jonah and his disciples to learn to relate, understand and connect to the fate of their enemies, not just see them as foreigners, judge their behaviors and offer opinions.
If indeed, we are all repaid for our deeds, as the psalmist says, Let us look to the example shown today in the gospel reading. Jesus makes the claim up front to whoever he calls that he will provide the necessary training to do what only he has in mind.
God has a way of preparing us for whatever comes next. Even when it doesn’t seem evident at the time or when timing feels wrong, the event is most unwelcome, and the life-changing episode is no less than disastrous. We don’t choose these moments, they happen to us.
That is when Jesus says, “Follow me. I will make use of what you know. I will teach you to adapt the skills you have to some other aim. You will succeed at doing something similar, but different. Follow me.”
Let us pray. What does it mean to follow you, Lord? Does it require sacrifice, discomfort, and unease, or is it merely showing readiness to respond? We’re not ready oftentimes, if being ready involves big change, starting over or trying to learn anew. Help us. Prepare us. Make us able to respond without hesitation with confidence in your leading, your power, your mercy and steadfast love. In your holy name we pray, Amen.