Reflection for the Third Sunday after Epiphany

“As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people. And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.”

Ever notice how often Mark makes use of the word “immediately”? It often gets missed in the translation, if the translators use other words throughout, but Mark has this great sense of urgency in his gospel. Immediately Jesus does this, and then immediately the disciples do that. It makes for an interesting narrative style, certainly.

What would it be like in our lives if we treated the message of God’s love and work in the world in this way? What would our lives be like if we spoke of God’s action as happening immediately?

We often have this sense of urgency in our lives: the busy-ness of today’s world demands that we react with haste. Emails must be replied to, phone calls returned quickly, bills paid, taxes calculated, and so on and so on.

What if we considered God’s message of love even more urgent than all these secular urgencies? What if we considered telling the world about God’s peace, about how all people are loved by God and about how all people are worthy of justice and safety and love and life?

What if we prayed “immediately”?

What if we gave “immediately”?

What if we shared meals, or invited a friend to worship, or simple shared a moment of peace, or any number of things that we can do that would give the Spirit room to move between us? And what if we did it immediately?

What wonders Jesus was able to do, in inviting the disciples to action.

What wonders Jesus was able to do, in traveling and meeting strangers, and welcoming them.

What wonders, indeed.

God invites us, immediately.

God loves us, immediately.

Thanks be to God.

Amen.