My friends, you probably noticed that this week’s readings have a sense of urgency about them.  Our God, in the 1^st reading from Jonah, is after him to get about what God is asking of him— “Get up…go!”

   In the 2^nd reading from 1^st Corinthians, we see this same urgency in an almost dire message from Paul, as he tells the people to put aside all the daily, routine, tasks of life, even relationships with people, and prepare themselves for God (Jesus’) return, which they believed would be very soon.  Given this notion, “that God was coming soon,” it stands to reason that the need “to be about it,” was there!

   This notion was then, but how about us now?  Do we have that same urgency, now, “to be our best selves”—whatever that means for each of us as we relate to ourselves, to others, to our world?  I find that over time, “being my best self,” and here, I mean, doing that extra bit, rather than just coasting along, can be a bit of a challenge. 

   Take for example that my annual physical is coming up next week, and so this week, I have been especially conscious of what I am eating so as to tip the scales at not too great a number! Then, afterward, I will probably go back to “coasting” a bit, not as concerned about my overall wellness as I am this week, knowing that my exam is upcoming. 

   So friends, whether it is about our spiritual, ethical decisions, day-to-day, with regard to relationships with others, and our world, or on a personal level with being our best physically for the welfare of our physical bodies, it would seem that the notion of “always being ready,” for God, or our personal physician, to come, who may want an accounting of our lives, might be the best way to go. And, if only life was so easy! If only the day-to-day “stuff” of living didn’t get in the way!

   Another good reason perhaps for the idea that we can’t be so, “black and white” about living and acting in our world, as if we only need to decide once, to be our best selves! In actuality, we realize that this action—to be our best, is a conscious, every day, needed action. 

   During this Year of Grace, Cycle B, we are looking at the Gospel of Mark—a man of few words.  In this week’s selection, he simply says, using Jesus’ words, “Change your hearts and minds and believe in the Good News.”  With Mark’s proclamations, I always want to say, “Is that it Mark—anything else to go with that?” –certainly Jesus said more to explain himself! Apparently not, or Mark didn’t consider it important because the rest of the reading goes on to let us know that Jesus then moves out to choose several of his would-be apostles.

   But upon further reflection, perhaps Mark’s lack of words, in letting us know, “just how” we do this, “changing of our hearts and minds,” and “believing in the Good News,” allows for our personal way of doing this, as each of us is an individual and God will “call us” out of our personal experience—maybe, “time” is our gift, maybe “writing” is our talent, maybe “culinary abilities,” maybe “speaking” is what we have to offer.  So, with this “frame of mind,” that God will call me to “do my part,” when, and as needed, we can always be ready! 

   The chosen response, from Psalm 25, for this liturgy, gives us a gentler approach to being who we are called to be: “Make me know your ways, O God,” the psalmist prays. In reflecting on this prayer, it came to me that “humility” would seem to be part of truly, “knowing God’s ways” –knowing “who” we are, and “what” we are capable of.” 

   All of this talk today about “being our best selves,” has an added layer, it seems to me, in a world that we all have allowed to become cruder, ruder, and without simple manners, and a certain, “graciousness” toward others in our lives.  All of this is evident in our daily news. 

   In the ever-increasing “busyness” in our lives, some of the “once-upon-a-time” courtesies and gratefulness for others, and what they do, seem to fall by the wayside.  This past week, our grandson Elliot had a school assignment to interview someone, and he chose me, asking a series of quite-pointed questions, and when we got to the one about, “what I thought was different in my growing up years, from how it is today,” I gave this answer, in a simpler form, basically saying that people seemed to be more respectful of others in an earlier time. 

   So friends, as we continue in this new year, perhaps setting some doable goals, attempting to be ready at all times for our God’s (Jesus’) call for each of us to do our parts, the words of a young poet laureate, Amanda Gorman, three years ago, at the inauguration of President Biden and Vice-President Harris are gentle, yet challenging enough for us today to do what we can to better our world. Profoundly poetic and wonderfully wise she said, “That even as we hurt, we hoped, that even as we tired, we tried, that we’ll forever be tied together, victorious.”

   My friends, Amanda’s words here speak to the sense that we as a country need to return to realizing that the good of our lives are about us, yes, but equally about all others—in other words we are in this together, for each other.  I was reminded too this past week of the virtue of humility that should be so a part of our actions in the world, as I watched a PBS Nova presentation on the building and deploying of the Webb telescope that was last year sent into space so far out that if it breaks down, we humans won’t be able to go and fix it as we did the Hubble.  So far, so good, and the pictures that it has been able to send back documenting light from billions of years ago, is nothing less than profound in the immensity of our smallness. 

   Yet friends, even though small, our God has trusted us with this planet, to protect and care for, it, and each other.  This is indeed our spiritual challenge to continue the work began so long ago by our brother, Jesus, with some, simple-fisher-folk that he asked to become, “fishers of people.”  Amanda Gorman, a prophet among many in our present and past, said it three years ago like this, and it is still true today, [our] “nation isn’t broken, but simply unfinished,” and this is true for our Church too…” there is always light,” she said— “if only we are brave enough to see it—if only we are brave enough to be it.”  Our challenge then, it would seem, is to be a light, as Jesus taught, and to bring that light to our world.  Amen? Amen!