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!

My friends, as we leave the Crib in Bethlehem behind now, returning to Ordinary Time, our call as Jesus’ followers couldn’t be clearer as evidenced by today’s Scripture readings.  First of all, as I always remind us, Ordinary Time simply means “no big feasts,” but as far as challenge coming our way, there is plenty to go around!

   The first reading today from Samuel, shows us a young boy, by the same name, who at a very young age, was given back to God by his parents, to serve in the temple.  Such young ones were taught to be ever on the look-out for “the voice” of YHWH in their lives.  So when the long-awaited call from YHWH does come to Samuel, it seems that Eli, his master is a little slow on the up-take, as it takes 3x for him to realize that his young one is indeed being called. 

   It’s wonderful to think though that Samuel was taught to respond, “Here I am,” to a strange call in the night.  The Scripture tells us that because Samuel had never yet encountered, “the voice of YHWH,” the young boy responded to Eli, who did eventually realize that it was God who was calling Samuel.  It is equally wonderful, I think, that once Samuel knew that it was God who was calling him in the night, that he could respond, “I am listening.”  I wonder how many times our God calls us, and we fail to  listen, or respond. 

   Psalm 40, serving as today’s response, adds to the challenge of being present, “here I am,” and adds, “I come to do your will.”  We see too that as Samuel grew into manhood, his relationship with God grew too, as the Scripture says, “YHWH was with him.” It would seem then, that having a relationship with God is a two-way street—God calls, we respond, and God, “is-with-us.” 

   This apparent desire that God has to be in relationship with us is played out in today’s gospel as well. Would-be disciples, Andrew, and John, have apparently been coming “to know” Jesus, and are seeking to know him even better.  They literally follow him at a certain point, and in a very intimate way, ask him, “where are you staying?” 

   Jesus answers them in a likewise, very intimate way, “Come and see!” To me, it would seem, that if our God didn’t love us, or really care about us, this encounter with Jesus wouldn’t have happened—the would-be apostles, in their desire to know Jesus better, wouldn’t have run after him, wanting to know “where he lived,” and likewise, Jesus wouldn’t have responded, almost playfully, “Come and see.”  Truly, what we have here is a relational, heart-felt encounter—a desire to be, “one-with” the other. 

   In this encounter, Jesus also asks John and Andrew, “what are you looking for?” We can look at Jesus’ question to these would-be followers as a “heart question,” better phrased perhaps for our understanding, “what is it that is on your heart?” –what indeed are you searching for, looking to do? 

   Each of us friends, in saying, “yes” to God, to Jesus, throughout our lives is answering with Samuel, “here I am, I am listening, and with the psalmist, “I come to do your will.”  And, as with John and Andrew, if we are listening, we will ask, with them, “where Jesus lives.”  And he, wanting to be in relationship with us will say, “Come and see!” 

   Whenever I speak about Ordinary Time in our Church Year, I remind us that this is not a time to coast, but really a time to settle in to the day-to-day challenges, to become our best selves, for ourselves and for others. 

   Earlier, I indicated that following Jesus’ ways will be about “trying to find him” in our everyday lives. Intellectually, in our heads, we know that we can’t find him physically, but, in and through our hearts, we should remember that we can find him in all the poor, the lonely-sad, the abused, and those who suffer in any way in our world, because it was for, such as these, that he originally came. 

   Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians today, “Glorify God in your body,” which is what we do when we look for Jesus in all who are suffering in our world, as he did in his. This is not to say that we can’t find our brother Jesus in the joyfulness of life, as he wants to share that with us too, but we must not forget “to look for him,” and “find him,” hopefully, in the suffering.  This is about truly being one-with our God in the only way we can in our limited, human existence. 

   We are beginning a new year of grace and new beginnings serve as times to be challenged once again to being and becoming our best selves, for ourselves and for others, “committing,” as it were, acts of justice, peace, mercy, and love.  In this good work, which isn’t always easy, I look to others to get some encouragement, –the following being examples:

• These words of Pope Francis are most helpful to me in this regard: “The Church is called to form consciences, not to replace them.”  His words are most instructive in light of our own national bishops seeming inability to say anything challenging to us with regard to any of the concerns in our world, wars in Ukraine, and the Middle East, poverty and homelessness in our world, lack of justice and equality for non-whites, women, the LGBTQ community and so on. 
• My family member and friend, Sister Gina Redig, who at 93 years of age is still, “active with,” her congregation’s Shalom Catalyst Group, who has her, “working on the abolition of the death penalty, nuclear disarmament in war weapons, climate crisis, human rights and more.”  She does much of this work through writing and phoning, and just listing it all here, makes me tired!  Sister Gina is indeed a little spark plug, and she challenges me to be my best!
• And if we need a “reality check” in what we can and can’t do, Sister Gina gives that too, “Healthwise, I am doing as well as I can, knowing I’m not the same as I was, and never will be again.”  And yet, she gives me, and I know others, great hope.  In her concluding words on her Christmas letter, she states simply, “We keep on keeping on, looking for and finding the good that is under everything.”
• A final wonderful challenge came to me this past week from Valerie Bertinelli, TV star in many areas, but probably most remembered for her role in the (1975-1984) sit-com, One Day at a Time.  Valerie was a guest on PBS’ Finding Your Roots.  She shared her struggles with physical appearance, as I believe is the case for many actresses, and stated that she has learned over the years that when hurtful comments are thrown at her, to just say, “That’s not meant for me,”—and basically ignore it, not giving it any power. 

   So friends, as we move into this New Year more with each passing day, may our hearts be filled with hope and anticipation as we strive, “to listen” to our God, through the world around us, the poor, the suffering, those without “voices,” as we likewise strive after what is right and good at the “heart” level—doing all that we can—to be our best selves, not only for us as individuals, but for all of our brothers and sisters in this world.  And know that the by-product of doing what is “right” is peace, for the most part. Anxiety, tension, and anger, likewise, are the by-products of what is evil or wrong. So, look for peace…

Amen? Amen!