Epiphany 3B (RCL) – A Preacher’s Ponderings

Decision

Third Sunday after Epiphany; 21 January 2024; Epiphany 3B (RCL); Jonah 3:1-5, 10, Psalm 62:6-14; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20.

The first thing I noticed about the readings for this week is that they are all short. And abrupt. Jonah’s sermon in Nineveh has to be the shortest, most successful sermon in historical record — eight words long, and the whole city repents and sits in sackcloth and ashes. Jesus calls Andrew and Simon, James and John, and without question, they leave their nets and fishing, and follow — abruptly. Paul tells us the time is short, and certainly the people in the other readings seem to have heard that message. Act now.

God’s call

Third Sunday after Epiphany; 24 January 2021; Epiphany 3B (RCL); Jonah 3:1-5, 10; Psalm 62:6-14; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20.

All of the readings for this week seem short and abrupt, and leave more unsaid than they say. We get only a tiny piece of the story of Jonah — his second call. We miss his running away to Tarshish, the three days in the belly of the fish, and then it leaves off the end of the story — Jonah being angry about the plant. All we get is his short sermon to Nineveh.

Fishing for people

21 January 2018
Third Sunday after Epiphany
Epiphany 3B (RCL)
Jonah 3:1-5, 10
Psalm 62:6-14
1 Corinthians 7:29-31
Mark 1:14-20

No doubt, the designers of the lectionary chose the passage from Jonah and the passage from Mark to to with the collect: give us grace to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ. But called to what? It’s always struck me as odd that Simon and Andrew, and James and John would be attracted by a call to fish for people. I can never get the image of little people flopping around on the shore out of my head. Continue reading “Fishing for people”