1 Third Sunday of the Epiphany January 22, 2012 Pastor Dena Williams Denver, CO Mark 1:14-20 Immediately Welcome

to Marks story of Jesus. Mark was the first written of the four Gospels. The book was written in about year 70 of this common era, about 40 years after Jesus walked the earth. The writer collected stories, stories of Jesus he heard told aloud in his community for many years. He was inspired to write down the stories in a wonderfully crafted book that we call The Gospel of Mark. We will hear the stories of Marks Jesus nearly every Sunday for the next year. Across the next month we will hear Mark introducing us to a man called Jesus. Todays Gospel gives us a short and purposeful introduction to Jesus: -he comes to Galilee, a small town near Jerusalem. -he proclaims the good news of God -he announces that the Kingdom of God is at hand -he calls disciples to come near, to repent and to believe in the good news. Jesus calls 2 pairs of brothers: Simon and Andrew, James and John. Jesus call these four to come, to repent, to believe. When Jesus, when is the right time to come, to repent, to believe?

2 According to St. Marks Jesus the time is NOW! Mark uses the word immediately 27 times in his Gospel. Marks Jesus must have worn Nike sandalsJust Do It! Today we find that Simon and Andrew left their nets . . . immediately. Are there decisions we need to make in our lives decisions not made that keep us and our families from living faithful and joyful lives? Of course there are, we all have choices that we put off making. Perhaps Jesus calls us to just do it. I, for instance, as I write, am sitting on a patio enjoying the warm moist breeze from the ocean. Im sitting and wondering if the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Kuaii needs pastors! Immediately! Well, probably not Im not sure there is an abundance of Lutherans on Kuaii. I am sure that theres probably a waiting list as long as a volcano is high of pastors seeking a call to a church in the Islands. What about other decisions, other choices we need to make? With James and John, Simon and Andrew we have come near, we have and continue to repent, we believe the good news. What now Lord? What comes immediately? We will hear over the next several months what happens next in the lives of Jesus and his disciples. At first glance, much of what happens does not seem like good news. For there is a cross near the end of the story.

3 It is the approaching cross that makes the message urgent immediate. It is the cross that calls us now to come near our Lord, to repent, and believe the good news. Immediately! Who are the characters in Marks story that hear Jesus teach of the need for urgency? We will hear of the disciples who heal others in Jesus name, yet who dont seem to understand who Jesus is. They leave their boats immediately, but will they be faithful to the end? There are the Pharisees from the temple in Jerusalem. There are the high priests of the temple, leaders who are under the control of the Roman government. They have sold out the ordinary people, the Jews and the Gentiles who are people of the land. Through parable and debate Jesus calls these high-ranking people to repent, immediately. Is it too late? Have these Pharisees and priests learned too well how to cooperate with the Roman officials who rule and oppress the common people? Then there are the ordinary people who are a part of the story as well. They live in the small towns, like Galilee. They are farmers and trades people. They pay oppressive taxes to the Roman government. In Jesus they find a prophet who heals, immediately, who provides food and calms the sea, immediately. How will these folks respond to the good news. Will they find Jesus to be the one

4 who brings hope to the oppressed? We will meet a group of faithful women in Mark, as well. They are women who seem to model what it means to serve with immediacy, to follow faithfully. Will they remain faithful to the end? I look forward to our journey through Mark this year. All these characters: the disciples, the Pharisees, the high priests, the ordinary people, the women their stories will reveal the good news to us in sometimes surprising ways.

Let us begin our journey through Mark, our journey into a new year, by making a decision, immediately, to share the good news with others. The ocean is inviting today, offering gentle breezes, warm water, and, of course, so that we dont get bored, the challenge of the surf, the waves, the tide. The ocean teams with life. Come on in for a swim. Invite a friend, neighbor, or relative to come with you. Share Gods love, immediately! Aloha. Amen.