Daily Readings - Sun Jan 21 2024

¹Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying,²"Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you."³So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days' journey in breadth.⁴Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!"⁵And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.¹⁰When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

1 Corinthians

Chapter 7

²⁹This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none,³⁰and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods,³¹and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.

Mark

Chapter 1

¹⁴Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God,¹⁵and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."¹⁶Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.¹⁷And Jesus said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men."¹⁸And immediately they left their nets and followed him.¹⁹And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets.²⁰And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

Sermon

In today's readings, we encounter powerful messages of repentance, urgency, and discipleship. The Book of Jonah recounts the prophet's call to Nineveh, a city steeped in sin, where the people's repentance leads to God's mercy. This story underscores the transformative power of turning away from sin and towards God. In 1 Corinthians, Paul urges believers to live with detachment, recognizing the fleeting nature of worldly concerns. He encourages a life focused on eternal values amidst temporal distractions. The Gospel of Mark depicts Jesus beginning His ministry, calling the first disciples with a sense of immediacy, highlighting the urgency of responding to God's call. These readings intertwine themes of repentance, living with purpose, and prompt obedience. Jonah's mission and the people's response illustrate the universal call to repentance, while Paul's advice in Corinthians reminds us to keep our sights on the eternal. Mark's account of the disciples leaving their nets to follow Jesus embodies the radical response required to follow Christ. Together, they challenge us to reevaluate our priorities and respond wholeheartedly to God's invitation. In our daily lives, these themes invite us to reflect on our own repentance, detachment from worldly distractions, and readiness to follow God's call. Let us embrace the urgency of living as disciples, seeking to align our lives with God's will. May we, like the people of Nineveh and the first disciples, respond with faith and commitment, trusting in God's grace to transform our lives and the world around us.