The Cost of the Call [Epiphany 3B - Jonah 3:1-5, Mark 1:14-20]
The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Epiphany 3B 1-21-24 Jonah 3:1-5, 10 & Mark 1:14-20 The Cost of the Call (Albany Deacon’s Retreat) Simon and his brother, Andrew, heard the call of Jesus and immediately left their nets and followed him. Down the beach a ways, James and his brother, John, heard the call of Jesus and immediately left their father in the boat and followed him. No questions asked. No hesitation. Jonah heard the call and immediately hopped a boat headed in the opposite direction. He did not follow; he ran away. Jonah wanted nothing to do with the call of God. In fact, God would have to package that call with a life-threatening storm and a vomiting fish before Jonah would even begrudgingly ascent to his divine mission. But you wouldn’t know any of that from today’s reading from the book of Jonah. This morning’s lectionary passage gives us the most sanitized, compl...