Third Sunday before Advent 2021

 

Lectionary readings: Jonah 3:1-5, 10 and Hebrews 9:24-28 and Mark 1:14-20

Our Gospel reading today is the summary statement of Jesus’ ministry, and the mission he calls his followers into. Jesus proclaims, the time is fulfilled. You will recall from the account of the wedding at Cana, the first of the great signs recorded in John’s Gospel, that when Jesus’ mother asks him to intervene, he says, my time has not yet come. Why not? Because it is still John the forerunner’s time. But now his cousin John has been handed over, and Jesus’ moment, Jesus’ opportunity birthed of this crisis, has come.

The time has come, the opportunity is here: the sovereignty of God has drawn near. John’s arrest is not evidence that the world is going to hell in a handcart; not only is God still on the throne of heaven, but God is here, now: you are ushered into God’s presence. Therefore, repent, and believe the good news.

Repent means to change one’s mind, and because of changing one’s mind, to act in a different way. We see this in the Old Testament reading for today, from the story of Jonah. God sends Jonah to proclaim to the citizens of Nineveh that they have been judged and found wanting, and in forty days from Jonah’s proclamation, Nineveh would be destroyed. When they hear this, the king of Nineveh leads his people in repentance: they express that, outwardly, according to the customs of the time, in putting on sackcloth and ashes, and fasting. And in response to their repentance, God also repents: God changes his mind about his decision to act in judgement, and changes his intended actions, so that the city is spared. Mercy triumphs over the consequences of judgement. This dynamic is intended to mark our relationship with God, repentance, a changing of mind, on both sides, for that is how genuine relationship and meaningful partnership is possible at all.

Repent, and believe in the good news. To believe means, have confidence in. And when Jesus says, have confidence in the good news, he means—as we see straight away in his calling Simon and Andrew and James and John to follow him and fish for people—he means, change your mind, and have confidence in proclaiming the good news.

And that is the very heart of what we need to hear today. Have confidence in proclaiming the good news. Why? Because in Jesus, the opportunity is here, and the sovereign God draws near, to the men and women and children we meet day to day.

Therefore, repent, change your mind. Why? Because we have lost confidence in the goodness of the good news, have lost confidence that anyone is interested. We have told ourselves that there is no point in proclaiming the good news, because people aren’t interested in hearing it today.

We have told ourselves that faith is a personal and private matter, and that it is not my place to impose my faith on anyone else. And yes, there is a kernel of truth in that: we are not called to impose anything upon anybody. But if we claim that Jesus is Lord and Saviour, the one in whom we are reconciled to God, then we are called to proclaim the good news that is embodied in him.

Or we tell ourselves that we aren’t qualified to tell others, that doing so is the vicar’s job. Indeed, we experience, in our churches, a profound crisis of confidence, which is a crisis of belief, not out there in the world but here, in our hearts and minds. And yet, while it is true that more and more people are outside of the church, it is nonetheless also true that many people are coming of returning to faith, are changing their minds about God and life and what truly matters, are gaining or regaining confidence in God’s faithfulness towards them. And as the Bishop of Durham never tires of saying, do not despise the day of small beginnings.

It may transpire that the moment of crisis is the only kind of moment which is opportune. In the wake of John’s arrest, Jesus calls some seemingly unqualified followers to an enigmatic task, and over the following years they grow in confidence until they are proclaiming the good news boldly before all who will listen.

Perhaps it is not so much about learning a formula, far less imposing a one-size-fits-all claim, as taking the opportunity to introduce people to Jesus.

The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe the good news.