Have you ever been tempted to “write someone off,” only to discover that there was more to their story, and more to the divine potential within them? One of the great people of faith and action in the twentieth century was Dorothy Day. She was incredibly bright, and in her academic studies was quite drawn to serious thought around social change and action. But in her young adulthood, her life, as David Brooks would describe it, became “disorganized”, as she engaged in unhealthy drinking and poor relational choices. When she had her first child, however, she became deeply passionate about faith, and made profound decisions as to how to invest her life. She would say, “No human creature could receive or contain so vast a flood of love and joy as I often felt after the birth of my child. With this came the need to worship, to adore.” She became deeply involved in seeking to improve the plight of the poor, and worked to establish the “Catholic Worker” newspaper. If you had encountered Dorothy when she was in her early twenties, you might have been tempted to write her off as someone who not serious about faith or the needs of humanity. But there was more to her story.
The tendency to write others off is too large among us. In an article in the Atlantic, David Brooks asks how it is that we in America got so “mean”. A restaurateur told Brooks that he had to have ask a customer to leave because of unkindness to staff about once a week. Nursing directors told him that one of the primary reasons they have a challenge staffing their units is due to the rudeness of patients. Brooks argues that pervasive meanness is happening because we have collectively minimized the need for a moral framework. If you put people in a moral vacuum, he added, the empty space will be filled with something far less moral.
The Biblical lessons in Sunday’s service at St. Mark’s are, on the surface, “fishing” stories. In one, the prophet Jonah, fresh from his escape from the belly of the fish, must encounter his resistance to delivering the Word of God to the people of Nineveh. He was quite ready to write them off. In the Gospel Lesson, Jesus calls four disciples who are employed in the fishing industry to change their focus in life, become followers, and to become “fishers for people.” Time and again, the disciples would have to challenge their own tendency to write off the people they were called to reach.
Sunday’s service will seek to address this. The sermon is titled, “A Firm Persuasion; A Durable Calling.” Biblically, the sermon arises from Jonah 3: 1-10, which will be read by Scott Anderson, and from Mark 1: 14-20, which will be read by Kathy Scheid. We will be led musically by our Chancel Choir, led by Gerry Sousa and accompanied by Ilze Akerbergs. There will be a moment for children, and we will sing and pray together. We would love for you to join us.
If this is your first time at St. Mark’s, or you will be joining us online, we look forward to connecting with you. Service begins in the sanctuary at 10:30. To join online, visit www.smumc.church, and click on the Livestream banner.