Ernest
Shackleton needed men for his Antarctic expedition one hundred years ago and he
inserted this advertisement in the paper. “MEN WANTED, for hazardous
journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant
danger, safe return doubtful, honour and recognition in case of success.”
He received 5000
applicants for 56 places! The journey proved to be a disaster - and a triumph!
Their ship was trapped in the ice and broke up and they had to make a weary
journey across the frozen sea to an uninhabited island. There they launched a
boat to sail 1300 kms to a distant populated island in the South Atlantic and
find help. They succeeded and no one was lost. It is a gripping story.
We are
capable of generosity and bravery; hardship and adversity can bring out the
best in us. We stretch ourselves in war but today many nations find the same
stretch in sport, or climbing high mountains covered in ice and snow or rowing
across the oceans. People are thrilled to be accepted for what can be gruelling
and dangerous missions.
There is a
passage in Mark’s first chapter where we find an invitation from Jesus to some
fishermen on the shore of the Sea of Galilee: “Follow me and I will make you
fishers of men.” A favourite phrase of Mark in this chapter is “at once” and
one of the places we find it is here. “At once they left their nets and
followed him.” There is a bit of electricity here – like a light going on. They
had no idea what this call would mean but they sensed somehow that this
invitation would be like-changing. It would be the making of them – and others.
What is it
in an invitation – or “an offer too good to refuse” - that transforms us,
lightens our step and loosens our face into a grin? “For the sake of the joy
that lay before him, he endured the cross, disregarding the shame of it”
(Hebrews 12:2). Jesus too had “an offer too good to refuse”. It was the saving
of us all. Not all will accept this, of course, but in one way or another most
of us know that toil and sacrifice redeem us and give us meaning. It is not
just for our personal benefit. If we see it that way we are lost. The more our
perspective is “for others” the more we find life ourselves.
Most
invitations are hidden. So many mothers spend their time wearily struggling to
provide for their families. They rise early and labour to produce and sell some
small items – enough to ward off hunger from their families for one more day.
These too have heard the invitation and responded. And, astonishingly, they are
often happy people.
21 January 2018 Sunday 3 B
Jonah 3:1…10 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 Mark 1:14-20
