(I gave this homily this morning.  The readings were , Jonah 3, 1-5, Psalm 25, 1 Corinthians 7:29-31, and Mark 1:14-20.)

On Monday we celebrated the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who said so many wise things. One of them was, “The time is always right to do what is right.”

This weekend we marched for life, and yesterday there was a women’s march, and a meme, a movement, is going around, raising awareness about how we have undervalued and mistreated our sisters: #TimesUp.

There was a scene in one of the Star Trek movies, where Mr. Chekov was in big trouble, so he was trying to get the crew of the Enterprise to beam him up, back to the ship where he’d be safe. The situation was dire, and he was worried, and he spoke into his communicator, “Captain, now would be a good time.”

My mother used a certain expression when she wanted us to know she meant business: “Drop whatever you’re doing, and come here.” It communicated urgency, immediacy. It meant, you are not doing anything more important than what Mom is calling you for. That might be dinner; that might be cleaning up some mess I left in another room; it might just be to help her out with something for a minute or two. It could be anything, but it could not be ignored. Drop what you’re doing and come. Right now.

When we heard that, we didn’t think about it; we didn’t compare our options or consider other plans. We just got going. There would be serious consequences if we heard that call and did not drop whatever we were doing and respond. And I have no idea what they were. I don’t know what would have happened if I had not come running. I don’t even want to know. I do have a sense that I am still here today because every time Mom said, “Drop what you’re doing and come,” that is what I did.

We have a story in this gospel today of Jesus basically saying to these fishermen, drop what you’re doing and come with me. And what did they do? They literally dropped the work they were doing, mending their fishing nets, and they left their own father in the boat with the workers. Just peaced out and followed. Bye, Dad!

What about us?

You may have heard me say that the scariest gospel reading is the one we heard a couple of months ago, at the end of November. It’s in Matthew, ch. 25: “When did we see you hungry, or in prison, or needing our help?” And the king says, whatever you did not do for the least of these, you did not do for me. I can’t hear that or think about it without getting a little shook up. And now that I’ve had seven weeks and the holidays to forget about it, today’s gospel comes along, and I picture Jesus saying to us, “Hi! I’ve got something I need you to help me with. Drop what you’re doing and come with me.”

What would we do?

These second graders who are preparing for their first communion, they know what they’d do. They live in the moment, and they’d say to Jesus, “Oh yeah; I’m coming with you.” But those of us who have any difficulty living in the present or being spontaneous, when everything we do is planned and orchestrated, even our daily prayer and reflection routines – if Jesus interrupts that routine, saying, “Come, follow me, and I will make you into something more meaningful than what you are now,” what would we do?

Would we consult our calendars to see what was coming up in the next hour or the next few days and politely thank him for the invitation? Would we suggest that maybe he could show us where he is staying another time, and go on with what we were doing?

Would we want to think it over for a while? My approach to life is a combination of procrastination and forgetfulness, so it’s kind of a small miracle when I get anything done. If we had a family coat of arms, the Latin verse on the scroll at the bottom would read, “Habemus temporem,” which translates, “We’ve got time.” I like to think about doing something. I go in for that part – thinking about it – way more than actually doing something, making a decision.

The planning, the considering, giving it some thought. Yeah, that’s my wheelhouse. But, doing it? Actually doing? Let me think about that and get back to you.

But this gospel challenges us, saying, okay, time’s up. “This is the time of fulfillment,” Jesus says. This is it. Right now is the acceptable time.  Jonah told Nineveh they only had 40 days.  Paul told his people at Corinth time’s up, the world we know is passing away.  The kingdom of God is replacing the world we think we know, the world we’ve tried to struggle through and become comfortable in. It’s changing because of the work of Jesus, and Jesus is getting his work done by attracting people with different skills to come and contribute their skills to his service.

In the gospel story today, he wanted the fisherman’s skills, their patience and perseverance. Their knack and feel for where to cast the net and how to drag it bag to the surface full of a catch. He wanted hard-working team players, and apparently he also had room for competitive people driven to be the best at what they do. (Later on, these brothers James and John would argue with each other as they followed Jesus on the road, fighting over which one was the best.)

He’s going to transform these followers and their skills: In calling them to be “fishers of men,” Jesus means this, “I’m going to take the practical skills of your craft and put them at the service of the kingdom.” He did that with other people too: a tent-maker, an accountant, a tax collector, a rabble-rouser – a diverse collection of people who all could do something.

I see before me a diverse collection of people who all can do something. I see teachers, lawyers, doctors, writers, financial wizards, captains of industry. I see chefs and singers and dancers and artists, people who have within them a spark of God’s creative energy. I see competitive people who are driven to be the best at what they do.

Jesus is inviting us to do a job in building up the kingdom. He calls all of us to that. Jesus is getting his work done by attracting people with different skills to come and contribute their skills to his service. The job Jesus invites us to help him with is not so much about getting people into heaven; it’s more about getting heaven into people. It’s a great job. We can’t be hesitant to do it. It doesn’t necessarily mean quitting the job you have now (but it might). When I became a deacon, I didn’t quit on any of the vocations I had – I’m still a lawyer, and a father, and a friend, and a husband. But responding does mean wholehearted dedication and trust and not waiting any longer.

Christ has been inviting us all to help with the work of building the kingdom, and too many of us, instead of saying yes, have been thinking it over, trying to figure out whether it’s the right time, whether we can fit that into our schedules. “I have a lot on my plate right now, Jesus. Can you check back with me in six or eight months and see if I can get some other stuff under control first?” That is not the answer Jesus is looking for.

Let’s not procrastinate; let’s answer the call Jesus is making to us.

Stop waiting for a better time, the best time. Now is the acceptable time, this is the time of fulfillment. We are not doing anything more important, more fulfilling, than what Jesus is calling us for. The time’s up for thinking it over, for considering it.

“The time is always right to do what is right.” We all need to drop what we’re doing and follow.