Knock. Knock.

Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Hi, Elmer. How are you today? I’m not trying to sell anything.

You’ve got mail!

All of them are a way to get a person’s attention in our times.

How did the word of the Lord get to Jonah? What was the method of communication in that time long ago? Listen again to the first two verses of chapter three of the book of Jonah. The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, "Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you." It seems that it came from a voice speaking the words. Did you notice that it said the word came for a second time?

• Didn’t Jonah hear it the first time ….. like being in a busy airport where the noise made it impossible to hear?
• Did he think the message was for someone else ….. like hearing the flight to Denver being called when you are going to New Orleans?
• OR did he hear it the first time and say "No way, I can’t and won’t go."?

Jonah is the fifth of the Minor Prophets. The book itself has very limited information as to the historical time of this story. The only reference given is to the city of Nineveh. This city has been occupied since prehistoric times and was at its greatest as the capital of Assyria 600-700 years before Christ. It is located on the Tigris River in what is today the far north if Iraq. That puts it about 550 miles northeast of Israel,

Listen now to the opening words of the Book of Jonah -- chapter 1, verses 1-2. Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying, "Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before me." This sounds nearly the same as the beginning of chapter 3 which we have already heard twice.

Imagine for a minute you are Jonah hearing these words the first time. The Lord has sent you a message to go to this place a long way away over mostly desert to tell them they are wicked. Which part of this is more scary ….. the long difficult trip to get there, or having to tell a whole city is wicked?

What about the trip: In today’s world going 550 miles is a couple of hours by airplane or maybe 10 hours by car. But for Jonah, it probably meant walking or going by camel for many days. Would you want to go from here to Cleveland on foot? How about from Charleston, South Carolina to Washington, D. C. in a row boat?

What about the message: Tell the powers that be they are wicked. This may be a easy message for many of us, but speaking directly to the President and all national leaders might be hard to do. Your task is to convince them to listen and understand how wicked they are.

Would you go? Willingly?

Well, Jonah did not like the idea either, so he bought passage on a ship to going to Tarshish. (While it is not clear where Tarshish was, sources say it was probably in the Mediterranean Sea, maybe as far as Spain.) So today you live in lovely Charleston, South Carolina, and instead of setting out in your row boat for Washington, you go down to the port and book passage on a ship sailing for the Virgin Islands.

The call to serve is being rejected. Trying to escape, like Jonah, seems to be the answer.

Running way is too extreme for most folks, so we find all kinds of reasons to explain why we can not accept when asked, "Will you serve?"

Here now some words spoken by a twentieth century person who was resisting the call to serve:

It takes six or seven years for a man to get adjusted in the Senate so he can be of some use to his community, I am a member of three of the most important and three of the noisiest committees in the Senate – The Appropriations, Military Affairs and the Interstate Commerce Committee, and in addition to that I have this Special Committee to Investigate the War Program, and I feel that the committee has made some contributions to the war effort, and it is the only contribution I can possibly make. (He was told that at 56 he was too old to move from the army reserve to active duty.)

And this quote:

And 20 days before his party’s national convention, he wrote these words to his daughter:

Even at the party’s convention in Chicago, he was still resisting saying:

But two days later, he heard FDR’s formidable voice say:

And so Harry S. Truman, finally agreed to run for Vice President with the full knowledge that the President was dying.

Let’s go back to Jonah who ran away. What happened to him in his attempt to escape? When Jonah got on the ship, it ran into terrible storms. While the sailors were crying to their gods, Jonah went down in the hold, laid down and went to sleep. The captain found him and said, "Get up, call on your god." The men on board cast lots to see who was responsible for this divine wrath, and Jonah was selected. They asked him "What is this that you have done! What shall we do to you that the sea may quiet down for us?" Jonah then asked to be thrown overboard and when it was done, the seas quieted. A great fish came along and swallowed Jonah. Jonah prayed. Three days later the fish spew Jonah up on dry land. (This is quite a story. It seems more like a parable than anything that could actually have happened.)

At this point in the story of Jonah we are back to today’s reading from the third chapter when Jonah hears the word of the Lord for the second time. This time he does as asked - goes to Nineveh and delivers the message. He cried out "Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" The people of Nineveh listened. They believed in God and changed their ways. When God saw this, he changed his mind about the calamity he said he would bring upon them. As we see, Jonah could not escape. Both Jonah and the people of Nineveh answered God’s call.

How do you and I answer the call to serve?

Do we run away from the call?

Today’s Gospel reading shows us another way to answer. Jesus says "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near, repent, and believe in the good news". Then he goes to the Sea of Galilee and calls to Simon and Andrew with the words "Follow me" and they immediately left their nets and followed him. A little further he saw James and John. Immediately, he called to them and the left their father and followed him.

Did these fishermen have knowledge of the coming of Jesus? Did they know of or understand his statement that the time is fulfilled? The scripture provides no clues as to what they might have known or understood. It simply tells us they immediately followed. Did they react without thought and go blindly to a future they were told nothing about?

To us, it seems totally unbelievable that people would leave their families and just go. We would ask, how they could do that? Is this not irresponsible behavior? Yet go they did.

To me the only explanation is that the Holy Spirit had to have been at work in these extraordinary responses of these first disciples.

Now we have seen three ways to answer the call to serve.

1. Say no and run.
2. Resist as much as possible.
3. Accept immediately.

In each of these three cases there was a statement of request to serve. In the end those who were called all did as they were asked.

Does the call to serve have to come as a question from outside ourselves? I think not.

Can you recognize the call to serve in this following story? One day an eight-year-old girl was accompanying her successful businessman and state senator father, John Addams, to Freeport, Illinois, in the family buggy, and there she saw the slums of the city for the first time. Distressed at the poverty of the dwellings and the children playing on garbage heaps, she asked "why people lived in such horrid little houses so close together?" When he answered that they could afford no better, she replied that when she grew up she would, "of course, have a large house, but it would not be built among other large houses but right in the midst of horrid little houses like these."

In 1889, at age 29, Jane Addams and her friend Ellen Gates Starr acquired a mansion on Halsted Street in Chicago and founded Hull House. It was located between the stockyards and the ship-building yards. The neighborhood had tens of thousands of immigrants from Italy, German, Poland and Russia. They were living in miserable, cramped tenements without water. Garbage and ashes were dumped in the streets. The schools were grossly inadequate.

In the midst of this, Hull House was opened to share art, music and drama with the immigrants. The needs were so great that soon Hull House was no longer one house, but grew to offer social services in many buildings. Jane Addams challenged the city about the poor conditions. She also took on employers about the unsafe sweatshop working conditions of the adults and children.

She was doing the work she loved and had set out to do. Miss Addams understood the need for organization and funding and committed time in her schedule and of the staff to do this administration. Without it, the work of serving the people would not have been able to continue.

Her example is one which all organizations need to follow today. Understanding that to provide service and assistance requires some level of administration and structure.

Jane Addams did not get asked to serve, but she saw a need and acted. Throughout her busy life she did not forget or neglect her family while being a national leader working for the right to vote for women. She also was an international leader for peace earning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931. Jane Addams was an amazing woman who acted when and where she saw a need.

This is yet one more way to answer the call – volunteer.

There are many ways to serve in all of God’s creation. The ways are numerous even in the formal structure of the church.

Some are called to be ordained into ministry. This church has a long history of being the home place of those going to this path of service.

Some are called to teach. We give thanks for those serving in Sunday school or leading discussion and study groups.

Some are called to serve on projects of social justice and helping those less fortunate. Nearly all of us have given time and effort to some project or to many of them.

Some are even called to serve on committees, boards and other leadership roles to do the administration for this church. Again, we give thanks for those individuals who have shared a year or two or more to support the continued work of the church.

How will the next call to serve come to each of us? Will it be a phone call, a tap on the shoulder, a request from the front of the church, a note in the mail, a message on the computer, or in a dream?

What will be asked? To welcome the stranger? To provide a meal or food pantry donation? To become a pastor? To speak out on an issue of importance in making the world or community a better place? To teach or lead a class? To serve on a committee or board?

Who will be asking? One of our ministers, Curt or Diana? Another of our staff, Don or Jeff or Suzanne? Another member of this congregation preparing for an event or program? Some one from the nominating committee?

How will you answer when called to serve?

The first way is to try to run away from the request as Jonah did. As we know it did not work for him. After suffering the consequences he did as asked. Nineveh was saved.

Among us are those who have said "No". Are you waiting to be asked again?

The second way is to resist until it is clear there is no way to avoid it. Harry Truman tried that way, before accepting the call. He went on to serve as President doing many good things for his country and the world.

Among us are some who are resisting. Why are you still holding back from accepting a request to serve? What will it take to convince you that your talents are valuable and will be used to do good things?

The third way to respond is to say "Yes, of course, I will do it" like the first disciples did. Their example sets a very high standard, especially since the service they were asked to do was such a sudden and big change. Our yes does not have to as drastic a life change as theirs.

Some in this church have acted in this third way saying "Yes" immediately when asked.

The fourth way is to volunteer. Is it not possible you may feel some type of call to serve? The Time, Talent and Interest survey enclosed with this week’s Tower can help to identify what you can offer. Is now the time for you to speak up and volunteer to serve in some role?

We are partners in the Christian faith. Worshiping together is not enough. Service is also an essential part. Each one of us is called to do both parts as long as our physical or mental ability permits.

When that call comes – this afternoon, tomorrow, next week, next month, or whenever -

Amen.