Worship Bulletin and Information- January 21, 2024

Sunday, January 21, 2024 3^rd- Sunday of Epiphany

The bulletin for this week may be found by looking under "downloads" at the bottom of this 

Overview: “When Saying Yes Requires Saying No”

It was one of those thought-for-the-day-calendars you find in your Christmas stocking. The sayings mostly were trite and pithy, but every so often there was a truth worth repeating, for example: “Decide what you want and what you are willing to exchange for it. Set your priorities and go to work.” In other words, if we’re serious, saying yes to one thing often requires saying no to something else.

Jonah—after fleeing from the mission to which God was calling him (and three days and nights in the belly of the fish!)—now says “No!” to his former urges and “Yes!” to God as he sets out as God’s prophet to Nineveh. Paul invites us to say “No!” to trivial matters and “Yes!” to the things of God that have serious and eternal consequences. Jesus calls the disciples to say “No!” to their boats and nets and families and much of everything else they have known and to say “Yes!” to his “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.”

We feel a kinship with Jonah’s situation, because he struggles. He runs away from God and only relents after a huge fish vomits him onto a distant shore. The call-response stories of Simon, Andrew, James, and John make it all seem so easy. One little word of invitation from Jesus and these men turn in an instant from fishers to disciples.

But most of us live somewhere in the middle, not resisting God’s call with the vigor of Jonah but certainly responding more slowly and ambiguously than the disciples. So a question for today is: To what is God calling us to say “No!”? Remember, it’s not just the ugly stuff but often good things that must be denied for the sake of following Jesus. And then we must also ask in faith: To what is Jesus inviting us to say “Yes!”?

How to watch via livestream or on demand:

Join us Sunday mornings at 10am as we broadcast live directly on our website: clcathens.org/live. (Note: If you don’t hear audio, make sure that it is not muted.)  Sign into the chat and participate with others who are watching. 

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Thank-you for joining our worship today and thank you for your generosity.  Please know that your financial support for the ministry of Christ Lutheran is greatly appreciated. Consider giving in one of the following ways:

• Mail your Sunday offerings to: Christ Lutheran Church, Attn Wanda Weinberg, 69 Mill St., Athens, OH 45701
• Donate on our website, click on "Give" on the top right and follow through the prompts.