The many themes these texts bring to mind are: call to mission, the importance of proclaiming the gospel, and judgement. One that occurs to me in our present crises is that of urgency. Jonah is urgently pushed toward Nineveh. For reasons he cannot understand, God wants to be known there. The disciples are called to an urgent task that is so compelling that they leave their daily labor to follow Jesus, leaving behind a comfortable living. Paul declares the need to set aside all the anxiety-producing-entanglements of the world to focus on the urgent matter of our calling.

There is a difference between anxiety and urgency. I am prone to be anxious about what is not urgent and not to focus on the urgent. There are important and unimportant things as there are urgent and not so urgent things. Anxiety builds as I let the unimportant things that claim to be urgent fill my life instead of focusing on the important and urgent things. One popular way of saying this is, “Don’t sweat the little stuff. Everything is little stuff. So don’t sweat.” It’s cute, but untrue. Not everything is little stuff.

The proclamation is filled with urgency. Fulfilled time, nearness of the kingdom, repentance, faith. Then Jesus passes by the sea hooking fishermen. Their response is immediate, no equivocation.

This difference between anxiety and urgency is important for our time of crisis. Those of us who are somewhat well off, which is most of those who live in the U.S., at least in relation to the majority of the world's people, are experiencing anxiety. Besides the anxiety over crashing markets and banks, government bailouts and foreclosures and business and personal bankruptcies, there are the anxious debates over morality. What really matters? What things demand urgent response?

God's mission is urgent. It will not be given up on. Jonah must preach in Nineveh. Jesus calls people to discipleship which means giving up their business pursuits and life as usual. Paul suggests we live in this urgent time as if there is no other concern than the proclamation of the gospel. The good news sets us free from evil: idols of wealth, security, license, desire, hatred, prejudice, and worldly affairs. Free to live with integrity, fearlessly, hopeful, gracious, kind, generous, peaceful, and loving. This message is important today if ever.

To be urgent is to be necessary. Anxiety is about unnecessary worry and frustration. We are called to be about the necessary mission but not to be anxious about it. We plant, cultivate, water, trusting that God will bring the harvest. God always blesses faith-full life.

(from www.goodpreacher.com/blog/)