Today's sermon-- "Come and Rest".
These are the typed notes, not necessarily what was shared verbatim in either church. In fact, I added a section about heading home Thursday after SOULfeast and about hearing the news of what had happened in Chattanooga. At first, all I read in Facebook posts was "pray for Chattanooga" when I stopped along the Nantahala at Kelly's on the River to get my lunch. Then, I found another post that explained why everyone was asking for prayer. I mentioned that even though I had just spent a week filling up my cup and being renewed, it was instantly emptied. I took my lunch and found a spot on the Nantahala to eat, rest, and pray. I needed more time to "come and rest". I needed to bring my burdens to God, again. [Not shared this morning in sermons: I found myself stopping quite a bit on my journey home Thursday. Near the Ocoee lake to check out a cabin I had spent many summers in as a child and then the Cherokee Removal site near Blythe's Ferry and a cornfield. I stopped to reflect, renew, and pray. I prayed my flute at the Cherokee Removal Site.] Sometimes, our need to "come and rest" is moment by moment.
I shared some of the above during the sermon at some appropriate spot.
For what it's worth, here are today's notes and Scripture passage. Maybe there is something here for someone.
Blessings on your journey,
Debra
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"Come and Rest"
July 19, 2015 (Pentecost 8)
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
Flintstone UMC and Simpson UMC
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
30 The
apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught.
31 He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by
yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no
leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a
deserted place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going and
recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived
ahead of them. 34 As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and
he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd;
and he began to teach them many things.
53 When
they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. 54 When
they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, 55 and
rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever
they heard he was. 56 And wherever he went, into villages or
cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that
they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were
healed.
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I contemplated changing my sermon in light of what happened in our community
of Chattanooga this past week on Thursday and the deep loss we feel as a
community and a nation. But as I
continued to reflect and pray, I realized that this theme of coming away and
resting, of becoming renewed, is crucial for us if we are going to respond
rather than react to this particular situation.
Thus, for what has happened this past week, for every day of our
journey, I invite us all to come and rest today. May our ears, hearts, minds, and souls be
attuned to the voice of God.
Let's look again at today's Scripture passage, starting with Mark 6:30-31:
"30 The
apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught.
31 He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by
yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no
leisure even to eat."
The disciples were admittedly tired
and hungry. They had been doing the work
of the Lord. Jesus knew their needs at
that moment and invited them to "come away and rest". Notice their response in verse 32: "32 And
they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves."
Let's stop here for a moment. The disciples could have responded: 'No
thanks, Jesus, we still have a lot of work to do. We're just going to keep pushing ahead until
all the folks are healed, have heard about you, etc.' But they didn't. They must have known inside themselves that
they DID need to rest. They accepted the
gentle teaching of the Lord and this gift of grace in the form of rest and they
went away to a deserted place by themselves.
They had to let go of their work and ministry and accept the extended
grace in order to even begin to rest.
That's a powerful thought, isn't it?
We are called to let go of the things that get in the way of our being
able to "come and rest". What
kind of things do we need to let go? For
me it was letting go of this past week's homework assignment. At the beginning of the semester, the
professor offered us a "get out of jail free card" to use for any
week during the summer term. We could
then be free to travel, be with family, whatever we needed to do for one
week. It meant we didn't need to
participate in the week's discussions online by posting or responding. To let go of the week's assignments, I had to
accept the grace extended to me by the professor in the form of this "get
out of jail free card". I had
to "turn in" that card in
order for the grace to be redeemed. A
gift is not worth much if it isn't opened and used. It took me until Monday morning to realize
this for myself and to live into it. In
the back of my head I knew the grace was there, but I thought I would just push
through. But Monday morning it struck me
that there was no way I was going to read the book and stay on top of my
studies and enter fully into the week of refreshment and renewal at
SOULfeast. Ironically, I knew I'd be
preaching on "Come and Rest".
How could I preach on something that I wasn't living?!?! I knew what I had to do and I turned in my
"get out of jail free card".
Jesus invites us all to come and rest.
It is in this rest, this renewal that we are able to hear and know Jesus
better. In hearing and knowing Jesus
better, we are better able to discern and to respond. Our cups are filled and we serve out of that
filled place.
How often are we to respond to Jesus' invitation to "come and
rest"? Very often. Daily.
Weekly. Monthly. Yearly.
Our Sabbath times of making time to rest and listen are crucial.
“Come to me,
all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you
rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in
heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my
burden is light.”
(NRSV)
Jesus invites us to come and rest at any time we are weary or carrying
heavy burdens. That could be a moment to moment timeline instead of what I
already mentioned.
For me, SOULfeast this past week was indeed a time of rest and
renewal. The focus for the week was
"Renew your people". Each day
the theme was centered around these parts of our baptismal vows: prayer, presence,
gifts, service, and witness. The speaker
(Elaine Heath) and the preacher (Jacob Armstrong) wove these into how we are to
be renewed, as did the morning and afternoon sessions. I won't take time now to share everything I
learned this past week, but I will say that the combination of the speakers,
the workshops, the trip to Asheville, NC to hear and see this vision of
investing in a community and its renewal, plus joining in Holy Communion
throughout the week and walking around Lake Junaluska.... all of this
contributed to my renewal, my being able to listen.
Today's passage is just one of several in which we
see Jesus and the disciples taking time apart to pray, be with a smaller group of
disciples for prayer and teaching, spending time in solitude, etc. As we look at Jesus' example, we understand
the importance of coming away to rest, of taking time to refresh prior to
making decisions and/or continued service to others. (Luke 6:12-14 is one example)
Verses 33-34 in today's passage show us that the
people really didn't give Jesus and his disciples a chance to rest this
time. That happens. Sometimes our times of rest and renewal are
put aside for a moment. Here, Jesus had
great compassion on the crowd that arrived ahead of them and began to teach
them. Jesus was mindful of their needs.
The lectionary passage skips the feeding of the
crowd in verses 35-52. The disciples
engage in servant leadership, learn first-hand from Jesus about miracles and
serving. But that's a sermon for another
day. Then, when the time is right, they
leave again and set off for the other side of the lake.
They were going to get their time alone now,
right? Not really. Read verses 53-56 again. But, think for a minute. They had their time in the boat, crossing
over as alone time, just the disciples and Jesus. They were there on the water, able to reflect
upon the day's activities. Sometimes it
is a few minutes of rest and renewal that we get in our cars, standing in line
waiting, sitting in the pews prior to the start of a service. We can use these times to rest in the
presence of God and allow our spirits to be renewed.
It is through these times of renewal that we can
more clearly hear the voice of God over all the other "voices" and
demands in our lives. I picked up a book
from the ottoman, one of the many books I look forward to reading now that
required reading is almost over. :) Sabbath: Finding rest, renewal, and delight in our
busy lives by Wayne Muller. The
first line of the introduction sums up the problem we face: "In the
relentless busyness of modern life, we have lost the rhythm of work and
rest." (1) Muller goes on to say
this: "All life requires a rhythm of rest.
There is a rhythm in our waking activity and the body's need for
sleep. There is a rhythm in the way day
dissolves into night, and night into morning.
There is a rhythm as the active growth of spring and summer is quieted
by the necessary dormancy of fall and winter.
There is a tidal rhythm, a deep, eternal conversation between the land
and the great sea. In our bodies, the
heart perceptibly rests after each life-giving beat; the lungs between the
exhale and the inhale. We have lost this
essential rhythm. Our culture invariably
supposes that action and accomplishment are better than rest, that doing
something---anything---is better than doing nothing. Because of our desire to succeed, to meet
these ever growing expectations, we do not rest. Because we do not rest, we lose our way. We miss the compass points that would show us
where to go, we bypass the nourishment that would give us succor. We miss the quiet that would give us
wisdom. We miss the joy and love born of
effortless delight. Poisoned by this
hypnotic belief that good things come only through unceasing determination and
tireless effort, we can never truly rest.
And for want of rest, our lives are in danger." (1)
Hear these words from Sarah Young in her devotional
book, Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence. This is the devotion from July 17. As you listen to these words, imagine Jesus
speaking to you individually.
"Come away with Me for a while. The world, with its nonstop demands, can be
put on hold. Most people put Me
on hold, rationalizing that someday they will find time to focus on Me. But the longer people push Me into the
background of their lives, the harder it is for them to find Me.
You live among people who glorify busyness; they
have made time a tyrant that controls their lives. Even those who know Me as Savior tend to
march to the tempo of the world. They
have bought into the illusion that more is always better: more meetings, more
programs, more activity.
I have called you to follow Me on a solitary path,
making time alone with Me your highest priority and deepest Joy. It is a pathway largely unappreciated and
often despised. However, you have
chosen the better thing, which will never be taken away from you. Moreover, as you walk close to Me, I can
bless others through you."
In closing, listen to the passage from Matthew
11:28-30 again, this time in contemporary language:
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion?
Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to
take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the
unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.
Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (MSG)
May it be so.
Amen.
