Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.
Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”
So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.
But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.
When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.
*****
When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there.
As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus.
They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.
And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.
Here ends this reading of the Word of God for the People of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Prayer for Understanding
“Wherever You Are”
In
a week, I will leave for my first vacation in a year. In my pre-Covid-19 life,
I would try to visit my family once or twice a year. Although a family visit is different than a
“vacation,” it is good for my soul to visit my relatives, spend time relaxing
in the comfort of my parent’s home, eat at favorite St. Louis restaurants, and pass
as much time as I possibly can with my nieces and nephews. One of the favorite
places we travel in Missouri is Shannondale.
Shannondale is a ministry of the Missouri Mid-South Conference of the UCC
that is a local church, a camp, a retreat center, a tree farm, and an
educational center nestled in one of Missouri’s Ozark mountain communities.
Shannondale sits on 4000 tree covered acres and is next to the Mark Twain
National Forest – it is literally out in the woods. A few years ago, Shannondale started quoting
Jesus’s words from Mark chapter 6 on their tee-shirts – Come apart and rest
awhile. Jesus had the right idea –
sometimes we can only rest if we separate ourselves from the crowds, step out
of our regular lives, and rest for a while.
Although
Jesus was an extraordinary person, and he called his Disciples to become
extraordinary leaders, both Jesus and his Disciples had human needs. They
needed nourishment though food and rest. They needed support and care from one
another and the Holy Spirit. They needed sleep and to drink enough water. They
needed time off. They needed a break after a seriously busy time.
Our
reading this morning comes just after Jesus sent out his Disciples in small
groups to minister to new people. As
they were returning to meet up with Jesus, he learned that his cousin, the
prophet and leader John the Baptist, was killed at the command of King Herod.
Jesus was tired and sad. Both he and his disciples needed to take some time
apart from the crowds to rest and regroup.
They had to go to their version of Camp Shannondale – they needed to go
and be in nature, take a nap, have time to pray and rest.
But,
Jesus’ guidance to his friends to take a break came at a time in his life when
news of his ministry was spreading like wildfire. People were seeking Jesus
out….they wanted to witness his miracles. They wanted to be healed. They wanted
to hear his words and his teachings.
So,
even though Jesus and his disciples went off in their boat to try to have a
break from the crowds, Jesus saw a large crowd when they landed. And, Jesus had
compassion on the people in the crowd because they were like sheep without a
shepherd. So, Jesus extended his work. Jesus didn’t take a break. He preached
and he healed. Jesus loved the people of the world with an indescribable
sacrificial love. He couldn’t leave the crowds “hanging.” And, we know what
happened later in Jesus’ life. He gave his life over to be hung on the cross so
that humanity could be redeemed and forgiven.
Each
week, in addition to having a story from Jesus’ life to read in church, we are
also assigned a reading from the book of Psalms. The Psalm for today is Psalm
23, the most familiar of all the Psalms.
Psalm 23 is perhaps the most memorized section of the Bible. The words
of the Psalm remind us that we are not like sheep without a shepherd. Instead,
God is our shepherd. Let the words of
Psalm 23 wash over you:
The Lord is
my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie
down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art
with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table
before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my
cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and
mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of
the Lord for ever.
Although Jesus needed a rest, he couldn’t abandon
the people who came to be near him. He was compelled to witness to them and
remind them that God was with them. God is with us. When we are engulfed in
sorrow…When we are burdened with illness…. When we are depressed and feel like
we are in a black hole…When we feel like we have nowhere to turn, God is with
us. Jesus is with us. The Holy Spirit is with us.
God
loves us like a good shepherd loves their sheep. God keeps an eye out for us and doesn’t let
us wander away. God looks for us when we are lost. God gives us our comfortable
earth where we dwell. God makes sure there is more than enough food and water
available on our planet for all of the people who live here. God forgives us
when we fail. God shares God’s Holy Spirit with us to comfort us, heal us, and
restore us. God shares God’s teachings with us through the words of the Holy
Scripture found in the Bible. God gives
us confidence and comfort when we are afraid. God showers us with goodness and
mercy and brings us home to be with God when our life on this earth has
concluded.
When
Jesus saw the people who were hungry for healing and for teaching, Jesus’
didn’t turn away from them. He knew they needed a word and an embrace from the
Messiah, the human embodiment of God on earth.
Today’s
reading reminds us that God is always available. No matter how we feel, how
lonely or isolated or scared, we always have access to God. God the Creator
listens to our prayers and answers them. Jesus’s words and teachings are
available to remind us of God’s great love for us. The Holy Spirit of God is
here among us now, and is always here among us, to care for and comfort us.
This
reading also reminds us that everyone needs a break. Even Jesus needed to rest.
Sometimes, we are so aware of all of the things in our lives on our “to-do”
lists that it is difficult for us to pause and allow ourselves to rest. Some
days, we need to go to our “Shannondales” and reflect on the beauty of God’s
earth found in the natural beauty of the world. Sometimes, we need to go off by
ourselves to pray and rest. Sometimes, we even need to take a break from our
families – to drop off our kids with a sitter, to tell mom that you aren’t
answering the phone today, to allow dad to do that project without your help –
we can be a lot more helpful to others when we aren’t exhausted. This was true
for the Disciples 2000 years ago and this is true for us today.
So
friends, remember that God is always available for us. We are never like sheep
without a shepherd. The Holy Spirit is always with us to support us, guide us
and sustain us. And, also remember that is important for us to take breaks, to
take time off, to pause and regroup. We all need respite our souls, and to come
to a quiet place and rest for awhile.
Let
us do so and remember the love of God sustains us.
Amen.
King James Bible Mark 6:31
And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.
| Title: | Contemplative Christ |
|---|---|
| Date: | 19th-20th centuries |
| Building: | Peksow Brzyzek cemetery |
| Object/Function: | Carving |
| City/Town: | Zakopane |
| Country: | Poland |
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