"Rest, Interrupted?" - Sermon from 7/22/2012

Rest, Interrupted?

Texts: Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 (main focus); Jeremiah 23:1-6; Ephesians 2:11-22

   Dear friends in Christ, grace and peace to you from the one who is and who was and who is to come, our living Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

   [Play alarm on cell phone] How many of you LOVE hearing that sound first thing in the morning? Oh, I know I do at 3am. Snooze button, where are you?

   So, when I first read this passage from Mark, two songs or sets of lyrics popped into my head: the line “Everybody needs a little time away” and “Vacation…Duh duh duh duh duh duh”…I never did learn all the lyrics to this song, so if someone wants to enlighten me after the service, please do. It’s sad, because I’m a child of the 80s, so I should know the words!

   Yes, today the sermon is on rest, so I don’t want to see you grabbing your pillows and blankets, trying to sleep. If I hear you snoring, look out.

   How do you define “rest?” What does “true rest” look like to you? Is it sleep? Power naps? Finishing to-do lists? Keeping your mind free of any worries or troubles?

   We do need “rest,” as today’s Gospel reading from Mark tells us. Our bodies are temples for the Holy Spirit to dwell, so we need to take care of ourselves. Sleep. Exercise. Eat right. We need time for reading and studying the Word, prayer, and reflection. If the foundation isn’t set right, it all comes tumbling down, as we heard in Pastor Dan’s plumb line sermon last week. After all, if we don’t take care of ourselves, how can we take care of others?

   We can live our lives so scatter-brained when we’re not rested…For example, there was a time, about 4-5 years ago, when I was working at my previous job, and I went through the Caribou drive-thru to order coffee and a gift card…At the window, when I got the gift card, I drove off, without the coffee! For me, that’s pretty bad. Thankfully, I wasn’t too far away, so I parked my car and ran in to get my coffee. It defeated the purpose of going through the drive-thru, though.

   Rest is important…Today, though, let’s challenge our definition of “rest.” Real rest is not doing “nothing”…It’s not sitting on the couch with the remote control in hand. The concept or question to ask ourselves today is, What if real “rest” involves doing something?

   First, let’s set the stage for this story in Mark…What’s going on here? In 6:7-13, we see disciples being sent out, two by two, having the authority by Jesus to cast out demons and anoint oil on the sick, curing them. They come back to Jesus at the beginning of this passage, giving the report of what they have done and taught. Last week, in verses 14-29, we heard about the beheading of John the Baptist. So, when Jesus recognizes the need for rest, as he is probably grieving the loss of John, he suggests going to a deserted place in verse 31 to rest a while. How long is a while? In Jesus’ case, it’s not very long.

   The deserted, desolate place…Is there really such a place? As we see in this Gospel reading, the crowds beat them there. In Mark 1:35, Jesus goes to such a place to pray, and Simon and his companions find him there. In Mark, these places appear to be for rest and restoration, but “deserted” doesn’t stay that way for long, does it? Especially in the busyness of life.

   What else do you notice about this passage in Mark? I liked Diane’s reaction at the Wednesday morning Bible study, “Where’s the rest of it?” The miracle of the feeding of the five thousand (verses 35-44) and Jesus walking on the water (verses 45-52) are omitted. Why? I have NO idea…Then we jump to this little blurb in verses 53-56, a scene that sounds like Bieber Fever…For some of you, Beatlemania would ring a bell. For me and my generation, it was New Kids on the Block. “Whoa oh oh oh oh…Just Hangin’ Tough.”

   Jesus didn’t complain when he encountered the crowds. They were waiting, needing to hear that good news. “He had compassion for them,” “began to teach them many things.” We need to ask ourselves, Do we “complain” when our rest is interrupted? Or do we rejoice in having the opportunity to share God’s love and grace with someone who may be hungering for it?

   When we try to get away, we encounter more hungry people, spiritually and physically. Yes, it can be overwhelming. And we might be tempted to send them away empty-handed. We don’t have enough to help that person…We don’t have the time or the money to do something about it. But, we never know when or how Christ may come to us. How often do we encounter Jesus, but we don’t recognize him? Or we see him, but we choose not to recognize him, because we don’t want to be bothered right now? It’s like Pastor Dan had mentioned last week, about hearing and listening, truly hearing. This week, it’s truly seeing. The crowds recognized Jesus…How about us? Where might have you seen Jesus this morning? Maybe at the gas station, restaurant, local coffee shop…Do you recognize Jesus in the hungry, sick, poor, suffering, broken…In the eyes of those who hold different opinions, beliefs, those who reject us? You never know where Jesus may be waiting for us. It could be different places and people where we have not looked before.

   “Rest”…When we hear the word, “Sabbath” may come to mind. A day set apart. Mention of the word Sabbath can be found in Scripture 164 times. Thank you, Pastor Dan, for counting all those instances…One by one! Okay, maybe computer software assisted, but still, thank you!

   A few of those instances regard the healing of the man with the withered hand, in Matthew 12:9-14, Mark 3:1-6, and Luke 6:6-11. Jesus emphasizes human need over Sabbath observance. Religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees, believed that healing was work. Some people would permit breaking the Sabbath to save a life, but healing? In Matthew 12:12, Jesus says it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. Mercy is greater than the Sabbath.

   As we look at the Law, the Ten Commandments, the third one is to “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” So, what does this mean? Martin Luther says in the Large Catechism that such a day of rest gives people the opportunity to go to worship, like you are here today, to hear the Word of God preached, and offer praises and prayers to God. Worship is to the glory of God and for the good of the neighbor. What good is there if we are doing nothing with what has been given us, what has been meant to be shared? For if we hear God’s Word, but we’re not living it, how does that make one different from one who hasn’t heard it?

   What is meant by keeping it holy? The day itself is already holy, but what you decide to do with it determines its outcome. Are you devoting yourself to the Word and living it out, with your words and actions? Do you look for Christ in the face of the stranger? Those you live with? Those who irritate you? For Luther said that even non-Christians can spend a day in rest and idleness. We are to preach and practice God’s Word. Our life and work need to be based on God’s Word. When it is, as Luther says, the commandment is fulfilled. We can’t just hear the Word, but we need to learn it and honor it. Honor it in how we are living it. And just because we hear something a couple of times, doesn’t mean we’re experts at it. That’s when we become complacent, and we may open ourselves up to things we don’t want. As Luther states, “For where the heart stands idle, and the Word is not heard, the devil breaks in and does his damage before we realize it. On the other hand, when we seriously ponder the Word, hear it, and put it to use, such is its power that it never departs without fruit” (The Book of Concord, p. 400). Fruit FAR better than any strawberries I could pick. J It’s those works.

   So, true rest, keeping the Sabbath, ISN’T doing nothing? Think of it this way…When a person is a runner, you typically have what you would call a rest day, a break from running. But, on that rest day, guess what? You don’t sit around on the couch with the remote in your hand.

   In the magazine “Runner’s World” October 2009 issue, an article was published entitled, “Your Best Rest: Recovering from a workout? Run better tomorrow by getting off the couch today.” In the article, Dr. Stephen McGregor, an exercise physiologist and advisor to the cross-country team at Eastern Michigan University, says, “You don't want to run on your recovery day—it's an opportunity to recuperate from the stresses of training, but doing nothing isn't ideal either, unless you are injured. Light exercise [or low intensity, like riding a bike, swimming laps, walking the dog for about 30 minutes] increases blood flow to the muscles, which clears out waste products that contribute to soreness and inflammation.” So, as Christians, are we clearing out the waste? Are we doing good for our neighbors on our rest days? Or are we suffering from soreness and inflammation in those faith muscles that produce those fruits of good works, because we’re not using them on our days off?

   We have to make sure that our “rest” is not laziness nor complacency. Do we complain about what’s going on in the world? Complain about something that needs to be improved? Or, in that time that it takes to complain, are you doing something about it? Do we expect someone else to take care of it? James 2:15-16 states, “If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?” Do we just lament what’s going wrong in the world, country, state, city, schools, churches, listing all of the problems?

   With the tragic shootings in Colorado early Friday morning, immediately I thought about my friends who live out there…What about Kurt? Michelle? They were okay, but what about those who lost a loved one? Who was injured? Violence interrupted everyone’s lives.

   Jesus tried to get away to rest…But, life interrupted. Jesus’ heart couldn’t help but flow into practical action. So, we need to be proactive with living out in word and action the fruit of our faith—that good news. Proactive in loving ALL people, ALL the time. “For Christ is our peace; in his flesh he has made (in a sense) ALL into one and has broken down the dividing wall, the hostility between us,” our reading from Ephesians states. No room for finger-pointing or blame. We’re all ministers, and we can all extend that life-giving Word, in speech and actions, bread for the stomach and for the spirit. In fact, social problems may have spiritual needs at the root.

   I’d like to play a short clip from the movie, “Bruce Almighty.” How many of you are familiar with it? In a nutshell, Jim Carrey plays Bruce, who is frustrated and thinks he can do a better job of “running things” than God, who is played by Morgan Freeman. So, after Bruce makes a mess of things, answering everyone’s prayers with “Yes,” he turns to God. And Morgan Freeman’s voice may do a better job with the quote than mine:

   Morgan Freeman as God: “Parting your soup is not a miracle, Bruce, it’s a magic trick. A single mom who’s working two jobs and still finds time to take her kid to soccer practice, that’s a miracle. A teenager who says “no” to drugs and “yes” to an education, that’s a miracle. People want me to do everything for them. What they don’t realize is *they* have the power. You want to see a miracle, son? Be the miracle.”

   Do we expect God to do everything? God has done the work of saving us…But, we are called to be the hands and feet, here and now. God has given us the gifts to share with others. Maybe that’s why the miracle section in Mark is omitted today. We continue in writing the story, going out there, being present in the world for Christ. Looking for Christ. Being as Christ. Maybe instead of “be the miracle,” it’s “to be love, to be hope, to be Christ to our neighbor.” Go. Be.

   It reminds me of those Blue Cross Blue Shield commercials, “Do the Groove,” “Let me see you move something”…It can be ”Let me see you do something.” On our “rest” days, we can do that. Sit in a park, take in God’s creation. You never know who you might encounter. Tomorrow is my birthday, and I took the day off from work, which I try to do. I have my free drink coupon from Caribou for my birthday, so I’ll be going. Who knows, maybe I’ll buy a stranger a cup of coffee. Strike up a conversation with someone who might be in need of hearing good news.

   On Facebook this week, my sister shared a picture that sums it up: “I always wondered why somebody didn’t do something about that, then I realized I’m that somebody.”

   Are you “somebody?” God believes that you are…When the interruption of an alarm comes [play cell phone alarm], will you answer the call, or are you going to hit the snooze button?

   And now may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Caroline Harthun

House of Prayer Lutheran Church

9:30am

Sunday, July 22, 2012

  

Children’s Message

Hi! How are you all doing today?

Do you all have a regular bedtime? Yeah…What time is your bedtime? I typically do, too, and sometimes, though, I stay up a little later than I mean to…Or, when I go to bed, I can’t get to sleep right away. Does that ever happen to you? Yeah…Should we ask everyone if they got their recommended 8 hours of sleep last night? Good job for those of you who did! And, for those of you who did not, are you drinking coffee? Yes! And, is it Caribou? Just kidding. J

I’m lacking a little in the sleep department, so, if you all don’t mind, to catch up on my sleep, I’m going to take a little nap right here and right now…Is that okay? (Lay down with pillow and blanket…Put on robe.) Maybe one of you can preach the sermon today?

What? No? Okay…(Get up.) Do you ever notice, though, that when you get TOO much sleep, you sometimes feel worse? I guess that’s where the whole “balance” thing comes into play.

So, are there things you have to do when you go to bed? Brush your teeth…Pray…Put your pajamas on…Did you know that even when we sleep, which feels like we’re doing nothing, we’re actually doing something? Our brains are still working…Do you ever dream when you sleep? Are they good dreams? I hope so!

In today’s Gospel reading, we will hear about how Jesus brought his disciples with him, to try to get away from everything, to try to get some rest. But, the crowds saw them and followed them. Jesus felt so concerned about them that he started teaching them. In his quest for rest, he put the needs for others first, because we never know who we might encounter, when we might encounter them, and if they will ever know how much God loves them!

So, what might true rest be for us today? Maybe it’s giving my pillow to someone who doesn’t have a pillow…Listening to someone who needs to talk…Praying with someone, for someone. In all those ways, we are being as Christ to people. Let us pray:

Dear Lord, thank you for sending Jesus, to show us what true rest is…That we may hear Your Word and live it in our lives, by what we say to others and what we do for them, bringing glory to You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.