Sermon for July 21, 2024 - The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

“Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” - Mark 6:31

I wonder how the disciples reacted when Jesus said this to them. Were they thinking “Ah, finally we get to have some rest” or “Are you kidding Jesus, there is so much work to be done, we can’t rest now” or maybe even “We’d love to rest, but there isn’t a place where we can go to rest.”

Up until this point in the gospel of Mark, Jesus and his disciples have been doing a lot of traveling and teaching.  The more they travel, the more crowds of people are looking for them.  Jesus, along with his disciples, is becoming famous because of the healings and miracles that he performs while they travel. All this traveling and constant pressure from the large crowds of people is starting to wear on the disciples. Jesus recognizes this and suggests to them that they rest for a while.

But as our gospel from today says, the disciples did not get to rest yet, because as soon as they reach the shore there is yet another crowd gathered to see Jesus.

Rest will come for the disciples, in a while, but for now they must continue to help Jesus with his ministry.

I wonder how each of us would react if Jesus told us to “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” Would we say, “Thank you for the invitation, I’d love to rest for a while” or “Sure Jesus, that is a nice idea, but I don’t have time for that right now” or maybe “I’d love to but there is so much work to be done, I can’t rest now.”

In today’s society we are always on the move. Always putting in more time at work, always providing opportunities for new experiences for our children, always joining new organizations, always busy.

A few years ago, I read a study out of UCLA, reported in the Boston Globe, observing the typical week of thirty-two middle class families in the Los Angeles area. The idea was to take a detailed snapshot of American family life early in the 21st century. The results, according to one researcher, were “disheartening.” Those who were studied were so consumed with working, collecting, amassing, and generally “getting ahead,” that they spent very little time together enjoying what they were working for.

While this study took place in Los Angeles, I bet that researchers would find similar results with those of the same age here in Winnipeg. Please don’t misunderstand me, I am not saying that working hard to provide for your family is a bad thing; I am saying that, as this study pointed out, we spend more time working for things than we do enjoying those things.

Think back to the first story of creation found in Genesis. God creates everything in the world in six days, and on the seventh day, God rests. God has been setting the example of rest for us since the beginning of time. Later when Moses relays the 10 Commandments to the people of Israel, keeping the Sabbath holy is part of it. This would have been music to the ears of the Israelites because they had just left their bondage in Egypt. And now in today’s gospel we hear Jesus inviting the disciples, and us, to rest.

Rest can come in many different forms. I am not going to enumerate all the ways in which one can rest, because only you can know what is restful and renewing to you. For me, I find rest in napping, walking outdoors, paddling up and down a river, and even having quiet time with God in stillness and silence.

Before Stephen was born, my quiet time with God was right when I got up. Some days it was only a brief encounter, other days I found myself running late for work because I lost track of time. God doesn't require a “clocked” amount of time, God just requires some time. God knows you are busy, yet you still found time for God in your day. That was all that is required.

Nowadays finding quiet time to myself is not often an easy reality. Even still, I look for God’s presence in the noisy, rough and tumble parts of the day. God is in, with, and around us all the time, so God is certainly with us in the chaotic moments as much as God is with us in the quiet moments.

When we take time to slow down, when we take time to see and feel the presence of God around us, we begin to see that we are surrounded by an abundance. Perhaps not as the world might see it, but the Kingdom of God is a place of abundance.

An abundant life doesn't consist of merely accumulating more and more and more. Abundant ultimately isn't a quantitative term but a qualitative one. So, what can you do to live into this abundant life, which includes abundant rest, that God wants for each of us? Perhaps you can take a walk with a friend or spouse, play a game with a child or neighbour, take some time to unplug from all the various screens you interact with daily, sit alone or with others to contemplate your blessings and abundance so that you may feel content and grateful for the abundant life you lead.

In a moment, we’ll gather around the altar and pray the ‘Great Thanksgiving.’ Bring something from your journey to share with Jesus, whether it be a joy, a desire, a need, or something that is burdening you that you need to leave behind. Then stretch out your hands and receive a piece of bread and a sip of wine, and a moment of stillness; sustenance for the next leg of the journey. Jesus is our good shepherd, full of compassion and he will supply our need.

So this week, and hopefully well into the future, I invite you to…

Rest. Take a break from all the bustle and activity. 

Rest. Have a chance to renew, to stop, to slow.

Rest. Let there be an end of work, if only for a little while.

Rest. Take an opportunity to stop doing, that you may simply be.

Rest.