No Leisure to Dine Mark 6:30-34,53-56 July 22, 2018 Please pray with me. Heavenly Father, may the reading of your Word draw near to you those of us who were once far off. May the hearing of your Word break down the dividing walls between us, for Jesus Christ, your living Word, is our peace. Amen. They had no leisure even to eat. Does this phrase sound familiar to any of you? I am sure if Kelly Shimansky and Missy Jewett were here they would be shaking their heads vigorously they know exactly what this is like. It is two thousand years later and the circumstances are much different, but the story is the same. We remember that right after Jesus was rejected in his home town and basically driven out of town, he went about the villages preaching and teaching, but he also gave the twelve apostles authority over the unclean spirits and sent them out two by two with only the clothes on their backs to preach and teach. They have just returned and Jesus, wanting to hear what they have done, suggests they all go away by themselves because there were so many people coming and going that they had no leisure, even to eat. Well, the trip across the sea didn t help because people saw them going across in the boat and they ran from all the towns around by foot and arrived ahead of them. Now, Jesus needs to feed not only the apostles, but also around five thousand men plus women and children. Why? Because he has compassion on those gathered who he views as sheep without a shepherd. He cares and wants to provide for them. 1
In this scripture reading from Mark, the lectionary skips over the feeding of the five thousand, after which Jesus sends the apostles across the sea to the other side in a boat while he goes up on a mountain to pray. It also skips that second sea crossing where Jesus walks on the water, intending to pass the apostle s boat by, but they become so frightened that he takes pity on them. These two stories are then taken up next week from the Gospel of John. So, we are left to sort out what is taking place on both sides of the two omitted stories. I see the primary focus of this story as once again reminding us that Jesus was well aware of self-care and honoring the Sabbath, even though he didn t always honor it on the Sabbath particularly. We remember that he often got in trouble with the Pharisees for breaking those precious Jewish laws that they were so protective of. He healed people on the Sabbath, he and his disciples plucked grain from the field for food on the Sabbath, but he reminds us that he came not to abolish the laws, but to uphold them and presumably reinterpret them to include the laws of love and caring. So, what are we to do with those laws in our time today? I see more than one scenario here. First, I see the young family trying to do the best they know how for their children, to create a family atmosphere while encouraging the children to branch out and try their wings with different sports, music, etc. All the while the parents are working hard to earn the money to support the family and it becomes a delicate balancing act. As I put this lesson together, I really got to thinking about this particular scenario. As a young mother several decades ago, I had three boys playing Little League and Babe Ruth, often 2
on different teams and so we mothers would swap children back and forth so that everyone got to their games and we got to watch at least some of the games. But, we did not have the luxury of MacDonald s, Wendy s, Dunkin Donuts, etc. so we couldn t just drive through and grab supper. We had to prepare something before we left for work in the morning that we could grab and take with us. Did this create less chaos, more family time and better overall diets? I am not sure about that, but I can tell you that it is a schedule I simply could not do today. Exhausting for sure. There is also one other thing I can tell you. Sundays were still for church and Sunday school if there were games they were neighborhood pick-up games after church. Seems to me, and I am certainly not blaming the parents for this in any way, that we have moved away from Jesus teachings in this regard. We have relegated him to the back of our lives in so many ways. Pulling him out when we really need him, or maybe not at all. Another scenario is the young professionals, working diligently to move up in their profession. Long hours are common and taking lunch hours or leaving in time for dinner are just not an option for the very driven among them. So, we see them grabbing food from vending machines to eat at their desk, or perhaps ordering take-out food delivered to the office. Not only is this five days a week, but often on weekends as well, especially if they are among those who travel excessively for work. A chance to honor the Sabbath and recharge? Not likely. These are the public faces of these young people, whether single or a part of a family. Most people in Western Christianity see the story of their life as a selfsufficient test. This test may intersect with others, but for the most part it is a 3
narrative that is self-centered, self-contained, self-grounded, and self-made. Our culture today is geared to independence, leaning on no one for support. Perhaps this is a good part of the reason fewer people today are willing to depend on God for anything. They see it as a weakness of character to not be in control. The problem is, behind these facades there are real people who are quietly suffering from anxiety, fear of failure and loss of control, which pushes them to try ever harder and as a result become more alienated from any kind of support. We don t want to be like these crowds who proactively anticipate where Jesus is headed and run to get ahead of him. They will cry out, beg and push through crowds and suffer humiliation just to get close to Jesus, to touch the hem of his clothing. In the midst of the desperation stands the One who is able to meet the demands of the many. His compassion leads him to teach when he is weary, touch and heal when he wants to be alone, and feed thousands when he himself is hungry. But yet, we need to remember that Jesus did find quiet time to spend in prayer and recharge. What happens when Christians become too busy to come away and break bread together? Mark s Gospel suggests that gathering as a faith community to rest from our labors and partake of a common meal is an important part of life together. Otherwise we may become so broken and poured out from our work as a church that we struggle to be Christ s hands and feet in this world. Earlier this week my niece and I were discussing burnout and how it is so difficult to realize that we need to sometimes back off and say no, I just can t do that. She reminded me of something I hadn t thought of when flight attendants do pre-flight announcements on an airplane they tell everyone to attach their own oxygen mask 4
before helping a child or companion attach theirs. You are of no use to another if you are unable to help them. The same situation applies to burnout. Now, I realize that not everyone cares for picnics and potluck meals in particular. I understand that and would never push anyone into taking part, but I pray that we might think about this text as we plan for the picnic after the service at Lucy s house on August 5 th and hopefully a meal after we do Fall clean up. Let us pretend for a few hours that we are the apostles and all gain strength and compassion from recharging our batteries together as a church family so that we are better prepared to go out in the communities where we are a part of the only hands and feet Jesus has on this earth. Amen. 5