Jesus was busy… very busy. In verse thirty-five (35) of our text today, it says that Jesus got up in the morning while it was still very dark and he went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. Now, here is a man who has been surrounded by crowds since he began his ministry… a man who, at this point, longs for solitude in a world that refuses to leave him alone. I have often wondered how those who are constantly in the spotlight deal with the loss of solitude in their lives. How do they find a place where they can be truly alone? And how rare it is even for us to find such places! Of course, I am one who loves to go to Wal-Mart or to HEB at midnight when no one else is there except the staff who are restocking the shelves or mopping the floors. I am convinced that my blood pressure is lower when I shop then… even if I am losing sleep to shop.
Jesus went apart from the crowd to pray… and, it seems that the only time that he could do that was in the early morning hours before the rest of the group got up… which had to be pretty early if you consider that he was staying in the home of a fisherman! I wonder where he went that morning. Did he climb a hill overlooking the lake? Was the surface of the lake peacefully calm… like a sheet of glass… as it often is before dawn? Could he see the moon reflected in the surface of the lake? Could he watch the lights of the fishing boats as they returned from their night on the water? Did he see the sky change color as dawn approached? Could he see women going to market… or to the village well to fetch water as the village came to life? What did he think about in that brief time apart? What did he pray about in those hours before dawn? How did that time apart affect his ministry?
One of the continuing education events that is most precious to me is the National Pastors Sabbath, which is held every other year in the spring. It is a brief time… only four days… when Presbyterian pastors from across the nation gather for a time apart… a time of refreshment… a time of prayer… a time of renewal… all within a context of Sabbath rest. What we have discovered is that too many of us do not have a Sabbath… for we spend the day set apart for Sabbath working each week… and no other day is set apart to be Sabbath for us. So, we grab Sabbath on the run… just as Jesus did here… a quiet hour or two in the hills… a peaceful moment by the lakeshore… for me: a moment sitting in the sanctuary… a time of prayer and communion with God that is often far too short, but… as our text from Isaiah tells us… a time that allows us to rise on wings like eagles… to run and not be weary… to walk and not faint.
At the Mid-Winter Lectures at the seminary this past week, the preacher for the series was my old preaching professor, Dr. Scott Black Johnston. He left his position as a seminary professor to become the senior pastor at Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, Georgia, five years ago. This year, he was called to be the head of staff at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City. At a reunion reception that his former students attended, we asked him what surprised him most about life as a preacher… and what he might teach differently if he were teaching preaching now. He laughed. He was wrong about a lot things, he said… most of all, about how life gets in the way of preaching. The multiple demands of administrative duties of the church… the needs of the parishioners… the concerns of staff… and the life of the community… all conspire to reduce the time available to focus on preaching… on his ministry. He said that he now had much greater respect for those who manage to produce a new and fresh sermon each week.
Life… gets in the way of preaching… of ministry? Really? I don’t think so. Life is ministry. Annie Dillard, an author who focuses on the lives of Christians in today’s world, says that “how we live our days is, of course, how we live our lives.” What we do at every moment reflects choices that we make regarding what we believe to be important at that time. The choices that we make often reflect how close we are to God… and the result is ministry… our ministry to others… our ministry to God… even our ministry to ourselves. Can we get bogged down in the day-to-day problems of life? Absolutely! Can we free ourselves of them? Not always… sometimes, they find us, even when we try to escape. Can we set a new course? Yes, but only with resolute determination… and the knowledge that there is always unfinished business that we have left behind. Inertia is a powerful force… and life rarely allows all those loose ends to be tied up with a bow!
Take note of what Jesus does in this story. He heals Simon Peter’s mother and many others who clamor for attention in this town. His work is not finished when he slips away for a moment apart with God. His disciples find him… even in this deserted place. They tell him of the demand for him back in the village. And what is his response? "Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do." And, leaving the clamoring crowds at Simon’s mother’s house behind, Jesus and his disciples move to the next village. Apparently, the brief time that Jesus had alone with God was enough to allow him to refocus on his larger objective… and to realize that he was getting bogged down in the details where he was.
Do you remember the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal? After Elijah killed all the prophets of Baal, he realized that he needed some time away from work. Now, it might have been because Queen Jezebel was not particularly happy that he had done away with four hundred and fifty (450) of her closest friends. Or it may have been that he was just exhausted from all the demands on him during that great contest of the gods. Whatever the reason, Elijah went off to a deserted place… to Mount Horeb, actually… to be alone. God found him there… and through the earthquake, wind and fire… in a still, small voice… asked him what he was doing. Elijah told God that he was tired… tired of doing all of God’s work by himself… especially when the other Israelites had given up on God and were actively persecuting God’s faithful. In that time alone, God reassured Elijah that he was not alone… and that there was still work to be done… but not the same work that he had been doing before. So, Elijah left Mount Horeb… but not to return to Queen Jezebel and her minions. He now had a new objective, given by God in that time apart.
Sabbath rest and prayer are wonderful things… for they allow us to see what God is doing… how God leading us in new directions… to catch a vision of God’s plan… a vision we may lose sight of in the day-to-day grind. We can catch our second wind and continue running… but with renewed purpose and vision. And so it is with our life in this church. We take time apart… to think… to pray… to wait for God to show us a vision of our ministry in this place. It is what our Session does from time to time. It is what our prayer group does each morning. It is what many of us do… in our own quiet time. From this time apart come ideas… some just glimpses of a new reality… some fully formed ministries to meet an emerging need… all of them gifts from God to be used for the common good.
Sometimes, the ideas are small… like our experiment with the format of the bulletin… looking for ways to save money and still communicate effectively. Sometimes, it is the revival of something old… like the Presbyterian Men’s Fellowship… but with new purpose and new direction. Sometimes, it is new people coming into our midst… and asking questions that make us think. Sometimes, it is young people growing up… and growing in their faith… through mission trips… confirmation class… teaching others…or other exciting opportunities to serve. Sometimes, it is the passing of old friends… or new needs that we see emerging from our own congregation. Sometimes, it is changes in the world around us… and the needs of the community. What may be bewildering… exhausting… or overwhelming… can come together into a new picture of God’s kingdom in this place.
When was the last time that you took some time away… some time apart from the crowd… to sit on a hillside… or by the shore of a lake… to ask God what God’s purpose for your life might be at this time? I know that it is not easy to find the time… especially when the day crashes in upon you and you are surrounded by people demanding your attention… just as they demanded Jesus’ attention in our story today. Still, you need to slip away and find the time to find yourself… to find yourself alone with God… time to listen… time to pray… time for God to speak. As for those who will search for you… Oh, they’ll find you. It’s only a matter of time. For most of us, the madding crowd is only a ringtone away.
The Outreach Committee is slipping away this afternoon… to spend time apart… away from the mad rush of daily life… to think about how our congregation reaches out to our community… to those who may not have a church home… to those who may have lost hope in these troubled times. If you have some thoughts… some ideas… a vision for outreach that you have heard whispered to you in a time apart… we hope that you will come today and share that vision with us… as we gather to pray… to share… and to listen to God speak through the voices of those who gather.
Jesus went apart to pray many times during his ministry… sometimes alone… sometimes with others. Always… after those times of prayer… his vision was renewed and his ministry strengthened. Sometimes, as in the Garden of Gethsemene, he himself was strengthened for the task that lay ahead. Sometimes, as in the time he took Peter, James and John to the top of the mountain, he was transformed… and they were transformed by what they saw. In the chaotic uncertainty of today’s world, a brief time apart can give us the reassurance of God’s presence in our lives… a vision of our ministry to others… and courage for the task. Find the time. Take the time. Invite God to share… and listen. Allow God to restore your rightful mind… and bring focus to your service in Christ’s name… and lead you in a closer walk with God. Amen.
Mark 1:29-39