Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

Grace, mercy, and peace from our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen.

Maybe it’s because Jesus didn’t see himself as “the boss,” but I think he might have been the very best boss ever. Look at this lovely opening to the Gospel reading. The disciples have come back after a few weeks ago in our reading being sent two by two into villages and towns all around the region to heal the sick, cast out demons, and share about Jesus. They come back together to tell their stories and it sounds like they’ve done so much they haven’t even had time to eat!

Productivity is up! Opinion about what we’re doing is strong! These workers get it – promote them, have them do more, strike while the iron is hot! That’s what we’d say in our culture that feeds on productivity, but what does Jesus do? He listens. He tells them to rest.

I wonder what their stories sounded like? We went to this city and people listened to us and asked us great questions, we healed a sick child, and cured someone who had been possessed by a demon. They were so kind and welcoming and wanted us to stay forever, but we said we had to go on our way. So we went to the next village and they were a bunch of rotten apples. They yelled and spit at us, they cursed us and tried to kill us. So we shook off the dust on our sandals like you told us to, Jesus, and we left to the next place.

And I imagine as Jesus listens to these disciples tell their stories that he looks at them with compassion and grace. He laughs with them as they talk about a cat that just wouldn’t leave Peter alone and weeps with them as James talks about how hard the journey was for him.

I wonder what stories we tell to Jesus. I wonder if we really believe that Jesus can hear us. We think about the billions of people on Earth, and struggle to imagine how Jesus could keep all those voices and stories straight. We maybe fall into the trap of thinking that Jesus is too busy to hear us. It’s not that big of a deal. Does Jesus really need to know that I was moved by a particularly beautiful sunrise or a good conversation with a friend? Does Jesus really need to hear me tell him that it’s hard to be a parent and a spouse sometimes? Does Jesus really need to hear me?

And the answer to that is a resounding “yes!” Jesus loves us. And though we cannot fathom how a billion thoughts coming together can be sifted through by the Creator of the World, we trust that somehow it happens. Jesus hears our stories. Jesus loves us in the midst of all that we hold and all that we carry.

And, Jesus then invites the disciples to rest. Not forever. Not as a form of laziness.

Not to say they were done with the work they needed to do. But as a reminder that, yep, there is so much to be done. Spreading the Good News and the justice of God to the ends of the earth is a job that will never be completed. Healing the sick, visiting the prisoner, supporting the outcasts and ignored of society, loving the widows, being present with those in fear – yes, those will always be on the “to do” list. And being a present mom or dad, being a loving child, being a good friend – yes, those will always be things that are needed too.

But you and me, we are not machines. We are not called upon to push ourselves to the brink or beyond of exhaustion. We are not meant to be the Savior of the world. We are called and created to be beloved children of God. And as a beloved child, we sit at the footsteps of Jesus. We rest in the arms of our God. We listen for the movement of the Spirit inviting us to the next thing, which often times is to simply be.

Because there is a whole 20 verses that we skip over today. And those verses are the well-known story of the feeding of the 5000. Where people gather to hear from Jesus and he sees that they are hungry and tells the disciples to get them something to eat. And miraculously from a few loaves and fish the multitude is able to be fed.

I am certain that the disciples could not have done that if they had not followed Jesus’ invitation to rest. If they had kept pressing on, then the task ahead which already seemed impossibly overwhelming, would have simply been impossible.

I’m certain that’s true for us, too. If we do not rest. If we do not take daily and weekly times of Sabbath, we will look at the world and say, “It’s impossible. Why should I even try?”

But you and me – we have a God who tells us to rest.

You and me – we worship a God who gives us abundantly more than we need.

You and me – we serve a God who is with us in all circumstances of life.

You and me – we gather around a Table where God feeds us with good things for our life, grace, and salvation.

You and me – we are beloved. We are loved not for what we do. We are loved not for how productive we are. We are loved not only when we follow the command to rest.

No, we are loved because we are children of God. And it is only through that love that we can share these great things with the rest of the world that so desperately is looking for a better way to escape the rat race of productivity and life.

So, friends, may we tell our stories to Jesus. For he really wants to hear them. He wants to laugh with you and weep with you and be present with you and let you know that you’ve got a lot on your plate, and you do not hold that alone.

Jesus also wants to tell you to rest. And Jesus wants you to know that from that place of rest, you might be sent to feed 5000 with just a couple of loaves of bread and a few fish, or you might be sent to share Good News and grace with people who have been ignored their whole lives, or you might be sent into the world to give your kids or your spouse or your friend a hug and love in the midst of their hard times.

May we be the people of God that we were created to be. And may we know that God loves us. That God hears us. That God rests with us. And that God is always with us. Thanks be to God.

Amen.

Mark 1:29-39

As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, ‘Everyone is searching for you.’ He answered, ‘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 he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

The Super Bowl is next week and my household is rather excited. Some of us for the game and others of us for the commercials, Usher at Half Time, and most importantly the Taylor Swift appearances. I have always been a football fan, I played growing up and in high school and have always loved watching Colts games with my family. Recently, I listened to a podcast from the Athletic on Andrew Luck. I am guessing most of you are familiar with him, but for those not, Luck was the Colts first round draft pick in 2012.

We had a dismal season in 2011, we lost Peyton Manning, but there was all this hype around a young, nerdy, very athletic quarterback out of Stanford. Despite the enormous pressure Luck faced, he delivered. Immediately, he made an impact: throwing touchdowns, taking hits and getting right back up, even taking the Colts to multiple playoff appearances. At times, Luck seemed more God-like than human on the football field. Everything was pointing to the Colts making a superbowl run, that is until August 24, 2019.

To the shock and disappointment of many, the 29 year old, with potentially some of his best years ahead of him, decided to retire, to move on from football. Over the last four years of playing, Luck went through a vicious cycle of injury, pain, rehab. He was amazing to watch, but it came at the cost of his body: Torn cartilage in 2 ribs, partially torn abdomen, a lacerated kidney, at least 1 concussion, a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder, and a calf/ankle issue that he’d been dealing with. At the press conference announcing his retirement, Luck said “I feel quite exhausted and quite tired. It’s been tiring. I feel tired, and not just in the physical sense.”

But in the very next breath, Luck said "I feel so much clarity [about this] and so grateful for the experiences..." At that press conference, Luck showed us that he wasn’t just a football player, or some superhuman athlete. He was human.

And even though he was beloved by fans, coaches, and this city, Luck discerned that if he continued playing football it would come at the cost of his body, his family, and the life he wanted. So he moved in a different direction. It was a remarkable decision. So what do Andrew Luck and Jesus have in common? They show us what it means to be human: That is, they’re exhausted, they discern what to do next, and with great clarity they move in a different direction.

The last five weeks we have explored stories that show us who Jesus is and what he is all about. Think of the stories we’ve explored: the magi calling Jesus as King of the Jews, Nathaniel saying he is the Son of God, fishermen dropping everything to follow him, and he can even cast out unclean spirits. But this week we are shown something different.

This week our story picks up on the same day Jesus cast out that unclean spirit. He and the disciples are just leaving the synagogue as word spreads about the miracle. They go to Simon and Andrew’s house. Right away, Jesus heals Simon’s mother-in-law of a fever. Amazed, the disciples then bring to him everyone they know who is sick or demon possessed for healing. The whole city has gathered outside this little house to see the spectacle! In just one day, Jesus had taught in the synagogue, performed his first exorcism and healing, and then healed and cast out many that same night.

Jesus had to be exhausted. So that next morning, before the sun is up, Jesus awakes, retreats to a deserted place alone, and prays. And right there we are shown something different about Jesus than in all the other epiphany stories. We are shown that Jesus is human. He hit a limit. He was tired. He needed time alone; to recharge. He needed to pray, to listen to God, to discern what came next, before he was bombarded with the demands of the people around him.

And that time didn’t last long. The disciples hunted for him, frantically searching. And when they found him, they informed Jesus that everyone was looking for him. As if to say, “what in the world are you doing out here? People are looking for you, you’ve got to heal them”. Yet, likely to their shock and disappointment, Jesus said “Let’s move on to other towns; there’s more preaching and healing needed. After all, that’s what I came to do.”

Jesus had clarity about what the next move was in his ministry. He knew he wouldn’t be able to do what he was called to do if he just stayed there.

This life demands a great deal from us. People and powers try to pull us in all sorts of directions, telling us who we should be and what we should do. They want all that you can give and then ask for more. We will get tired, overwhelmed, exhausted even. It’s only human. And it’s so easy to just continue on doing what’s asked of you, even at the cost of yourself and the kind of life God really desires for you. Which is why, just like Jesus, we too need time to recharge, to pray, to listen to God, to discern what comes next, before the bombardment of demands continues. In that time and space, God gives clarity about what we are called to and gives our weary selves power to do it. It might be in a different direction than you thought, it might come as a shock or disappointment to others.

But, by faith, we trust we will be headed where God is leading and giving us strength along the way. Everyone will faint and grow weary as Isaiah says; but those who wait for the Lord, those who go off to pray, to listen, to discern, will have renewed strength.

And just as we need time of discernment and prayer in our individual lives, we need it in our life together, too. We as a community will feel the pull to do so many different ministries, serve in so many ways. The world around us will say we need to be more like this church or that organization or do more programs. It can be overwhelming, exhausting even.

But Jesus shows us another way. A way we are trying to follow with our Holy Conversations that begin today.

It's vital to our mission and ministry that we pray together. That we listen to each other, to our leadership, and most importantly to where we hear God at work in all of this. Where, to what, and to whom is God leading us? Who needs to come alongside us? What is the need that calls us to serve in new ways and in new places?

There is energy and excitement in this place. So now is the time to create the space and time for us to discern together; to dream about what comes next.

Yet in all of this what doesn’t change is who we are and what our ministry is. Jesus went on to the neighboring towns, but he still preached the gospel and healed people; that part never changed. No matter what comes next for us, we remain a community of disciples offering grace, no strings attached. We will continue to worship, learn about, and serve the everlasting God who does not faint or grow weary, but gives power to the tired and strengthens the weak.

And so we pray that God will guide these Holy Conversations, giving us clarity to God’s call, and empowering us to do the ministry that is before us.

Amen.

Blessed Rest

How to be Human