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Redford
Aldersgate
United Methodist Church
Sermon
The Cure for "Hurry Sickness
March 12, 2006
Mark 6:30-52
How are you doing in training for the
Life You’ve Always Wanted? Were you able to Celebrate All Times? Did you
have any Dee Dah Days? Are you becoming an Alleluia from head to foot?
If some of you are wondering what I’m
talking about, it’s probably because you weren’t here last Sunday. If
so, you can pick up a copy of last Sunday’s sermon or read it online at
www.redfordaldersgate.org or you can get a copy of Ortberg’s book The
Life You’ve Always Wanted and read chapter 4. Even if you were here last
Sunday, it might be a good idea to review what was said, because it
could make a huge difference in your capacity to experience joy if you
practice the Spiritual Discipline of Celebration.
Our
altar setting reminds us that the Spiritual Olympics are going on. This
Lent we are looking at five spiritual disciplines which are like the
hoops of calisthenics for Olympic athletes. These disciplines are not
our main goal. We aren’t striving to become total experts on any of
these disciplines. But as we use these disciplines, God will work
through them to bring beauty in our lives. Last week, we looked at the
Spiritual Discipline of Celebration and challenged ourselves to
celebrate simpler and simpler things. Did you take an opportunity on
Monday or Tuesday when the sun was shining so brightly to get out and
hear the birds or let the sun shine on your face and experience joy? Or
did you let the drizzle of Wed and Thurs remind you of April Showers a
little early and think about those daffodils that will be coming up
before too long? Did you let yourself experience any Opal-Pate-type
moments of delight?
As
we mentioned at prayer time, Opal Pate died this past week. She has been
at a nursing home in Waterford for the past 2 years, so some of you
newer people may not have known her. But those who have been here for
awhile, I know remember her. She was the one who was always just a
little off when we said the Lord’s Prayer. That’s because she was
totally deaf and couldn’t hear what the rest of us were saying. But she
was here and she was participating and she knew what it meant to be an
Alleluia from head to foot. She also knew that things didn’t have to be
perfect for a person to experience joy. Certainly she would have loved
to hear like everyone else ... and when her vision started to go, she
desperately wanted to see like everyone else. Her life was far from
perfect. She not only was deaf, but she suffered from a disease that
caused her to have terrible ringing in her head for long periods of
time. She had enough physically wrong with her to make her one of the
most miserable people around, but instead, she was one of the happiest.
As Opal became more and more handicapped, it took less and less to bring
her happiness. She rejoiced over the slightest things. When I would give
her a copy of the sermon in large print so that she could read it, her
eyes would light up and she’d let out this delightful squeal that
reminded you of a two year old who just got a piece of chocolate candy.
That’s what I meant when I asked if you’d had any Opal-Pate-type moments
of delight. Let yourself squeal and laugh ... even if you are a bit
off-sync with the rest of the people around you. It will increase your
capacity for joy. Opal had always assumed that her funeral would be here
in this church that she loved so much. However, her children decided the
best place to have a memorial service would be the wonderful nursing
facility where she had spent the last few years of her life. I think
they were absolutely right because those are the people who will miss
her joyous giggles and squeals of delight on a daily basis. But I’d like
us to take a moment to remember and give thanks for Opal and what she
meant to us (prayer)
Now, on to the next Spiritual Discipline... the one that is hardest for
me, but one I probably need more than any other. It is the Spiritual
Discipline of Slowing Down. John Ortberg, in his book “The Life You’ve
Always Wanted,” has some interesting and helpful ideas about how to go
into training using this spiritual discipline. The scripture that he
suggests we look at is Mark 6:30-32. Now this section of scripture takes
place after a very busy time in the life of Jesus and his disciples. He
has sent out the 12 disciples to do ministry on their own. Vs. 12 and 13
of that chapter tell us that They went out and proclaimed that all
should repent. They cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who
were sick and cured them. Also, while the disciples were out doing their
thing, Mark tells us about King Herod beheading John the Baptist. So
that disturbing news must have just reached Jesus as well. So with those
two things in our mind, let’s hear what happened next.
Mark 6:30-32
Ahh...
doesn’t that sound nice. Here they are heading off on a tranquil Sea of
Galilee to a deserted place so they could rest a while. Here’s a picture
taken from a boat on the Sea of Galilee in the probable area that they
were traveling. We assume they left from Capernaum because that seemed
to be the headquarters for Jesus’ ministry. Therefore, when the
disciples returned, people think that meant that they returned to
Capernaum. Capernaum is just off shore to the right of this picture and
Tabgha (the spot where tradition says they came ashore) is just to the
left of this picture. So they would have had a similar view from their
boat. Nice, huh? Can’t you just imagine the disciples kicking back and
soaking up some warm sun, enjoying the scenery and maybe even taking a
little nap as they head out for this deserted place to rest. It has
certainly been a hectic time for them. Did you catch the line that said
there had been so many people coming and going that they had no leisure
even to eat.
Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever been so busy that you
forgot to eat? It happens to me all the time. Thursday night I was at
the meeting to plan the next community dinner. They were talking about
this great recipe for Macaroni and Cheese that Keith and Corinna Jones
make and suddenly, I was starved! I realized I had missed supper. The
more they talked about that great Macaroni and Cheese, the hungrier I
got. Pretty soon, I began to get a headache. They just wouldn’t stop
talking about that Macaroni and Cheese. So finally, I said, “I’ll be
back in a couple minutes.” I went upstairs to my office and fixed me a
Slim Fast shake, had a couple crackers and went back downstairs. I was
thinking all the time, my next meeting tonight is the team trainers
dealing with slowing down. Boy do I need this lesson! You see, I have
hurry sickness. There is a “Hurry Survey” on the back of a bulletin
insert. I don’t want you to look at it right now, but in your small
groups, you’ll have an opportunity to do that. I suspect you’ll find
like I did that hurry is very much a part of your life.
Ortberg says that one way you can tell
if you have hurry sickness is when you go to the check out line at the
grocery store. Do you look at all the lines and count how many people
are in the line and look at the carts to determine which one will get
through the quickest? Of course we do, right? And, do you keep track of
the person who would have been you in the line you didn’t choose to see
if they get through quicker than you did? If they don’t, you leave
feeling all smug and happy ... you chose the right line. If they get
through quicker than you did, you leave kicking your self for being so
stupid as to choose the wrong line again! Does any of that sound
familiar to you? It sure does to me. I think most of us have Hurry
Sickness.
But
Ortberg says, “Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life. Hurry can
destroy our souls.” (The Life You’ve Always Wanted” p. 77) Oh dear ...
and we all have hurry sickness. So is there any hope for us? Ortberg
suggests that what we really need is some solitude time. Time to get
away from it all and just be in God’s presence. After all, that’s what
Jesus told those disciples to do. “Come away with me to a deserted place
and rest awhile.” Plus, that’s what Jesus did on a regular basis. After
a busy evening of healing all the sick people in Capernaum, he got up
early and went out to a lonely place to pray. Maybe it was this spot
near Capernaum, or this spot with a view of the sea. He loved to go to
the Sea of Galilee. After each time of conflict, in the Gospel of Mark,
he goes to the sea.
There is something very calming about watching those waves roll in.
Jesus liked moments of solitude. It’s good for us as well to have quiet
times ... times we can get away from everything ... time to go to the
sea and watch the waves roll in, or just do what ever we like to do to
relax. We need to take extended breaks like he says. But even
shorter times of solitude are important too. Here is my
chair where I like to sit and have quiet time ... time to be in the
presence of God ... time to relax and just be. I have a few
candles by the chair. I have pictures of the grandkids. I
have my picture albums of recent vacations. Nice things to help me
relax. All of us need a place that is like that - comfortable,
cozy, safe. It's wonderful to spend time - at least 5 or 10 minutes to
begin and/or start the day is great.
However, I suspect that our times of
solitude and retreat often end up like the disciples escape to a
deserted place. The verses Ortberg wanted us to read are the 3 verses I
just read you. But we really can’t stop there. Because if we do, we get
the idea that they actually got to go away to a deserted place and rest
awhile. Listen to the REST of the story.
Mark 6:34-44
This
is the hill near where tradition says they came ashore. It looks pretty
deserted ... a great place for a little rest. But that’s not what
happened according to the story. This hill was crowded with 5,000 men...
and that word means men, Matthew tells us there were women and children
there too, in addition to the 5,000 men. And those poor tired disciples,
who were getting away for a little R & R ended up having to feed them
all and clean up after everyone. Hardly what you call a rest. But they
had that special time in the boat, sailing from Capernaum to Tabgha. It
turns out that the boat ride was the only rest they got. I hope they
didn’t miss the opportunity to cherish those holy moments they had to
relax and enjoy the presence of Jesus and the beautiful scenery. I hope
they didn’t miss it because the next few verses show us that they missed
the next opportunity for another holy moment.
Mark 6: 45-52
It
says that Jesus “meant to pass by them” as he walked on the water. That
seems a little strange unless you understand that in the Old Testament,
God would pass by and it would be a holy moment - a theophany,.. an
encounter with the holy. So I believe that Jesus was attempting to give
them a holy moment, but they got scared. So he tried to assure them and
comfort them and make things easier for them, but they just didn’t get
it. They missed their chance for a holy moment. They weren’t open to the
holiness of an interruption in their busy activity of rowing the boat.
That’s an important lesson for us to learn. We need to be open to the
holiness of the interruptions of our activities.
Jesus led a face paced life. Ortberg states that Jesus walked, he didn’t
run. That may be true, but if you read the whole Gospel of Mark,
especially if you hear it in one setting, you will notice over and over
again the use of the word immediately. Immediately, Jesus did this...
immediately this happened. In the first chapter alone the word
immediately appears ten times. Jesus is a man of action. His earthly
ministry only lasted 3 years and just think of all the things he did. He
lived a fast paced life. However, he was always open to interruptions
and those interruptions became holy moments. Once he had been over to
the other side of the lake and driven out a legion of demons from a
crazy man. When he got back to his home territory, a large crowd met him
and a man in the crowd asked him to come heal his daughter who was at
the point of death. So Jesus started out to go to his house. But there
was a woman in the crowd that had suffered from severe bleeding for 12
years. She reached out and touched Jesus. Immediately, Jesus knew that
power had gone out from him so he turned around and said, “Who touched
me?” The disciples thought he was crazy because there were lots of
people touching him. But Jesus took that interruption and made it into a
holy moment by encountering the woman and letting her know that she was
truly healed. There are many, many other examples of Jesus using
interruptions and making them into holy moments. As a matter of fact,
most of the healings and miracles were interruptions. He was on the way
here or there and someone would come up and ask him to do this or that,
and a holy moment would occur. Jesus was never too hurried to stop and
show love and compassion. That to me is the key to living a fast paced
life without letting it be destroyed by Hurry Sickness. Be open to the
holy moments that interruptions can bring.
Ortberg suggests that we drive in the slow lane for awhile and pray for
the people who pass us. Or deliberately choose the long line in the
grocery store and pray for the people around us, or even strike up a
conversation and show some genuine caring. I think we’ll be amazed at
the holy moments that will come out of being open to God’s presence in
the interruptions of our lives. So often we are just too intent on
rushing here and there that we miss the joy that can come by smiling at
a child in the shopping cart in front of us in line, or chatting with an
elderly man as you wait.
Our
choice is to let interruptions aggravate and annoy us and make our blood
pressure rise... or to look for ways God is reaching out to pass by us
to give us a holy moment.
So in this coming week, try the Spiritual Discipline of Slowing Down. If
you can arrange a time of extended solitude, good for you, that’s great.
But even if you can’t do that, I know there’ll be some interruption in
your life where you could pause to look for a holy moment and be aware
of the way Christ is passing by.
To get us ready to experience God in the interruptions of our lives, I
want us to come away for 3 minutes and 20 seconds to a beautiful
deserted place and experience God. Our guest violinist will pray our
prayer through beautiful notes of music. On the screen will be various
scenes of God’s beautiful world. May you experience God passing by to
begin the process of healing you from your Hurry Sickness.