Eighth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 11)
Rev. Amy Welin: Most weeks, Friday is a special day. That is the day that Greg and I take our Sabbath. We are often very busy the rest of the week, and we choose a different rhythm for Friday. It is not a day to do no work, because we always have some errands and chores. Sometimes we have an appointment. Sometimes we have a family obligation. We always make time to have lunch together. We spend some time in prayer. We choose not to cook and usually order a pizza for dinner. We try to decompress. We need the rest so we can continue our work for God.
I suppose that people would expect that a priest would spend some time each week figuring out how to rest, so I am able to do what God wants me to do. I recognize that taking some time for Sabbath – an intentional rest – is counter-cultural. And I think that everyone who wants to know God can benefit from this sort of reflective time.
It strikes me that our scripture today invites us to consider how we can live differently as children of God. God needs people who are different. God needs a king who brings peace. David’s son Solomon – a man of peace and wisdom – will build the Temple. The Letter to the Ephesians speaks of the people of God as a peaceful household in which God dwells.
Jesus invites his disciples to go away for a rest (even while he himself takes no rest and continues his healing ministry). Today’s gospel passage, while it starts off sounding a note on the significant need for rest from our labor, shifts gears to move instead to talk about compassion and need. And these two – compassion and need – always go together.
Very few people can take extensive time away from working. Even those whose regular jobs have summers off – teachers for example – have other responsibilities. More and more of us work more than one job. Many of us have significant family responsibilities for children or parents, or both.
Can you imagine that Jesus can have compassion for you, in the middle of your busy-ness? Because he does. Let’s try a Sabbath spiritual exercise.
I invite you to close your eyes. Sit in a comfortable position. Take a deep cleansing breath. Let it go. Breathe deeply again. Take a moment to let Jesus’ compassion sink into your heart and mind.
Imagine that you are sitting with Jesus. He has taken a few minutes from his busy workday to sit next to you and to make certain that you are restored. And he asks you, what do you want from me?
What do you need from Jesus?
What do you need – to feel whole – to be happy – to lead a fulfilling, abundant life – to make a difference in the world – to feel like you are the person God made you to be.
Spend a moment to tell Jesus what you need. Ask him to give it to you.
Ask him what he needs you to do for the sake of the Kingdom.
Take another deep breath. Breathe in the compassion of Jesus. Breathe out all the worries.
Open your eyes slowly.
You can use this sort of breath prayer to take a mini Sabbath, as a spiritual restorative.
If we are going to shift the conversation about coming to church away from a sense of duty to one of coming out of sense of desire and anticipation, we need to be clear and honest about what we need – as individuals and a community – in order to flourish and be the people God has called us to be.
Let’s think about that.
What do you really need? Not just want. What do you really need?
Then, what would you be willing to change in order to get that desired element into your lives?
How can the church – this community of faith – help with that?
We are the people of God. We are different. We have been touched by the compassion of Jesus. Can we imagine a congregational life that is motivated by the compassion of Jesus, to meet the needs of the people of God around us? I invite you to pray that God will give us what we need – for our own journey and to serve the world.