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Scripture Text (NRSV)

 

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

 

6:30 The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught.

6:31 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.

6:32 And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. 6:33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them.

6:34 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.

6:53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat.

6:54 When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him,

6:55 and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.

6:56 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.

 

Comments:

 

Built on the living foundation of the apostles and prophets, the local congregation is called to be an agent of reconciliation in a world filled with division and violence. For Christians, the ministry of peace begins and ends with Christ the shepherd, who gathers the scattered children of the world. He is the source of our life together and the center of the church's mission. To those who seek nourishment for daily life, we point to Christ who guides and feeds us on our journey.

When Jesus sent his disciples out to teach and heal, they ministered among large numbers of people. Their work was motivated by Christ's desire to be among those in need.

Sheep wandering about without a shepherd are a sign of the coming Day of the Lord. "I myself," [note the unprecedented emphasis in Jeremiah], God says, will shepherd the people (Jer 23.3). Woe to those shepherds, God advises, who fail at their duty. The Day of the Lord is a day filled with both judgment and grace. And the grace will finally be recognized and appreciated after all the judgment has come to pass.

The sheep of Jesus' day seem to have no trouble at all finding him. In fact, Jesus cannot seem to lose them! After trying to get away, Jesus is tracked down by the hurting hordes. Just to touch the fringe of his cloak would be enough for these sheep. To be in the presence of Jesus was to be healed. Have you ever had one of those days when everyone you do not want to find you, does? Despite the demands made on him, though, Jesus understands how the Day of the Lord is averted (or is that fulfilled?). Avert God's wrath with the doing of justice, the old-fashioned kind of justice: the sheltering of the homeless, the feeding of the hungry, the clothing of the naked, the healing of the sick, the welcoming of the stranger. Jesus understands that having faith in God means the doing of compassion. Indeed, as the crowds press in upon him, the text tells us "he had compassion for them."

Having compassion is not always so simple. It is tiring. It is risky. Having compassion may mean we do not get needed rest. Having compassion, however is our calling - for all Christians. As we have been shown compassion by the one who shares in our suffering, let us be passionate in our compassion with those who suffer.


As I read the "Come away" I thought of how retreats are like this. We go on retreats to a different place, a place where we intend by choice as the people folling did, to hear from the "Holy One". Maybe the deserted placed" is not void of all life, but of all distractions. We rest in there as we leave our burdens with the Lord. Nancy-Wi.


They recognized him. What a powerful phrase.

I'm working with the Ephesians text, asking "Who's Building THIS House?" The question is, when people look at us, do they recognize Christ? When they approach our house of worship, do they recognize it as a place where God can be found.

I picture Jesus whenever he tries to go "on retreat" as being recognized and needed.

As we live in his place, we too should be recognized (not receiving recognition as an honor), recognized as ones who care and can respond.

These are very early thoughts for me!

Pam in San Bernardino


Today I was struck by the words "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." This happens to me over and over again as I see such aimless living in the people who don't know Jesus. Like the apostles who just returned from their first training mission, I'm called to teach them the very same "many things".

I'm struck with Jesus' example of spiritually feeding these starving sheep following him that He loves so deeply. It's so easy to get used to taking care of just my own family and church community and to ignore these "unshepherded" sheep in my path. Then when the time comes that I'm busy helping some unshepherded sheep with physical needs, I forget to bring up Jesus' "many things". Tim in OH


I am using LOgos, so I am working with reminding our congregation of things that can build walls, keeping Christ in our territory. We are doing some outreach this summer and I as other have trouble with those who "don't know someone new" so they don't invite them into their church life.

I am concerned about the number of young people who truely only get their kicks out of putting down others and greed for the dollar. Where do they see the sacred in themselves? They are sheep who certainly need to be fed. I am sort of rambling but I go to teach at School of Mission next week, so I am starting early! Nancy-Wi


Hello all,

Two bus loads of UMC's are heading to Knoxville, TN as you probably read this... we're going to YOUTH 2003. A rally of around 10,000 + or - youth from all over the world!

Hope to see some of you there! IF not, appreciate any prayers, we're going "whitewater" rafting enroute on a river in Tennessee I think it is! I'm just going for the ride! ;?)

Blessings all, and thanks for keeping the "home-fires" burning!

God's best,

pulpitt in ND


I often wondered who Jesus had compassion on. It says that the disciples were doing their ministry and great crowds of needy people followed them wherever they went. As they were trying to get some rest in a boat even more people wanted the attention of Jesus and his disciples.

I wonder if Jesus had compassion not on the crowd, as much as he did on the disciples since this would be something that they would have to get used to as a way of life. And it says that Jesus taught 'them' many things. Perhaps he was teaching the disciples to have perseverance even when they were tired.

I'm not sure if I am reading into the text something that isn't there, but I would like to believe that Jesus had compassion on his disciples since the ministry can be such an exhausting job. Sometimes it seems that whenever I am looking forward to a rest another one of my parishioners gets sick, a couple is threatened with the possibility of divorce and comes to me looking for counseling, or a family is grieving the loss of a loved one. And sometimes, as I'm sure the disciples must have experienced, we push ourselves to be 'present' while inside we are emotionally drained and in need of some down time.

A few thoughts.

A New Pastor on the Jersey Shore...


I'm always curious as to why sections are left out of the text, like Mark 6:35-52, which is about Jesus sending the disciples off in a boat while he continues to minister to the crowd. Then Jesus catches up to the disciples by walking on the water.

Maybe in doing this, Jesus was allowing his disciples to have a retreat and to rest, while he ran interference for them on the shore. The crowds followed when they reached the other shore, and it was back to work again. But in the intervening time, maybe they got some rest. I think sometimes in the ministry we have to catch rest in small doses when the opportunity presents itself. I go for a morning walk listening to praise music on a walkman, and I find that to be a mini-vacation I take daily.

I suppose the text we have is about the identity of Jesus. Who is he who is so compassionate, and who multiplies our reserves? -MattMN


Perhaps the disciples had contemplative needs in order to regain "focus", a renewed sense of "orientation" or "reorientation", in which the frame of reference at the center of their being/becoming could be more grounded in awareness of the coming of God's Reign (Kingdom)in which in the year of the Jubilee the "riches" of the Kingdom (wholeness, personal wellness, seeing and seeing, hearing and hearing, lame walking, sick are healed, etc, etc., etc.,) are redistributed to all inclusively. The prayer reflective retreat offered the disciples the healing insight of experiencing their own "healing" and the "blessing to bless". (PaideiaSCO in the north GA mts)


Well... we Episcopalians are not quite back on track with the RCL yet ... we an overlapping pericope with the left-out verses, i.e., the feeding of the 5000, but not the healings at the end. I hope we'll be back "together" soon....

Blessings, Eric in OH


At the end of the day, Jesus heads home and his mom asks, "How was your day?"

"Oh," replies Jesus. "It was OK- took off for vacation but couldn't get away. Fed 5000... walked on water, healed everyone, taught a bit... same old, same old."

I sometimes look at this 6th chapter of Mark and wonder if this isn't the expectation of the people of my parish for me- walk on water, do everything, heal everything and keep on smiling.

I remember when Bishop Jordon first came to Iowa and had a meeting with the clergy. He introduced his wife and someone asked her if she had any advice for the clergy of Iowa. She smiled and said, "Well... there is Jesus Christ and there is Superman, and you'd better remember that you aren't either one!"

TB in MN


I, too, am troubled that our pericope leaves out the verses about the feeding of the 5000 and Jesus walking on the water. Those last few verses (53-56) seem stuck on to the end. Regarding the disciples' need for rest, I think the simple fact of this text is that they do not get rest. If it was me, I would have been resentful when I saw that crowd of needy people waiting for me. But Jesus is not me; he has compassion and begins to teach. I don't think this text is telling us that we have to work all the time and cannot ever make room for the rest we need. Of course we need rest and time away. Jesus was concerned about his disciples because they had been working hard and he wanted them to have rest. But when a crowd of people came to him he continued to teach and feed them. I would have asked them to make an appointment for next week some time. That's the way our lives are -- we cannot take care of everyone's needs all the time. We should not think we can. But this lesson isn't about us (the disciples), it is about Jesus, who has concern both for those who work with him in ministry and for those who come to him in need. I'm not sure how we preach that, but I don't think this lesson is here to make us feel guilty when we care for ourselves, or to let us off the hook in caring for people who need Jesus. PKH in NC


The feeding of the 5000 is coming next week when the RCL takes us into John's Gospel for a few weeks. We get 5 weeks in the sixth chapter of John and reflect as we journey with the Jesus who is the Bread of life. These weeks begin with a miraculous feeding but we know it means much more than full stomachs. Jesus takes a walk on the water that gives the disciples quite a start. The crowds catch up with the Jesus who has just fed them and then the conversation turns to true bread, the kind that satisfies one even into eternal life. The readings from John 6 help us to understand our weekly celebration of the eucharist, the bread of life that feeds our souls. The conversation about bread ends at a synagogue in Capernaum. Many at this point choose to not continue on the journey, but the twelve charge on. Who else could they follow? Who else can we follow?

So, don't be disappointed that the feeding is left out this week. It's coming!

Shalom


I think is is somewhat humorous that instead of worrying about the "sheep" that wander and the danger that is out there, the reading from Mark bring up the issue about the "sheep" who are always around, the sheep who smother you. It seems that both can be equally tiring for the shepherd.

JP in CO


Allow me to try this summary of these verses: The disciples return to Jesus to report on their activity. Everywhere they went, it was God-business all the time, and business was good. They are back, and it is still God-business all the time. "We need a break from God!" they tell Jesus. "Think so? Well, that would mean going somewhere God-forsaken, a God-deserted place." "Sounds good to us --let's get in the boat and go now."

Yet when they get to a place where they think there is no God -- bam! God is there, and it is God-business time again. Jesus was expecting the people, and had compassion on them.

"OK, we get it. God was with our people in the desert. But we know God isn't with those people over in Gennesaret. No one will expect anything from God, or us, while we are there." Yet when they get there -- bam! it hits them upside the head. Jesus is able to work among these people, too. There is no place where God is not, and there are no people who are not God's. And wherever Jesus went, into villages or cities or farms, God was with them.

OLAS (in a new appointment, and finally with internet connection)


AS a hospital chaplain, and an Episcopalian, I miss verses 53 to 56 simply because when I go to preach this week, they say so much about the faith that people had in Jesus' powere to heal them. There were many itinerant faith healers wandering around 1st Century Palestine but there was something different in Jesus' ministry that has kept his name on our lips for over 2000 years. Over and over again in Mark's gospel, it is clear that when Jesus heals, he reminds us that it is our faith that enables him to do his best work. Would that we had that kind of faith each day. Revgrammie


OLAS makes a fine point about encountering God everywhere and finding ministry in all locations. I know that when I am on vacation, I sometimes try not to reveal my occupation as pastor because it inevitably means a deep conversation, a confession, a theological question, a heart-breaking story... I know I get tired sometimes feeling like I am always 'on' (once, in a restaurant, my wife sighed contentedly and said, "Isn't this great? No one knows who we are!"). But the compassionate spirit calls us to bear one anothers burdens and so, if we are true to our call, we listen, minister and share no matter where we are.

There is such an ache and want for God in the world that we sometimes wish to tune it out to escape the demand of it all but this story reminds us of two important points-- our calling to land the boat and minister to the world and, on the shore, the worlds hunger for the word we are called to share.

Think of the hunger in the eyes of those running along the shoreline chasing after Jesus and the disciples. Imagine the heartbreaking sight of the sick, the families hoping for a cure for a loved one, those wanting to hear God's word, those hoping simply for a compassionate touch... it is as true today for us as it was then for the disciples if we allow ourselves to see.

TB in MN

PS So here is my guiding image for my sermon- we are a ship offshore sailing about with all of our friends on board. It is a nice place to be, we are provided for and ministered to, and it is fun to be out there sailing on our boat but a great crowd is gathering on shore calling to us for food, healing, kindness, mercy, hope, need, desire. Do we dock? Do we sail on? Do we ignore? The funny thing is that, if we sail on, another crowd will gather and keep calling.


Date: 7/15/2003
 

To: TB in MN I feel that as a Christian my compassionate heart is to be "always on" but even Jesus went off to rest and pray. If we think it all depends on us everywhere and all the time, we will so find ourselves so depleated we will be ill from exhaustion and over work. I love my Ministry with 3 local churches, but if I do not pace myself I will be no good to anyone. I am not Jesus or Superwoman. I am preaching on Sabbath this Sunday "Come away to a deserted place and rest awhile." Jesus said to his disciples and eventually they do get to rest. Everyone is so extremely busy these days that stress related disordes are on the increase. If we are to help our congregations, family and friends deal with this problem in todays culture and its affects on their lives we must first model it - Sabbath living. It is my goal these days, to do what I do the best I can and that includes being a friend, parent, grandparent as well as a pastor. Peace begins with in and is then lived out into the world. Learning about Sabbath as an act of honoring wht God has created in me and not as a legal beagle ritual brings peace to my soul - not just on a day of Sabbath, but in Sabbath living everyday. jmj in mt


I think that it is no accident that in a lot of churches this Mark 6 selection, about shepherds getting rest from their hectic lives is coupled with the Jeremiah 23 cursing the Shepherds for not doing enough for the sheep. June in TX


I think that it is no accident that in a lot of churches this Mark 6 selection, about shepherds getting rest from their hectic lives is coupled with the Jeremiah 23 cursing the Shepherds for not doing enough for the sheep. June in TX


Mayb it's because I find it so difficult to make Sabbath for myself -- and am all too aware of how difficult families find it to get real days of rest and renewal -- but I am really drawn to the words, "Come away...and rest." When I read through the pericopes for this week I was reminded of the old Calgon commercial of he harried woman who cries out, "Calgon, take me away!" That's the title I'm working with at the moment. Hope my new flock has a collective sense of humor!

Robbie in Central Kansas


This balance between self-care and being present to others is so tricky. Perhaps the quote that challenged my thoughts in this area came from Frederick Buechner -- it goes something like this: "A bleeding heart is of no use to anyone at all if it bleeds itself to death." lh in nj


Come away-we all need to truly get away once in awhile to recharge our batteries. For my conferences health insurance the three biggest costs come from anit-ulcer meds, high blood pressure meds, and anti-depressants. I think that this is a clear sign that we are overworked and need to remember that we must take the time to get away and to take care of ourselves. If we are burned out we can't adequately take care of others. KB in Iowa


My 10-year-old son has wanted a puppy for months. Finally, we found the right dog for our family, a miniature dachshund whom my son has named "Jen." Right now, Jen is in charge at our house. When she wants attention, she gets it. When she wants to play, we stop and play with her. I am having a terribly busy week this week (3 funerals, so far)but Jen wanted me to hold her last night. I moved away from the computer, and lost myself in the joy of this cute, energetic, can't-resist puppy. How could anyone not want to shower love and attention on this cute little puppy?

"Jesus looked on them with compassion, because they were like sheep without a shepherd." It's hard to believe that God shows compassion towards all of his creatures, but he does. God has made us irresistible to himself.

I think I'm going to hold Jen while I preach on Sunday.

-Dale in Chattanooga


Whenever I read this text I remember Henry Nouwen's book The Wounded Healer. I remember that the difference in the wounded healer and all the others is that the wounded healer unbinds his/her wounds one at a time and rebinds them. By doing this she/he is able to care for others while in the midst of caring for self. The others unbind all their wounds at once and are so immersed in taking care of themselves that they are unable to do anything for anyone else. I think Nouwen saw Jesus as the epitome of the wounded healer. The image of the wounded healer has always been helpful to me.

Creature Wayne


As has been mentioned a couple of times so far, we are neither "Superwoman/man" nor Jesus.

We, as pastors and laypersons, are not responsible for the entire ministry of our community or congregation. Jesus is. And Jesus' work is not done only through us, but through the entire community of believers. As individuals, we need Sabbath rest, not only for a day, but sometimes for a week or two. Sometimes we miss a day of rest. I hope we can make it up. God created us as creatures who need rest, regularly.

Let us remember that Jesus had (has) compassion on them, and HE healed them. And when he commissions his disciples, he sends no one out alone. As difficult as it may be for our egos, we are not "the only one who can" care for the people of God, those with or without pastors. Jesus is the shepherd, and he can work through all of us, not just the pastors and professional lay workers.

Please, people, take your vacations. Give yourself time to hear God's voice in the stillness of your rest. God loves you, and does not want you to work yourself to death. Peace be with you.

Michelle

PS: Welcome back OLAS!


I've been struggling with the fact that Jesus told the apostles to come away to a deserted place all by themselves to rest a while, but then the people raced to the shore ahead of them. Jesus had compassion for the people, and began to teach them. I wonder if the apostles were off resting while Jesus was teaching and then returned to tell him of the late hour. Any thoughts? CL in OH


True story: a few years back my wife (a special eucation teacher) and I decided to take our two children on a vacation to a place we thought would be deserted - a mountain resort town that we had visited before in the winter, but which we were sure would be empty in the summer. So, without even a hotel reservtion in hand, we headed for Estes Park, CO, just sure that we could find a room, and some peace and quiet in a deserted place.

As we neared on that July 3rd, we quickly discovered that every cabin, every inn, every room was booked -- it turns out that their 4th of July celebration is one of the biggest in the region and people come from miles around. We were able to find a room (smoking! ew!) at the Holiday Inn, but it was already reserved for someone else the next might.

We put on our swim suits and headed to the hotel pool. We were surprised that the whirlpool wasn't being used, but no sooner had we settled in to relax that we saw a woman approach with her daughter, who had multiple physical and mental challenges. It was easy to see the stress in the mother's face as she explained that once a year they made this trip for the daughter, but her husband wasn't able to come this year. My wife, even though she was on vacation, didn't hesitate to tell this mother that she worked with special needs children all the time, and helped get the girl into the pool and then played with her so that mom got a break.

The next day (after Holiday Inn informed us we could stay in the room one more night after all!), we got to do the vacation things -- visit the stores, eat food someone ele cooked, etc. When it was time for the fireworks display, we picked a spot on the hill next to the hotel, as did most of the other Inn residents. Near to us was a family with 3 small children -- 2 girls and a boy. The girls were running around, as excited children are meant to do, and mom and dad were trying hard to keep them corraled, and apologizing to the adults they assumed were being bothered. The boy, however, exhibited other behaviors that my wife correctly identified as autism (confirmed by the parents during one of their many apologies). My wife wondered how he was going to handle the fireworks display, since overstimulation is a real concern for autistic children.

As the show began, the boy became very agitated, broke away from his mother - and came and sat on my lap, where he became very calm and began to watch the fireworks. As his mother started to apologize again, I told her I was a minister and since her son seemed to have chosen me to protect him, he was fine for as long as he wanted to stay. After a brief moment to consider this, she said thank you, and she got to enjoy the display along with the rest of her family.

Wherever we go, we discover again that there is no place where God is not, and that there are no people who are not God's -- and as we showed compassion, we were refreshed!

OLAS


Thanks for your contributions folks. I am going to speak on "spiritual healing." It is mostly "out of our frame of reference" in our church tradition. The ideas that I am getting from good sources is that Jesus did channel God's grace and energy for healing. Salvation means "to be whole or sound." We are an integration of body, mind, spirit and community. Prayer is to "be in the precence, power and love of God." God always wills our health and wholeness. There is a difference between being cured and healed. We will all die, but we can all die healed. Jesus healed various diseases and distressed, in various ways. He also assisted some in being their own channel of God's grace. Whenever we touch a plant, and animal or a human with compassion and love we can be a conduit of healing. Just the way people shake hands, look at each other, and touch each other with words or physically, they can be a vehicle of God's love and healing. Tests have shown the empirical effectiveness of prayer for plants, sponges, animals and humans. Even blessing and praying over water before it is poured onto plants has evidence that it is gives more life. Hence, how good it is to bless food before we eat it. We don't pray for our agenda to be met, but for someone's "highest good" and for their "Divinely Intended Destiny." And we need to take care of our needs - retreat, renew and be centered on God, so we can be possible healthy conduits of grace for others. These are some of the thoughts that are a part of my preparation for this week.

Brent in Pincher


Dale,

I loved your statement that "God has made us irresistable to himself" and that was why Jesus could see the crowds and have compassion on them. We forget that sometimes, especially when we find others, and even ourselves, so unlovable. Your statement reminded me of a verse in Isaiah (43:25) where God confronts the people, saying, "I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more." If God didn't make us irresistable to himself, we would be in bad shape indeed. What a great concept! He rescues us for his own sake and we get all of the benefits! Mike in Soddy Daisy, TN


My sermon title for this Sunday is "A Shepherd Speaks." I am in the unusual position of having three miniature Southdown sheep in my backyard (they're a little smaller than my St. Bernard dog). As a "suburban shepherd," I have learned some lessons about sheep firsthand. The most important lesson is how needy they are. Every morning at 4:30--5:00 AM, they wake me up with a loud "BAAAA." I've got to tend to their needs before I tend to my own. Sometimes I resent it. Sometimes I get mad at them for waking me up so early and being so demanding. But they remind me of how I complain loudly to God that things aren't exactly to my liking, and how He never gets mad at me for pleading with Him. Jesus is not the Suburban Shepherd, and He's not the typical (surly) shepherd. He's the Good Shepherd, and He comes to me when I say "BAAAA," and leads me to green pastures.

--Preacher Will in NJ


This will be my third Sunday in a new appointment so I am taking a little license with the text. I believe that my folks are tired yet hungry for a new start on ministry. They are in need of hearing each other talk positively about their acts of discipleship and ministry. I am intrigued by the idea that the disciples had finished some of their own early ministry (having come from many backgrounds - none with a degree in "ministry") and that their conversation in the boat might be full of rich sharing. Who had done what. Where this or that had taken place. How they had worked together in pairs and felt God's presence. How what Jesus commanded them to do was possible by faith... How a specific act of ministry might have been "so awesome...or difficult" Isn't it fun to imagine what might have been said? Some real opportunities to uplift the human response to ministry.

The other, and main point, is that I get the impression Jesus was saying "come away to a deserted place - with me -- and rest a while. I want my folks to delve into the concept that Jesus goes with us -- to our deserted places of renewal and to the busy places of expected ministry. Jesus doesn't tell us to go on a cruise and forget about him...rather come away with me and renew yourself. There is a great hymn in The Faith We Sing entitled "Come Away with Me." We'll be uplifting the need to renew and reflect as part of re-energizing! Hopes this helps someone else who may be struggling... Wings Warblings in NJ


OLAS,

I loved your story as I know of it's truth because I see it all the time in my world. I go to the hospital to take care of my daughter and find many needing to be touched by God's grace and love. In reaching out to them, God heals my heart as well. And as one individual wrote, healing isn't always cure. My daughter's cancer isnt' getting better but her spirit is. And the spirit of those we encounter week after week seem to be touched as well. God is where ever we go and it is good. I am not sure that hard as we may try to get to that deserted place to rest, it is very possible at various times of our lives. But because Christ goes with us to whereever we are, we find rest. When we don't try to carry our load alone, we find rest. Christ has compation and that brings us Peace!

Just some thoughts... Tammy in Texas


Here are some quotes on Sabbath from "An Invitation to Sabbath: Rediscovering a Gift", report of the Work Group on Sabbath Keeping to the 212th General Assembly (2000) - that Presbyterian Church, USA.

"As a society, we know well the statistics that delineate a particular form of progress: the ideal economic growth rate is 3% to 5% peryear; adusting for inflation, United States citizens spend more than twice as much of material goods and services as they did fifty year ago; we buy homes almost three times larger than we did following World War II and fill them with twice as many things; we work longer hours, more of us hold multiple jobs, and we now live to the full what decades ago was proclaimed as 'the gospel of consumerism.'

"'Sabbath is a gift, but we are so reluctant to accept it, that God had to make it a command,' writes contemporary religious leader Barbara Brown Taylor.

"...says Calvin, "Work is good, but when we work all the time work becomes a curse not a blessing.' (and) 'On the Sabbath, we cease our work so God can do God's work in us.'"

According to Eugene H. Peterson, a Presbterian pastor in Maryloand, there are two essential ingredients to keeping the sabbath: praying and playing. And a Sabbath that omits one or the other is not a true Sabbath. The Puritans were good at praying, and working. Today's secular society is good at working, and playing. But a true Sabbath takes time to pay attention to God, as well as find joy in creation, both pray and play.

God bless us all who are working (desperately) this day.

DGinNYC


If we do not forget that this gospel text follows the beheading of John the Baptist, we may well understand that these disciples who have been in the world healing and preaching and listening, have encountered the political storms of that event. They return with the success of what they have done, but the danger of the storm still rages. The quiet place, genneserat, is a lush valley and a deserted place, which, according to the theology of Jesus day, is filled with evil demons. Maybe the storm never ends. On the land, in the boat, quiet or loud, the sheep who have lost their shepherd need to find a new one. Could that possibly be Jesus the son of God?


Regarding the discussion about the skipped passages, I think it's a good thing to remind all of us that even when we are away from ministry, resting, that Jesus is still working within the people that we care about, and that he has compassion on them. We don't need to feel guilty about caring for ourselves and getting rest, because he is the one that sent us away for that rest. And we can trust that while we are doing that, He is working within the people who are without a Shepherd.

I just returned from Study leave, from great rest, wonderful speakers, and great fellowship, with great confidence that the people entrusted to my care were very well taken care of!

Susan in Wa.