SCRIPTURES:
1 Kings 19:1-8
A Prophet rests after a mighty battle with the Prophets of Baal.
Mark 1:32-39
Jesus rests after an exhausting day of compassionate service.
The Sermon began with a brief Video Clips that tells the story of a young Mom who is striving to have a balanced life that includes time for prayer and reflection but is constantly being challenged in that effort for a balanced life by the details and demands of her daily life.
Yes, the heroine of this video illustrates well the challenge of living a balanced life. As the old saying goes, "It is easier said then done." No one here this morning would argue against the value and importance of a balanced life, but it is truly easier said then done! The good news is that both of today's Scriptures illustrate how it is that we can live a balanced life no matter how crazy life gets! Lets look at these examples and see how they can provide encouragement and guidance for us!
The first bit of wisdom that both of these Scriptures contain is that in terms of feeling that the pace of life is too hectic and crazy for us to live a balanced life, we have to say that there is nothing new about that challenge. Look at our Lord's challenge in Mark's Gospel. The first thing we should notice about this challenge is that it occurs in the first Chapter of Mark's Gospel at the very beginning of our Lord's public ministry. This incident occurs not at a time deep into our Lord's ministry and commitments but rather right at the start of that ministry.
It doesn't take long to be overwhelmed by the demands of our daily life. And so it was for our Lord also. He had quietly come into the town of Galilee, just having called his first disciples and starting to get his feet wet in terms of his public ministry. But it hadn't taken long for news of his powerful teaching and wonderful compassion to get around. And so we read that deep into the night, our Lord is ministering to the needs of others.
It was probably after midnight and the whole town was gathered at his front door. You know that old expression: "I didn't have a moment to breath." Well, that was Jesus from day one as his life was filled with the needs of others to the point that leading a balanced life must have been a challenge for him.
It's not that his life was filled with time wasters, rather it was filled with legitimate needs for his time and energy. That's where our reflection on the need for a balanced life must also begin. We need to realize that life is filled with challenges and distractions that will make our quest for a balanced life difficult. "There just aren't enough hours in the day!" Have you heard yourself say that? I have, but the truth this morning's lessons affirm is that the question is not: Are there enough hours in the day? Rather the question is: How will we use the hours that we do have? We can't always control the number of demands that are put upon us, but we can always control how we respond to those demands! (Joe Garbarino Rap)
This point leads us to the wisdom found in verse 35 of Mark's Gospel where we read that after a long and exhausting day and night of compassionate service, on the very next day, long before daylight, which means probably after three or four hours of sleep at the most, Jesus gets up and sneaks out to a lonely, peaceful place for a time of prayer and reflection. Now I say that Jesus sneaks out to that peaceful place not because he was a sneak, but because he knew that if he waited until daylight to leave his home he would have opened that front door and found it surrounded by those who needed and wanted their needs to be his first priority of the day.
Jesus knew that on that early morning the priority could not be their needs, rather, he needed to recharge his own spiritual batteries. And so, not because he liked to function on three hours of sleep but because of his commitment to live a balanced life that included times of his own spiritual renewal, he gets up and takes what we might call a mini-retreat.
Have you ever taken an airline flight? One of the most overlooked events of any flight contains a wonderful insight about the need for a balanced life. I am talking about when the Flight Attendant gives the talk about safety procedures they always remind the passengers that if the oxygen masks do become deployed, always put on your mask first and then you can proceed to assist other passengers. Of course, you need to care about others, but if we deprive ourselves of physical or spiritual oxygen, we are going to be unable to care for others.
Finally, we need to consider what is the result of living a balanced life? In both the case of Elijah the Prophet and our Lord the answer is clear. For both of these heroes of the faith find the rest and renewal that they needed and go on to live full and abundant lives of compassionate service and faithful discipleship. Remember, we call Christ our Lord and also our example. So we see in this incident as well as throughout his ministry right up until the night he prays quietly in the Garden of Gethsemane to prepare himself for the challenge of the cross that part of his example of full and abundant living is taking the time that is necessary for his own spiritual well being. It wasn't easy.
For we see in our Gospel Lesson that there is even a hint of disappointment within the disciples and the community because our Lord had taken that time for rest and renewal, but Jesus did not come to set an example that would lead to burnout and despair but rather an example of a life that was balanced and therefore, full and abundant.
Does that type of life sound attractive to you? It sure does to me and that is why I am so grateful that you are here this morning as we worship the Lord and seek a time of rest and renewal that will prepare us for the week to come.
In a few moments, we will be singing another very popular hymn entitled "In the Garden." I have always believed that what makes this hymn so popular with many is it's wise counsel that we should "Spend time in a Garden, or some other peaceful place, alone with the Lord so that we will hear his voice assuring us that he walks by our side always and that we belong to him forever." For when we spend that time as part of our personal commitment to live a balanced life, truly we will share his joy, peace and love today and forever.
The choice is ours. Will we live a balanced and joyful life or a hectic and chaotic life? A life of peace, or a life of endless running? A life of hope, or a life of despair? Honestly, who would choose other then to walk in the footsteps of our Lord, following his example and experiencing and sharing the gifts of his grace and peace today, tomorrow and forever!
Pastor Stephen Giordano — September 21, 2008