For those not familiar with an Anglican Service there are four Scripture readings prior to the Message: Today's assigned readings are: Isaiah 40:21-31; Psalm 147; 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 and Mark 1:29-39 (Parallel Verse is Luke 4:38-44)
A Pastor had a conversation .... concerning Sunday morning worship. with some of the parish members.
Each of them.... shared.... his or her favorite part of the service.
One person said it was the Nicene Creed, because..... it was at that moment .....that he was able .....to stand up .....and declare his faith.
Another said it was the Music.... the songs and hymns .....deeply moved her.
One elderly lady said it was the Liturgy.... She shared..... it meant so much to her.... To know that we followed the same worship structure....as that of the early Church.
Another person said it was the prelude.
The pastor looked at the person and was somewhat taken aback.
"The Prelude .... Don't you mean the Sermon "Oh no, pastor.
It's definitely the prelude." (Pause)
When asked what made the prelude so meaningful,.....he said ...... his whole week is always so full, .....so busy, ..... so intense.
But when he enters the Sanctuary .....and the prelude began, .....it is the only time all week.... that he could just .....sit back, ...be quiet, ....and experience the presence of the Lord.
Most of us ....are simply too busy each... or make ourselves too busy......... to stop .....to relax .... to be still before the Lord....for even a few moments.
Most feel ....as if they ....need to be active .....every minute of the day.
We confuse busyness ...with being productive, with being successful, ...efficient, ...to being meaningful.
We find in our Gospel text .....that Jesus too, ..... was busy ......with life.
Yet, .....in the midst of this busyness, .....He finds time .....he makes time .....to find a solitary place ....to pray.
A Quiet time ......a time alone..... with the Father.
Most of us feel ....as if we need to be busy.... To be doing something.... All of the time.
And for some reason,..... prayer for many..... just does not feel "busy" ......or "active" enough.
We are a people...... a society .....in which being busy ...makes us feel ..... worthwhile. (Pause)
A generation or two ago, ..... washing the family's laundry .....literally took .....an entire day.
People referred to .....that one day .....of this weekly routine ....as .....wash day.
Then technology came through .....with the invention .....of the washing machine.
You could throw the clothing into this marvelous new machine, ...... leave it there .....and go do something else.
What a time saver!
So what happened?
Did we end up ....with more time to relax... with more quiet time?
No, ...we filled our time ....with other duties.... With other busyness. (Pause)
The invention of the computer ....had a similar effect.
It enabled us ....to work ......so much faster.
But did we find more free time.... More quiet time?
No..... We simply .....filled that time..... with other duties.... With more busyness.
Many .....seem to fear the quiet.... Even in their free time..... They will have a Radio or the Television in the background.
They need noise..... It seems they fear the quiet.
It seems .....There is something within us ......that compels us..... to fill up every moment .....With noise or with busyness.
It's as if ....our fleshly self .....is fearful... of what might happen ....if we would just.... be still .....to be quiet.....before God.
I am convinced .....that many... even those who call themselves follower of the Christ..... have almost lost the ability .....To be quiet.... to be spiritual .....To be still before the Lord.
The Scriptures state this command to all believers: "Be still.....(Be still).....and know ...that I am God."
Be still .....it is a command.
In our Gospel Reading from Mark, ....Jesus too ....is very busy.
In fact, .....Mark's Gospel .....might be the Gospel most compatible ..... with the 21st Century.
Why?.... Because Mark gives the impression .....that everyone is in a hurry ... Everyone is so busy.
In fact....The word ...."immediately" ....appears over 50 times ....in Mark's ....short Gospel.
As hurried and busy .....as life was at that time.... Jesus made it a priority.... To be in the prescience of the father.....To be in prayer... with the Father.
Our Text states: BIBLE "In the morning, ....while it was still very dark, ...Jesus got up, ...left the house ....and went out to a deserted ....solitary place, ...and there ...he prayed." END
Even in the midst of the fast paced, ....and meaningful ministry of Jesus, ......he would retreat .....to a quiet, ...solitary place.... for reflection, meditation,.... prayer ....in communion ....with the Father.
Beloved .....We must.... We must take time .....We must make time ....to be in prayer... in communion ....with our Lord.
It is a necessity .... in our hurried .....and busy lives.
Being still .... Finding a quiet time .....is God's will for our lives.
We must slow down and spend time with our Lord.
It is His will.
Not long ago, .....a minister shared....a conversation ...he had ....with one of his ...parishioners.
He said that one day ....a church member ....called him up on the telephone, .....and angrily said...., "I phoned you Saturday, .....but I couldn't get you!"
The pastor explained that it was his day off.... He needed time to recharge.... physically and spiritually. And that he always checks..... the phone messages ....in case there is an emergency.
"What! .....A day off! ......The devil never takes a day off!" .....exclaimed the man.
"That's right, " said the pastor, "and if I didn't take any 'time off,'.... I would be ....just like him!" (Pause)
Beloved.... We need to take charge of our lives.
We need to slow down ... We need to quiet our lives. we need to be still.
It is vital for us .......in our flesh ... and in our soul.
So important is this principle, .....that God made a command for a day of rest, .....a Sabbath.
And .....it made God's top ten list.
It is one of The Ten Commandments.
Remember the Sabbath Day!
We must have Sabbath ... we must find rest.
And during that rest...during that stillness ...we are to seek God. (Pause)
It was a century or more ago .... in the deep jungles of Africa, ......a traveler ....was making ...a long trek.
Natives of the area .....were hired ....to carry the provisions.
The first day ....they marched rapidly .....and went ....a great distance.
The traveler had high hopes ....of a speedy journey.
But the second morning .....these tribesmen .... refused to move.
For some reason.... they just sat.... and rested.
When asked about this strange behavior, ......the traveler was informed .....that they had gone ......too fast the first day.
And that they were waiting .....for their souls .....to catch up ....with their bodies. (Pause)
There are times .....when our lives move..... so fast, .....that we need to slow down .....and let our souls catch up .....with our bodies.
According to Early Church tradition,..... when the Apostle John was Bishop at Ephesus, .....he had a hobby ....of raising pigeons.
On one occasion... we are told.... an Ephesian elder .... passed John's home ....as he returned from hunting.
When he saw John .......playing with one of his birds, ....he gently criticized the old Apostle .....for spending his time ....so frivolously.
John looked at his critic's bow .....and remarked .....that the string of his bow....was loosened.
"Yes," said the huntsman,.... "I loosen the string of my bow .....when it's not in use.
If it always stayed tight, ...it would lose its power .....and fail me ....in the hunt."
"And I," ...said John, ...." I am now relaxing the bow of my mind .....so that I may be better able .....to shoot the arrows.... of divine truth." (Pause)
Beloved.... Not only do we need to slow our lives down.... To have .......solitary time .... But during that time .... we need to ......pray.
Jesus is our example.... And that is what he did.
Our Lord went to his solitary place...... for a reason....for a purpose..... to pray.
Prayer .....is not giving God.... a list of things ....that we want him ....to do.
Prayer is so much more.... It is a time of relationship...with Communion ... with God Himself. (Pause)
There is a wonderful Science Fiction writer ....and theologian ....named ....Robert Sawyer.
In all of his books, .....he will include a page or two of subplot ....that carries with it..... a profound .....spiritual insight.
In one of his books, .....people from earth ....are having their first encounters ...with an alien life from.
One of the scientists ....is surprised to learn ....that the aliens ...not only believe in God, ....but also spend ....8 hours a day ....in prayer.
The scientist questioned them,..... "What in the world are you asking for ....that takes 8 hours?"
To this the alien is shocked and says, ....."what does prayer have to do .......with asking for things?" REPEAT (Pause)
So many people ... even many followers of the Christ ....think prayer ....is giving God ....a list of things ....we want him ....to do.
Beloved......Prayer is a time of communion .....with God.
Prayer is being in His prescience...spending time with Him.
It might involve ....asking for things.
It might involve ....thanking Him for things.
It might simply be ... a time of stillness ...in His presence. "Be still ..... (Be still) .....and know that I am God."
Have you ever simply spent time with someone, ...and you both .....were very quiet.
Not really saying .....all that much.
Just quietly being together.
Perhaps with .....your spouse.
Maybe ....At the bedside of a friend ....or family member.
Or just holding your child .....or grandchild .....in your arms.
Be still... Be still.....and know that I am God.
Truth be told....We will rarely find God .....in the hectic moments in our lives, .....but we will often find God..... in the quiet moments.
Mother Teresa shared this observation, ......"God rarely is found ....in the midst of noise and restlessness; ...instead, ......He is the friend.. of silence."
The Psalmist Is Clear "Be still, and know that I am God." ( Psalm 46:10 ), He goes on to proclaim ( Psalm 37:7 ), "Be still before the LORD ....and wait.... patiently for him."
Slowing our lives down...Being Still.... is good for our soul, ......it is good for our relationship with others, ..... it is good for our relationship with God. (Pause)
Some of us ....are traveling through life..... Far too fast.
And We are going to find ourselves.... in a mode ....of self destruction.
Beloved .... There is another attribute to Prayer.
Prayer leads to Action... Prayer always leads to action.
The word Amen .....is much like a director .... Who is shooting a movie.....saying Action.
Sadly many treat the word Amen.... as if saying we are done... or saying Goodbye .....much like .....hanging up the telephone. (Pause)
When Lee and I lived in Ohio .....we would get together ....with some Church members ....once a month... at someone's home.... for dinner.
Children were always welcomed.
At the close of the evening ....We would stand in a circle holding hands ....and pray.
One evening the prayer time ....must have been longer than normal.... I thought I heard my daughter say something ....another minute passed .....And to our surprise Kristin blurted out .... "I said Amen." (Pause)
When we pray, ..... we often say Amen, ....as if we are .....disconnecting from God.
St. Paul said in his letter to the Thessalonians, "Pray without ceasing." ( 1Thessalonians 5:17 )
Prayer should be an attitude .... a frame of mind that permeates our life....throughout the day.
Paul is not suggesting a monastic life.
He is referring to a constant attitude ... of prayer.
"Amen" is a proclamation of agreement ...It means "So be it"..... It is not the end......it is not disconnecting .....with God.
Rather, .....our "Amen" is an affirmation... leading us to do something.
Beloved .....when you say the Amen, ....that should be a signal .....that calls you to Action. (Pause)
In our Text, ....Jesus goes off ....to a solitary place ....for prayer.
After his time in prayer with the Father, .....Jesus gets up ....and he is ready for action.
In our Gospel text, Jesus tells his disciples, BIBLE "Let us go on ....to the neighboring towns, ...so that I may proclaim ....the message there also;... for that is what I came.... to do." END
It was ...time to do something... it was time for action.
When you say the Amen, ......the director of the universe .....is calling you .... To Action,
Do you pray for the sick .....do you pray for the poor .....and then hope .....God does something about the sick and the poor?
Or do you pray for them .....and then ask God to use you... to be an instrument to the sick and to the poor?
In the midst of our busyness .....We need to slow down..... .....and let our souls catch up .....with our bodies
We need to go to that solitary place ....to be with our God .... To be in prayer.... With Him
And then Beloved.....let your Amen ....prepare you.... for Action.
And all God's people said....Amen!
A number of the Illustrations are from a Sermon by W. Maynard Pittendreigh Titled "Don't Just Do Something, Sit There" and I commend it to you.
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