Homilies
The Importance of Rest (For All) - Mark 6:30-34
"Holy Spirit, take my words and speak to each of us according to our need."
In today’s readings REST is a prominent theme. The Gospel reading particularly shows how important rest is for actually being able to be productive.
We seem to live in a world where time is money, reach your target, exceed expectations, rest is for the weak, power on – go to work when unwell because things fall apart if you don’t. Busy, Busy, Busy, no time to stop, always on to the next thing on the list. But is that really the message that Jesus gives us?
It is well documented throughout the Gospel stories that Jesus often rested. He napped in a boat when a storm was raging, he sat down by a well and asked a Samaritan woman for a drink, he withdrew to quiet places alone to pray, such as in the garden of Gethsemane on the evening of his betrayal. He offers for those of us who are weary and burdened to go to him and he will give us rest.
But what is rest? Even in the earliest part of the Bible, in Genesis, the first thing that God does after creating humans, is to have a day of rest. You may have heard it said that Sabbath was created for mankind and not mankind for the Sabbath. Jesus often faced harsh criticism from the Jewish leaders of the time for him or his disciples’ doing things on the Sabbath that in their eyes constituted work. Jesus himself healed people and his disciples aimlessly picked and ate ears of corn as they walked from town to town.
So what is the Sabbath about? As I understand it, the Sabbath is a dedicated period of rest which refreshes you and allows time for you to draw closer to God. The Sadducees and Pharisees had many rules about not ‘working’ on the Sabbath which became so many in number, it was almost impossible for anyone to be able to successfully follow them. This kind of pressure leads to a sense of failure and renders following a religion almost futile. It is setting people up for failure and missing the gift that God intended the Sabbath to be. Faith offers the refreshment that the Sabbath should give. Jesus tells us explicitly that in coming to him, he will give us rest. He tells us in Matthew 11:29 to take up his yoke and learn from him, because he is gentle and humble in heart and our souls will find rest. Our rest is to be found in Jesus.
One thing that particularly struck me from the Gospel reading was that Jesus told his disciples to withdraw, to go away together from the work they had been doing. They weren’t told to isolate themselves and to shut themselves off. They withdrew, with like-minded people, all aware of what they had done together and although set apart from the crowds, they refreshed themselves in resting a while in each other’s presence.
I consider myself fortunate that this diocese of Monmouth has a Bishop who understands the importance of rest. If you listen to the safety instructions on an aeroplane, it instructs you to place your own oxygen mask on first before attempting to help those around you. Likewise, you can’t pour from an empty cup. Ministry is a demanding vocation, not physically perhaps, but mentally. The working guidelines advise that all clergy are entitled to a complete 24hr rest period each week. ONE day. Of course many other careers, vocations, and livelihoods are also demanding. Having been a teacher for 20+ years I truly appreciate the need for the school holidays to refresh and recharge and Doctors often work hours on end without breaks.
For me, reading the Gospel this week, my challenge came in trying to define what rest looked like. Is sitting in front of the TV, slippers on, feet up and with a cup of tea rest? Does it refresh you? Or is it just an absence of activity? I think the key point here is being refreshed by rest. This has certain connotations of it being something active. A choice of how to spend your time, participating in something that will refuel, re-energise and refresh you. And the problem with the model the Jewish leaders of the time employed is that it didn't allow for the fact that this may not look the same for everybody.
For me, living alone, the last thing I want to have is an enforced period of being away from others, often in silence. This isn’t my way. I feel much more energised by knowing that people are around me. Being active but in a different way from usual. It might be joining with others on a retreat, visiting friends that you haven’t seen for a long time, taking time to engage in a hobby or trying to reduce your ‘planning to read’ pile. What energises you in your times of ebbing energy? People? Nature? Quiet? Immersion in something familiar?
Study is something I enjoy. It is an escape from my day to day reality. I can dive into new information, get lost in alternate realities of spheres of knowledge I wouldn’t usually access. But and it’s a big but. This refuelling, refreshing and re-energising doesn’t look the same for everyone. And that is ok. People with busy lives, often need the change of pace that solitude can bring. People with more reserved lives might appreciate the contact and exchange of ideas and communication with others who are like-minded.
One important thing to notice from today’s Gospel though is that Jesus, as their leader recognises their efforts. He understands that they have not been able to take care of themselves properly and that they need a break. He enables that to happen. He understands that without this rest period, they will not be as effective. He actively encourages it and then what does he do? Whilst they take the time to refresh their bodies and minds in order to be ready to continue the work they have been doing, Jesus continues their work. He recognises that the people they have been helping are in need of guidance. They want something, they have a purpose and they will not stop until they too feel re-energised and refreshed anew.
But Jesus, as the teacher and leader of the disciples, doesn’t elevate himself above ‘mucking in’ so to speak. He continues their work, while they rest. He not only recognises what they have been doing and the importance of it but he facilitates further work continuing by taking on their work whilst they refresh. A servant king indeed. A worthy example to hold up against many leadership models we see today, where individuals are disposable commodities. Plenty of people looking for a job, if you can’t keep up, then leave. You are the problem, not the system. But Jesus quietly and unassumingly shows us a better way. Humility and grace.
Maybe you can recall some leaders or teachers in your own life that have lived this model? Or are we all too busy today with establishing our own worth, success and status to be truly engaged with the welfare of others? What might the world look like if we all were prepared to be servants and to lead from the back? Not drawing attention to ourselves but ensuring that everyone was sufficiently sustained. Jesus was preparing to teach people about his kingdom that was coming and all the riches of closeness to God that it would bring. As a church, as a community, as a people of faith, can we say we are willing to do the same? Are we kingdom signposting or are we empire building? Why do we come together in church each week? It’s wonderful that we can support and refresh ourselves together but the church isn’t there only for those who belong already. Jesus came for everyone, so just like the disciples we must refill and renew our faith so that we can be shining examples of a life lived with the assurance of Jesus’ promise to sustain our rest in him.
I’d like to leave you with this thought, rest isn’t passive, it is most active. Seeking out ways to refresh, restore, refuel, and revitalise ourselves is essential. A sustainable giving of ourselves to others to bring them to Jesus for them to find their rest in him, just as he promised.