PENTECOST
9
July
20-22, 2024
Pastor
Timothy J. Spaude
Text:
Mark 6:30-34
“THE COMPASSIONATE
CHRIST BLESSES US!”
1.
With
work.
2.
With
rest.
Last month I had a chance to talk with
Darlene Brosseau who served as our church secretary for many years. She is laid
up and can’t put any wait on her foot. If you know Darlene, that is a challenge
for her. She made it pretty clear she was tired of doing nothing. Now this was
right before Chris and I went on vacation and I said that doing nothing sounded
pretty good to me right now. We both kind of laughed. She wanted what I had, to
be able to be busy with work. I wanted what she had, the opportunity to do
nothing, to rest. Thankfully our Lord Jesus, who is actively involved in all of
our lives, is watching over us and out for us and He knows what we need. He
blesses us with work and rest.
We see that encouraging truth
presented to us in our Gospel lesson. If you have a really good memory and can
remember last week’s Gospel lesson Jesus sent His disciples out to work. This
is the last part of last week’s reading. “They went out and preached that
people should repent. 13They also drove out many demons. They
anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.” Jesus blessed them with
work to do. And they did it. “The apostles gathered around Jesus and
reported to him all that they had done and taught.” Can you imagine their
excitement? Thomas, “Lord I don’t have any proof so don’t doubt me, I healed
sick people!” Peter, “Lord no one can deny what I did. I told demons to leave
and they did. Three times!” James and John likely came in with the report that
some people were not receptive and what was Jesus going to do about that?
Judas, “People gave me money to support you. How about I hold on to it until we
figure out what to do?” and all the rest, eagerly telling all that had happened
and how they had told people the Messiah had come. Jesus had blessed them with
work, meaningful work to do for Him.
Just like He blesses you with
meaningful work to do for Him. “Now wait a minute,” you might say, “I’m not an
apostle, a pastor or a teacher. Jesus hasn’t given me any meaningful work to
do.” You are wrong. Our Lord Jesus cares about the spiritual needs of people.
Our Lord Jesus cares about the physical needs of people. Our Lord Jesus cares
about the emotional needs of people. As you have heard me say before, people
are God’s true treasures. He uses other people to provide for the needs of His
treasures and give them joys in this earthly life and so there is not a job or
vocation a role you can fill that I can think of except, the sinful ones, that
is not in one way or another, working for Jesus. Police and fire. Yup. Doctors
and nurses. Yup. Lawyers and judges.
Yup. Babysitters and lawnmowers. Yup. Pastors and teachers and janitors. Yup. Retiree—which
means you do all kinds of work without pay. Yup. Builders, contractors,
plumbers, electricians, bankers, yup, yup, yup and yup and it does not end.
“But,” you may counter, “mine really isn’t that important, that meaningful. I’m
just a mom. I’m just a kid.” Really? Was a hammer, just a hammer when Jesus
wielded it as a carpenter? Was a chisel just a chisel, a saw just a saw? Not in
the hands of the Lord Jesus it’s not and you are in the hands of the Lord
Jesus. So don’t fall into the me and Darlene trap of wishing to have what the
Lord has given to another. Let’s each thank the Lord for the work He gives us.
And then follow the encouragement given so that whether we eat, drink or
whatever we do, do it all for the glory of God. It’s why we are told in
Colossians 3:23-24 “Whatever you do, keep working at
it with all your heart, as for the Lord and not for people, 24 because
you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. Keep
serving the Lord Christ!” The compassionate Christ blesses us with work.
And with rest. Look again at our Lord
in action with His disciples. “He said to them, “Come away by yourselves
to a secluded place and rest a while.” For there were so many people coming and
going that they did not even have a chance to eat. 32They went
away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. 33But many
people saw them leave and knew where they were going. They ran there on foot
from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. 34When Jesus
stepped out of the boat, he saw a large crowd. His heart went out to them
because they were like sheep without a shepherd. He began to teach them many
things.”
Jesus had compassion on his disciples. They had worked hard at the work He had
blessed them with. They were tired. So Jesus blessed them with rest. But as is
so often the case, rest can be elusive. Many people made sure they were waiting
for the weary disciples and their master, Jesus. So Jesus told His disciples to
take care of the situation and tell the people to go away. No, He didn’t. He
had compassion on the people and the disciples. Jesus did the work. His
disciples had a chance to rest.
Same thing happens in your life and my
live. You likely all remember what Jesus promised in Matthew 11:28. “Come to
me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” That
particular rest is the rest from trying to be perfect, the rest from being in a
performance-based relationship with God. The rest from guilt over sinning. “You
are forgiven,” says Jesus. “You are perfect in the sight of God because of me,”
says Jesus. This is the same Jesus who was there at creation when God blessed
His creation with physical rest too. Jesus blesses you with rest as well. The
question is, will you take it? Will you take the physical rest He has given you
or will you fill every waking hour with some scheduled activity so there is no
time to enjoy God’s creation or the blessings of people He has placed in your
lives or the things that He has placed into your care? Will you take the
spiritual rest He has blessed you with, waking up each morning knowing that you
are a forgiven sinner with no past and live just today as a present to live to
God’s glory or will you listen to the Devil’s voice continually telling you
that you are not good enough and all the bad things happening in your life are
really God’s just punishment? Will you take the emotional and spiritual rest
Jesus blesses you with and stay in your lane, only concerning yourself with
those things Jesus has given you to rule over, casting all other cares on Him
or will you see yourself as the fixer of all things, the world’s, the
country’s, the family’s next Savior? Jesus blesses you with rest! Take it!
And remember what Jesus is like. Every
once in a while, when you are going through one of those tough times that the
sin messed world throws at you a well-meaning friend or family member will
console you with the words, “I know just how you feel” or “I know how hard this
is for you.” Please take those with the intent expressed. Love and concern. The
reality is that no other person actually does know how you feel or what you are
going through because they are not you. Jesus does.! Jesus knows you better
than you know yourself. He has compassion on you. His heart goes out to you. He
knows when you need to work. He knows when you need to rest. Whatever He gives
and whenever He gives it, work or rest, take it. It’s a blessing to you from
the compassionate Christ. Amen.
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