Mark 6:30-34; 53-56
July 19th, 2009
"The Compassion of the Lord"
Today I am going to be talking about the Compassion of the Lord and in our scripture we can see it demonstrated to three groups of people: first to the tired Apostles, second to those who were lost in ignorance and finally to the sick.
Frederick Buechner has a quote that “goes something like this: “A bleeding heart is of no use to anyone at all if it bleeds itself to death.” (D.P.S.) Barbara Brown Taylor says, “Sabbath is a gift, but we are so reluctant to accept it, that God had to make it a command.” (D.P.S.)
We all need rest. The servants of the Lord need rest and often some of the most compassionate are reluctant to take it, but if we don’t, we end up burned out and of no use to anyone.
Now as you can see by the attendance here today not everyone who serves the Lord is reluctant to take their Sabbath Rest here in the summer time, but for many it is a problem.
As I was reading for this message I came across a comment by a United Methodist minister from another Annual Conference. He wrote, “For my Conference’s health insurance the three biggest costs (for prescriptions) come from anti-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.”
It is a problem across our denomination as well as with church leadership in general. I serve on our Conference’s BOOM and we spent almost one entire day working on this issue because studies show that because of the stress of ministry about half of the pastors in their 50’s would drop out and do something else if they could.
We need to take the advice of the wife of Bishop Jordan in Iowa who when asked “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!” (D.P.S.)
Our Lord has compassion on those who serve “lay people” as well as “clergy” and as verse 31 says, “He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by your selves and rest a while.” Our Lord has compassion on those who serve and are weary. Jesus calls to all who are weary and says, “Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” We but need to take him at his word.
But sometimes service in the midst of renewal can be refreshing. This we see as the disciples in the midst of their renewal retreat are found out and surrounded again by those in need.
Last Sunday, after a tiring morning, I was privileged to lead games with the new “Recreation Group” for teenagers with autism that meets here. I was joyfully refreshed after that experience, a joyfulness that helped me in my ministry to the Eggiman family later that afternoon on the death of Gloria and to Marilyn Coates on the death of her husband Howard that same day.
A Pastor wrote about his same kind of experience on a vacation one summer over the 4th of July weekend. They went to Estes Park Colorado and barely got a room, but here is his story about that 4th of July evening. His wife is a special education teacher.
“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 corralled, 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 from D.P.S.)
And we can leave on vacation knowing that all those we leave behind are under our Lord’s care who has compassion for each and every one.
The next group that Jesus showed his compassion to that day was simple referred to as the “crowd”. Verse 34 says, “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 was an allusion to Moses praying for a new shepherd for Israel when he knew that his death was approaching. Jesus Christ was the new Shepherd of the new Israel in the wilderness, or as it is called here “a deserted place.”
Jesus addressed a crowd that was lost in ignorance that is why “He taught them.” These people had a deep and genuine desire to know God and Jesus was attempting to fill them with a new knowledge of God. It was a spiritual age like ours today. There were and are many seeking God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ; but they do not know it unless they are caught and taught.
Caught by our love and compassion and then taught of the love of God.
In our age, though, it is very spiritual many are abandoning the church and the worship of God as a place to find God. I wish I could fully answer why, but the example of the disciples in our scripture today is one we can follow to address this problem and I will get more into that in a moment.
But we must examine our own lives and ask is the love of God shining through so that others can see it? Through our compassion and acts of love can others see the compassion of God? Can others see our loyalty to God through our loyalty and support of the church?
The third group, that Jesus had compassion on, were those that were sick. Verses 55 & 56 say, “and (they) rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the market-places, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.”
It did not take a lot of Jesus to heal the people it only took the fringe of his cloak. It took just a little bit of him and a little faith on the part of those who touched him.
The crowds at this point it says “recognized him.” As our scripture reading began it wasn’t Jesus they recognized it was his Apostles through their work. Now this is a very important point for us all to understand to be able to apply this scripture to our lives.
In our first verse, verse 30 it says, “The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught.” Earlier Jesus had sent them out 2 X 2 to preach, cast out demons and heal. They were very successful. They were so successful that they were swamped with people when they returned to report to Jesus. The people in the crowds recognized the apostles.
In verse 33 it says, “Now many saw “them” (referring to the apostles) going and recognized “them”, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of “them”.
Again as our scripture reading began it wasn’t Jesus they recognized it was his Apostles.
Now an “apostle” is “one who is sent”. An apostle is an emissary or ambassador of the one who sent them. In this case it was Jesus.
The apostles, or those sent were so successful in their mission that people recognized them and followed them back to Jesus. And when they found Jesus, they followed Jesus and listened to him. The apostles disappeared into the background and the story ends with the crowds coming to receive the compassion of Jesus through him in person. They came to him because the “people at once recognized him.”
I lift this up because this type of profound spiritual experience is happening here at Christ Church. Our members are being sent out into our community. People are recognizing our members and our Church as a place of compassion and they are coming here to meet Jesus!!!!!
Our VBS and our Music Camp were well attended because members of this church went door to door in the neighborhood and put flyers out. They promoted these events at Duffy School, and through the preschool and through Goshen Ministries. They were sent.
Members of our church actually went out and brought children in and here they heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ; some for the very first time in their lives.
Our new Basketball Ministry continues to reach out and touch lives through cheese burgers and invite people in to meet Jesus.
We have started a recreation group for youth with autism. This group of young people is the most compassionate group of youth I have ever worked with and I am very impressed.
There is a new younger men’s Bible Study fellowship group that is beginning.
All these new ministries that we have been doing are acts of compassion reflecting the compassion of our Lord.
All these new ministries are the result of God laying on the heart of one or two people his desire to see his people cared for and ministered to in a special way and these one or two people have responded. And then they have been sent. To each of these new ministries I could attach the name of one or two “apostles” in our church who were called and answered that call with their very lives.
The music camp was the calling of Judy Obert. The autism recreation group the calling of Sharon Stites.
But each of us who claims the name of Christian is called. Each of us has a ministry. Each of us is sent out into the world to invite others into the presence and compassion of Christ. And when we do that; we disappear as our glory in serving the Lord is only a dim reflected glory of Jesus Christ. Our compassion is only in part compared to Jesus Christ’s.
The scriptures challenge to all of us today is this: What is your ministry of Compassion for the Lord? Have you an idea for service or teaching or caring you just can’t shake? Then it is from the Lord. Come speak to me about it.
Do you have a deep desire to serve and no specific calling to start something new? Come talk with me or Betty Clapp and we will figure out where God is calling you to serve.
Our Administrative Council adopted a project for the next five years. They adopted a direction for us to go in. Basically it is to become “the church for families with children living at home.” For our immediate community we want to be the church where families with children living at home can find a church home.
We will need people to be teachers, of adults, youth and children. We will need organizers and people who are helpers. We will need creative people with ideas for new ways to help parents and children and through this demonstrate the Compassion of Christ.
As Darrell Obert put it’ “We will need to develop new habits to accomplish this project.”
And above all we need to be “apostles”. Ones called and sent by Jesus to go out into the world and invite others in to meet Him.
May this be your calling, your joy, your life.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
