Good morning!
I talked with the children yesterday in church about the importance of finding time to rest, even while we are on vacation. I shared Mark 6:31, “Come with me to a quiet place by yourselves and rest a while.” I was hoping that the adults were also listening to this message, a message we find repeated throughout the gospels.
This rest is different than the rest of this world. This rest is a “quiet time” with God. Rest without prayer does not give us the spiritual renewal, joy, and strength we need to continue to do the things the Lord wants us to do.
In today’s gospel, we encounter Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane in the middle of the night with his disciples. He is in a state of high anxiety, knowing that his hour has come and his arrest imminent.
He says to his disciples, “‘I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me.’ And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.’”
The disciples aren’t able to stay awake and pray.
Thinking about this scripture in the context of yesterday’s lesson where Jesus is urging his disciples to take a break from the long days and nights of ministry and rest, I see how the scriptures fit together. If the disciples had not been so exhausted from the schedule they had been keeping—constantly responding to the crowds of people seeking help and healing—then they would have been ready for this very difficult moment, when Jesus needed them more than ever to pray for him and for His Father’s Will to be done.
But they weren’t ready. They were too tired.
Think about this garden scene when you are finding excuses why you don’t need more sleep—and why you think it is OK to add on even more activities to your life, so there never is any quiet time just to rest and be alone with God.
Will you be ready and able to do what God wants you to do when He asks you to do it?
Or will you be too exhausted and absorbed in your own activities to respond to God’s call?
Are you wondering, “How can I possibly find more time and space for quiet time with the Lord?”
Then you are taking the first step toward changing your life from activities-driven to Christ centered.
Will you pray with me?
Heavenly Father, forgive us for our busyness! Forgive us for rushing around, trying to fit as much activity in our days, nights, and summers as we can. Forgive us for neglecting our quiet time with you and for taking your patience and love for granted. Forgive us for giving you only a little bit of ourselves—the part that is left after we have exhausted ourselves with everything else. Build our faith so we understand the importance of prayer and quiet time for our Christian life. Draw us closer to You so we want to be with You more. Give us the space, time, and patience to be able to truly experience godly rest. Send your Spirit to guide and strengthen us in our prayers and to intercede for us when we don’t know how to pray. Clear our minds of the distracting thoughts so we may hear only Your voice… and obey. In Christ we pray. Amen.
Today’s readings are Joshua 7:1-13; Romans 13:8-14; Matthew 26:36-46; and Psalm 41 and 52.
Blessings in Christ!
Pastor Karen
I talked with the children yesterday in church about the importance of finding time to rest, even while we are on vacation. I shared Mark 6:31, “Come with me to a quiet place by yourselves and rest a while.” I was hoping that the adults were also listening to this message, a message we find repeated throughout the gospels.
This rest is different than the rest of this world. This rest is a “quiet time” with God. Rest without prayer does not give us the spiritual renewal, joy, and strength we need to continue to do the things the Lord wants us to do.
In today’s gospel, we encounter Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane in the middle of the night with his disciples. He is in a state of high anxiety, knowing that his hour has come and his arrest imminent.
He says to his disciples, “‘I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me.’ And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.’”
The disciples aren’t able to stay awake and pray.
Thinking about this scripture in the context of yesterday’s lesson where Jesus is urging his disciples to take a break from the long days and nights of ministry and rest, I see how the scriptures fit together. If the disciples had not been so exhausted from the schedule they had been keeping—constantly responding to the crowds of people seeking help and healing—then they would have been ready for this very difficult moment, when Jesus needed them more than ever to pray for him and for His Father’s Will to be done.
But they weren’t ready. They were too tired.
Think about this garden scene when you are finding excuses why you don’t need more sleep—and why you think it is OK to add on even more activities to your life, so there never is any quiet time just to rest and be alone with God.
Will you be ready and able to do what God wants you to do when He asks you to do it?
Or will you be too exhausted and absorbed in your own activities to respond to God’s call?
Are you wondering, “How can I possibly find more time and space for quiet time with the Lord?”
Then you are taking the first step toward changing your life from activities-driven to Christ centered.
Will you pray with me?
Heavenly Father, forgive us for our busyness! Forgive us for rushing around, trying to fit as much activity in our days, nights, and summers as we can. Forgive us for neglecting our quiet time with you and for taking your patience and love for granted. Forgive us for giving you only a little bit of ourselves—the part that is left after we have exhausted ourselves with everything else. Build our faith so we understand the importance of prayer and quiet time for our Christian life. Draw us closer to You so we want to be with You more. Give us the space, time, and patience to be able to truly experience godly rest. Send your Spirit to guide and strengthen us in our prayers and to intercede for us when we don’t know how to pray. Clear our minds of the distracting thoughts so we may hear only Your voice… and obey. In Christ we pray. Amen.
Today’s readings are Joshua 7:1-13; Romans 13:8-14; Matthew 26:36-46; and Psalm 41 and 52.
Blessings in Christ!
Pastor Karen
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