Jeremiah 23:1-6; Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
For decades, the Prophet Jeremiah
called the people of Judah, the Southern Kingdom, to repent, to offer their
whole hearts to God. But they didn’t, so he kept preaching. Eventually, in 580
BCE the kingdom was conquered by Babylon, and Jeremiah was included with those
taken into exile.
… Jesus picks up on this image of shepherd in today’s gospel reading. He has come into the world to be the shepherd the people need. He sees how scattered the flock is, how unfaithful some of the people are, and how much they need a shepherd to gather them once more into one well-tended flock.
To do this, Jesus has a plan.
Gather and teach disciples, send them out to do the ministry he taught them,
and over the generations, the flock would grow and grow. This would work
because of the trained under-shepherds he called disciples.
In today’s reading, we learn that
the disciples have returned from their first mission trip. We don’t know how
long they were gone. I suspect it was a week or two, long enough to get a feel
for how people would respond to them and their message. They must have been
bubbling over with the need to share their stories with one another.
Jesus is wise and says, “Let’s find a
quiet place where we can talk.” It was hard to do. Jesus has become a
celebrity, and by this point in his ministry, it is hard for him to go anywhere
or do anything without the crowds seeking him out. They get into the boat to
find that respite, that time out they all need.
But the crowds can see them from
shore and are waiting for them when they land. Jesus recognizes that his plan isn’t
going to work, and sees the crowd as sheep without a shepherd. He becomes the
shepherd for them and teaches them as he always does.
Jesus does not forget that the
disciples need to debrief, and I am sure he finds a way for that to happen.
They all need that time together, apart from the crowds.
… We all need time together,
too. We gather to worship and study and eat and chat weekly. This time each
Sunday nourishes us in many ways, spiritually, emotionally, intellectually, and
socially. We worship and do service together. We are community. We are the body
of Christ, individuals gathered together in God’s flock. Sometimes, we are
scattered community whom God needs to gather together again.
In addition to our time together in community, we all need time alone with God, apart from others. We need to spend dedicated time with our Good Shepherd. We need to share our pain. We need to say we are angry. We need to share our joys and thanksgivings.
And we need time to simply listen
to what God has to say to us. Some of us do this well, and some of us do it not
so well. With some of us, God finds it hard to get a word in edgewise. We share
our lists for healing, we tell God our plans, we say thanks, and we move on to
the next thing on our to-do list for the day.
Many people are uncomfortable with
silence. Even a minute of silence seems like 2 years for some people. Pastors
know to not leave too much time for reflection during the confession or in the
prayers. People get restless, look around at others or at their watches, and at
the pastor, wanting her to just get on with it.
Those who take the time for silence
with God know the silence isn’t silent. It is filled with our longing for God’s
companionship and God’s joy at being together. I often share how I begin prayer
times with imagining Jesus sitting with me, two friends praying together,
sometimes even holding hands. That imagined touch connects me to God, reminding
me I am precious in God’s eyes. I am a sheep in the fold.
Usually, it is just companionable
silence, where nothing much happens. Sometimes, I hear the solution to a
problem, a hint at the upcoming sermon, or a reminder to call or visit someone.
Even if nothing happens, I always trust that God is there, happy that I showed
up to spend time together.
You, too, are a sheep in God’s
fold. You are here, in person or online. It’s clear that you want to spend time
with the flock. I hope you also allow yourself some time alone with God, and
that you use the time with God for more than telling God how to solve your
beloved’s illness and the world’s problems. I hope you also set aside some time
to listen to God, to hear how much God loves you.
I
think it would be wrong to end this sermon without giving ourselves a moment of
time out. Close your eyes if it helps. Imagine yourself in your favorite safe
and quiet place. … God comes to join you, perhaps as Spirit, perhaps as Jesus. …
Feel the blanket of love wrap around you. … When you are ready, come back to us.
Amen
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