Mark 6:30-34

30 The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught.

31 He said to them, "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.

32 And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.

33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them.

34 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.

Mark 6:53-56

53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat.

54 When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him,

55 and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.

56 And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

INTRODUCTION:

Did you hear about the police recruit going through training who was asked: "What would you do if you had to arrest your own mother?"

His eyes got big, but without blinking or hesitating he said: "I would call for backup." (1)

Have you ever felt like you needed backup? Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you needed help? We all have. Sometimes it's simply an extra hand to get a project completed. Sometimes it's advice or a discerning ear as you try to make a decision. Sometimes you need the help of a doctor because you're sick. Sometimes you just need Spiritual help to have the emotional and spiritual strength to finish the work God has given you.

This morning we see Jesus and the Disciples headed across the Sea of Galilee one more time. The Disciples have just returned from their first missionary journey. And they were excited. Jesus wanted to get off by Himself with the Disciples to debrief and to spend some time in prayer with the Twelve.

The passage which we read shows all the activity that took place around Jesus. It shows how the crowds kept coming to Him. It shows how much need there was for his ministry. But it also shows us a pattern of prayer that Jesus followed. It shows us Jesus' Cycle of Service. That cycle included Solitude, Silence, Sabbath and then more Service.

That's what I want to look at this morning. Let's explore these three aspects of Jesus spiritual life.

I. SOLITUDE:

A. FIRST LET'S LOOK AT SOLITUDE.

Solitude is something we don't get much of in our society. It's something we don't take advantage of either. But for some of us, we're so busy that the only time we are alone is when we're driving in our car or in the bathroom. We don't take enough time for solitude.

Solitude is a good thing. Solitude is a time of refreshment. Solitude is a time of new birth and new focus.

A lot of people are afraid of solitude. They think it means becoming a hermit. It doesn't. No one is asking you to go off into the wilderness alone and become a hermit. You can be alone and in solitude even in your own home. Solitude is more of a mental state than a physical state but it is highly enhanced by being alone.

When Jesus took Peter, James and John up on Mount Tabor they witnessed His Transfiguration. It was an event meant for them. It was an event that they never would have experienced if they hadn't followed Jesus to that place of solitude.

In Solitude we meet God. God enters into our solitude. God enters, bringing fresh hope and insight into our lives and situations. God honors and enters our solitude because God knows that in solitude, we have no distractions.

B. The heart surgeon, Dr. Michael E. DeBakey once observed: "For me, the solitude of early morning is the most precious time of day. There is a quiet serenity that disappears a few hours later with the hustle and bustle of the multitude. Early morning hours symbolize for me a rebirth; the anxieties, frustrations, and woes of the preceding day seem to have been washed away during the night. God has granted another day of life, another chance to do something worthwhile for humanity." (2)

Solitude is good for the soul, that's why Jesus took the Disciples to a deserted place to rest. It was both physical and spiritual rest. I commend Solitude to you. Get away with your Savior.

II. SILENCE:

A. SECOND LET'S LOOK AT SILENCE.

Back in the days when everyone traveled by train, a little girl was traveling with her family on one of the long sleeper cars. The sleepers generally had a narrow aisle with even narrower beds two high on either side. They were made private by curtains. That night the little girl was put in an upper bunk and was told that Mommy and Daddy were right below her and she was not to be scared because God would look after her.

As everyone began to doze off, the little girl became a little frightened and called out, "Mommy ?Are you there?" "Yes dear," replied Mommy.

A few minutes later she called out again, "Daddy, are you there?" And Daddy said, "Yes dear, "I'm here, too."

Things got quiet for a few minutes and then the little girl started again. "Mommy ?Are you there?" And this time she asked if her brother and sister were there. After everybody answered, "Yes!" it quieted down. Only to be repeated again a few minutes later.

And then a few minutes after that, until at last another passenger completely lost his patience, and in a deep voice said: "We're ALL here! Your father, your mother, your brothers and sisters. NOW GO TO SLEEP!"

Silence ruled for about five minutes. Then the little girl was heard to whisper, "Mommy, was that God?" (3)

That may not have been the voice of God but Silence allows us to listen to God. Silence allows us to reflect on life and faith and let God enter into our thoughts and hearts. In Solitude we meet God. In Silence we hear God.

B. Just as we need solitude occasionally, we need silence and quiet time, too. We need time when there is nothing but silence. There is a cacophony of noise that surrounds us everyday. Life is loud and boisterous. But we need the occasional oasis of silence. No music. No TV. No talking. No giggling. But pure silence.

This morning I want us to take a moment to simply listen to God. Bow your head. Close your eyes. Put aside all your plans. Quit going through the grocery list or planning what you'll have for lunch. Quit working on your to do list for the coming week. Empty your mind and just listen to God. Listen to what God is saying to you.

AMEN. We need a dose of silence every day.

III. SABBATH:

A. THE LAST IS SABBATH.

Jesus observed the Sabbath. God said let there be six days for toil and let there be one day of rest. A day set aside to rest physically, spiritually, emotionally and mentally. A day of rest and a day to glorify God through remembering the blessings of God and giving thanks for our relationship with God. That's what the Sabbath is all about. Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote: "God, by giving the Sabbath, has given fifty-two springs in every year." (4)

One of the first things I noticed about Jesus when I read the New Testament for the first time is that He observed the Sabbath. He took it seriously. Time and time again in the New Testament you find a phrase that says, "as was His custom, Jesus went into the Synagogue to pray." Or something close to that. As was His custom implies that Jesus was regular in worship attendance. He didn't just talk about going. He went.

Jesus observed the Sabbath because in doing so, he was fed, filled and restored. In Solitude we meet God. In Silence we hear God. On the Sabbath we restore our souls.

That's why the Sabbath is so important. Honoring the Sabbath is one of the ways we show our love for God to God. Robert Schuller once said: "The Sabbath should be a time when hope is reborn, dreams are rekindled, self-worth restored." (5)

B. Several years after inventing radar, Sir Robert Watson Watt was arrested in Canada for speeding. He was caught in a radar trap. Afterwards he wrote this poem:

Pity Sir Robert Watson Watt,

strange target of his radar plot,

And this, with others I could mention,

A victim of his own invention. (6)

When we fail to take time to refresh our spirits, let our hope be reborn and our dreams rekindled; when we fail to take the time to refresh our spirits, feed our souls and spend time in solitude with God. then we become victims of our own invention.

Billy Graham gave some great advice when he said: "Jesus spoke about the ox in the ditch on the Sabbath. But if your ox gets in the ditch every Sabbath, you should either get rid of the ox or fill up the ditch." (7)

You and I need the Sabbath. It's the way we were created. We need that time with God.

CONCLUSION:

Jesus took the Disciples across the Sea of Galilee to find a lonely place where they could spend time in Solitude, Silence and Sabbath. That was His custom. And did it all so that he could be in Service to God. It was His way of staying in tune with God's will for His life and ministry. It was His way of building the reserves needed for being a Servant of the Living God. And every time Jesus spent time in Solitude, Silence and Sabbath, He was building His reserves for the ultimate act of love, His death on the cross for our sakes.

It doesn't make any difference, at this point, that crowds pressed in and they didn't get that time together at that moment. Because of the many other times that Jesus and the Disciples had spent in Solitude, Silence and Sabbath, there were able to be in Service to those who were so desperately searching for answers.

The point is, that Jesus spent time taking care of His soul. And He taught the Disciples to follow the same Cycle of Service. It begins with Solitude, Silence and Sabbath and ends in Service for God.

Don't forget to refuel. Don't forget to refresh your spirit. Follow Jesus everyday. Follow Jesus into the wilderness of Solitude. Spend time in Silence listening to God. And keep the Sabbath. When you practice Solitude, Silence and Sabbath, you'll have all the backup you need.

1. Parables, Etc. (Platteville, Colorado: Saratoga Press), July 2000

2. AutoIllustrator, Windows version

3. Parables, Etc. (Platteville, Colorado: Saratoga Press), November 1991

4. Parsons Bible Illustrator for Windows, 1990-1997, Parson's Technology Inc.

5. Parsons Bible Illustrator for Windows, 1990-1997, Parson's Technology Inc.

6. Parsons Bible Illustrator for Windows, 1990-1997, Parson's Technology Inc.

7. Parsons Bible Illustrator for Windows, 1990-1997, Parson's Technology Inc.

www.SermonWriter.com (Copyright, Richard Niell Donovan, 2000)

Circuit Rider, May/June 2000, Vol 24, No 3 (The United Methodist Publishing House, Nashville, TN)

Lectionary Homiletics, Volume XII, Number 8, July 2000, (Lectionary Homiletics, Inc. Midlothian, VA)