Hello friends,
This is Mark Glideman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighbourhood monk in DOCS.
Welcoming you to this Lectio Divina audio contemplation and reflection,
Where today our focus will be from the Gospel of Mark,
Chapter 6,
Verses 7,
12-13,
And 30-32.
Now after their first mission,
The disciples returned full of stories.
They'd preached,
Healed,
Cast out demons.
Their work was fruitful,
Yet it was exhausting.
And in this Gospel passage,
Mark tells us that they were so busy they didn't even have time to eat.
And what does Jesus do?
Well,
He doesn't tell them to push harder.
He doesn't call for greater sacrifice.
He says,
Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.
Now this is not laziness and it's not weakness.
This is discipleship.
Jesus teaches that the life of faith is not only about mission and ministry,
But also about rest and renewal.
Without stopping,
Our compassion wears thin,
Our joy fades and our bodies break down.
Rest is what restores us so that we can live and love well.
Our culture glorifies busyness.
And in that environment,
Stopping to rest becomes an act of resistance that says,
I am not defined by how much I do.
I am beloved even in my stillness.
For Jesus,
Rest is holy.
It reminds us that we're not God.
It roots us again in grace.
And it keeps us tender,
Open and ready for what comes next.
So perhaps a question to contemplate as we walk through this passage and reflect on it today is where is your deserted place?
Is it a quiet room,
A walk in the park,
A moment of silence or a Sabbath day?
And whatever it looks like today,
Hear Christ's invitation.
Come away and rest a while.
Stop,
Rest and be held.
For this too is discipleship.
So as we prepare to hear the passage today,
We ask that God would open our ears to hear what it is that he is drawing our attention to in this passage of text.
That God would open our minds to think,
To chew,
To contemplate and to come to the place where we understand what it is that God is trying to say to us through that particular word or phrase from the text.
We ask that God would open our hearts to receive the seed of that word into good soil so that it would grow and blossom and bring forth fruit that will be beautiful in each of our lives and in the lives of all in the world around us.
Amen.
And so we begin.
Jesus called the twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.
So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent.
They cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
The apostles gathered around Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught.
And 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.
And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.
Jesus called the twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.
So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent.
They cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
The apostles gathered around Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught.
And 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.
And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.
Jesus called the twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.
So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent.
They cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
The apostles gathered around Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught.
And 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.
And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.
So as we bring our time of contemplation and meditation on this text to a close,
May you have the courage to stop even when the world keeps moving,
Trusting that what matters most is not what you produce but the presence you rest in.
May you find your deserted place,
However small or simple,
And there discover again the gentle rhythm of grace that restores your weary heart.
And may you return from your rest renewed,
Grounded in love,
Centred in peace and ready to serve from a place of wholeness,
Not hurry.
And may that grace,
Peace and love of Christ be with you and go with you every step of the way,
Today and always.
Amen.
Until next time,
Grace and peace my friends.
Bye for now.
