And this is the Snuggie……
If you haven’t yet heard about the Snuggies, then I am more than glad on Sunday morning to introduce you to the latest pop culture phenomenon, similar to pet rocks, Rubik cubes and Beanie Babies. Apparently everyone has to have one either for warmth, or to make fun of them. I do believe that the interest in the Snuggie is a result of a natural urge to hibernate, and hunker down under the covers when things are stressful and tough. I would guess that some of those four millions blankets were delivered to people who found the pace of their life overwhelming, and were feeling the weight of everyone’s collective pain upon their shoulders.
They were looking for more than warmth – they are looking for security. I believe that the prayer shawls, when delivered to people in crisis, bring about the same measure of security, but also a layer of faith.
Our lectionary reading this morning comes from the Gospel of Mark, chapter 1 and begins at verse 29. However the previous 28 verses reveal that Jesus is moving at a fast pace, and has accomplished quite a bit before we get to verse 29. Here is what Jesus had done:
Jesus comes from Nazareth and is baptized by John in the Jordan River.
Jesus is immediately led off to the wilderness for 40 days and tempted by the devil.
Jesus then proclaims the Good News in Galilee
Jesus then calls Simon, Andrew, James & John to follow him.
Jesus goes to the synagogue in Capernaum on the Sabbath, where he teaches and heals a man with an unclean spirit.
Today’s reading begins at the end of a busy day. Jesus leaves the synagogue, still with James and John, Simon and Andrew, goes to their home where he heals Simon’s mother-in-law who was in bed with a fever.
“Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them”
Reading on we discover that at sundown the crowd finds Jesus and brought all who were sick and possessed to him. All. And the whole city was gathered round the door and he cured many. This is a lot of people.
“That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.”
Everyone wanted something from Jesus. Imagine all of that collective pain hovering at the door where Jesus had come at the end of his busy day. We know what it is like to feel collective pain in the midst of our busy and stressful lives. Jesus brought with him the possibility of healing and transformation and everyone wanted something from him. He must have been physically exhausted and emotionally weary.
Listen however, to what Jesus does to take care of himself, paying attention to the contrast between what he had just done.
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”
Jesus sought out solitude and stillness through silence and prayer. He scheduled a time of rest. In musical terms the word “rest” means a measured silence. Rest is the space between the notes, and the measures of rest are part of the whole musical piece.
Jesus took time to rest and he takes care of himself. He had a plan to balance the busy pace and demands of his life – because the rest of the passage shows Jesus going back out to work, to teach and to heal. Jesus knew the importance of stillness, quiet, silence and communication with the Creator through prayer. He had a plan to restore his body, mind and spirit. Jesus was called to find quiet times in his ministry and work. We are also called to moments of quiet and prayer, to fortify ourselves so that we may be healthy children of God living in the midst of a busy and demanding world. We too are called to make room in our life for moments of measured silence.
Isaiah 40 teaches us the same lesson:
“Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint”.
Those who wait upon the Lord…the Hebrew word to wait means to linger with our focus upon God. When we linger with God we shall be renewed and we will regain our strength. We need a plan to take care of ourselves – measured rest, relaxation and renewal to pull from when we need to be restored. Rest and self-care are not a luxury – they are a necessity.
I’d like to suggest this morning that each one of us assemble a survival kit or a grace box or whatever else you might want to call it, but a list of tools and practices, that you can and will turn to, when you are overwhelmed with collective pain or weariness. What are those activities that you can turn to and get out of your grace box, when you need to be restored or reassured?
- Would you have one or two favorite scriptures in your grace box?
“Be Still and know that I am God.”
- Would you have short sayings or affirmations, that you repeat enough that it changes the direction of your internal monologue?
“One day at a time?” “Keep is simple.”
- Would your survival kit have some laughter in it? What funny movies or videos can make you laugh deeply?
- Would your grace box have a reminder to take a walk, exercise, eat an apple, get fresh air, talk with a friend, go to counseling, or listen to music?
- Would your grace box have a reminder for you to visit a shut-in, help the homeless, serve someone in need, love your neighbor as yourself?
What would be in your personal survival kit or grace box that would strengthen your body, renew your mind and heal your spirit?
One of my friends on Facebook, who is really a friend from Grotonwood many years ago, wrote me this note when I had asked people yesterday to share what their favorite comfort foods were. This is what her 18-year-old son Logan wrote and then read at his Grandmother Hazel’s memorial service.
“One of the favorite foods of my siblings and I is Macaroni and cheese. It was no surprise then, that whenever we would be watched by granny and grandpa, that when she asked us what we wanted to eat, our reply would always be “macaroni and cheese.” So for lunch and dinner, we would have macaroni and cheese. Not breakfast, because as good as mac and cheese is, that just doesn’t make sense. Although once for breakfast, Granny cooked up a nice Pop-tart, still in the wrapper, in the microwave. Didn’t work out so well.
Anyway one night when it had been storming all day, my mom suggested that we just make some mac and cheese for dinner because it was a “comfort food.” I had never heard this term before. A comfort food is what a person would eat when they had a bad day, or was tired and needed a little pick up. Ours was mac and cheese. Every time that I would eat mac and cheese after that day, I pondered this thought. Was it coincidence that whenever we ate at our grandparents we always had our “comfort food?” I began to realize that there was a connection.
Whenever I was around granny, I was at peace, I was comforted. She didn’t even have to say anything or do anything. Just by being there I was comforted by her presence. Once I realized this, I began to notice it everywhere, at sporting events, at dinners, or just relaxing at her house watching her sleep with her mouth wide open while grandpa watched the TV with it so loud the neighbors knew what we were watching. Her presence was comfort food for my soul. It still is, because I know that she is up in heaven acting as our guardian angel, and comforting us when we are down.
2nd Corinthians 4:17-18 says: “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
We cannot see Granny anymore, but we can still feel her presence, comforting our souls when we are down. God gave the world grandmothers as a “comfort food” for souls, and Granny Burlew is an excellent and undying example of that fact.” (Logan Burlew)
Jesus Christ gave us His presence, His teachings, and His life and it is He that is our comfort and our strength. We need to plan time with him and other moments of self-care, service and laughter. This week may we wait upon the Lord, lingering in His presence and plan those moments of measured rest in order that our spirit and our life may be renewed.
Amen
Rev. Deborah J. Blanchard
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