Silence Before the Next Thing

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[0:00] Well, we've been at this quarantine thing for nearly a year now. And I think it's kind of amusing that there was a time, like way at the beginning of this, when I had multiple conversations with various people about how it would actually be a time saver for a while. Like back when we thought this was going to last only a couple of weeks, there were a bunch of activities that were canceled. And while that was sad, and it was a loss, and there was a longing in that, there was also just this relief in a lot of places. And it wasn't just on my part. I sensed it from a lot of people. There was something of, this is hard and this is sad. And yet there was somehow a relief of... Of pressure that, but it has freed up some time.

[1:04] It was relief for one or two fewer activities during the day. Relief for a little more time spent with family and loved ones. And we talked about how commutes got a whole lot shorter. But then this new normal sank in. And the chaos of pre-COVID times. Crept into COVID times. And what was pre-COVID, pre-quarantine, found a way to be busy in quarantine. And now we can squeeze even more meetings into a day than we could before.

[1:46] Because with Zoom, we don't have to go anywhere. And in theory, we actually have the ability to do more now than we did before. We can add in to our daily routine. more chaos if we allow it technically. And I don't think that's always a bad thing. There's a place in life, a point in life where a little chaos is expected to happen. It's not always a bad thing if we can be more productive. So don't let that be the takeaway. But let's look at the, let's look at history. We've found a way as humans to be more productive and to be more efficient as life has gone on. We've made revolutions like the industrial revolution was all about becoming more efficient as a whole movement of humanity. And so as we've invented machines and as we've invented machines, we've invented machines that are more efficient. We've invented ways of life to become more efficient. We've also been able to fit more busyness into a day. And we've done that with Zoom. And so even though there was a time briefly when we thought, hey, this is actually kind of nice. Some of our activities have been canceled for just a little brief period. Actually now we've, I think we've, we've we've, we've, we've we've to. And the important thing is listening and knowing where God is leading us to

[3:58] do those more things and where God is leading us to take those steps back and through it all where God is leading us to go and making sure that we are taking those steps to where God is leading us and that we are leading lives of unceasing prayers so that we are glorifying him in the midst of life's chaos and that we are also carving out deliberate times away from life's chaos so that we can seek him in the quiet. And that is key and that's going to be the focus of today's time that we're seeking out times away from life's chaos to be with him. So that we are seeking out times away from life's chaos to be with him so that we are seeking out times away from life's chaos to be with him so that we are know where he's at when we're in the midst of life's chaos. We're about to jump into the end of an action-packed chapter, one that's had its own fair share of chaos. Mark doesn't waste time on unimportant things. He didn't even tell us about the birth narrative. He just skipped right into the baptism of Jesus. This is going to be a very important part of our life. We're going to be able to remember some great things. This is going to be great for our life. This is great for preparing the way in the desert to the baptism of Jesus, then he was brought immediately to the

[5:58] wilderness to be tempted. And Mark uses words like immediately. He likes to use those words to help the pace and the urgency of his narrative along. And then John was put into prison and Jesus began proclaiming the good news. He called his first disciples into service and used the word immediately or something like it a few more times along the way. And then Jesus taught at the synagogue and drove out an impure spirit of a man. And the news about him was spreading really quickly because everything in this chapter is happening immediately and quickly. And we get the sense that there's hard work and hard work and hardly a time for them to catch their breath. And through it all, Jesus speaks with this calm, collected authority. He acts in grace and he's responding with this way that always glorifies God and points people toward God's kingdom. And that brings us to our passage today that again is still in Mark chapter one. And we're so close to the end of this first chapter. So let's read in Mark chapter one, verses 29 through 39. As soon as they left the synagogue, there's more of that rush language, as soon as they left the synagogue.

[7:54] So if you remember how we started off with our first chapter with our first verse for our end 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. 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. Simon and his companions went out to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed, everyone is looking for you. Jesus replied, let us go somewhere else to the nearby villages so I can preach there also. That is why I have come. So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. Let's pray. Our gracious God, we ask for your blessing upon this word. We ask for your presence here today. Would your word be in our hearts and in our minds? Would you fill us with your spirit? Would you teach us what you would like us to know? In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

[9:42] So my roommate accuses me of being addicted to hyperbole, and I do tend to over-dramatize on occasion, but Mark has his fair share of hyperbole also, here especially. So look at this, Mark says, all of the sick and demon-possessed, the whole town gathered at her door. Now some of us went to Israel, some of us here at Foothill about three years ago, and there are very narrow passageways, and that was in the town of Capernaum, which would have, at the time of Jesus, had a population of about 1,500 people gathered at her tiny, tiny doorstep.

[10:35] And I think this is an exaggeration. Now someone as popular as Jesus doing something as extravagant as a miracle, I think it would have drawn quite a crowd. So I think while this was probably an exaggeration, and I doubt that 1,500 people gathered at this tiny doorstep, I think maybe there were a lot of people. The point we need to understand here is that it was chaos. And this is what you need to know. The whole of Mark chapter 1 is one thing after another. It is immediate. It is as soon as. It is one thing, one thing, one thing. It is Jesus is healing. He's driving out spirits. He's starting his ministry. It is the important things. It is no time to rest. It is It is chaos and now he's healing this woman. It is late at night and the whole town has gathered suddenly at the door of this small cramped place, maybe a little unexpected and it's chaos. Have you had a place of chaos in your life? And I don't need to ask that question. That's a rhetorical question because of course you have had a place of unexpected chaos in your life. You've had a place of expected chaos in your life and you felt like this is too chaotic for me. You have definitely had chaos in your life and if you have not had chaos in your life,

[12:28] then you're living your life wrong, I think. Jesus had chaos in his life. You have had chaos in your life. We need to get the point that there was chaos and there were a lot of people there that night, whether Mark was exaggerating or not.

[12:49] It was a night that began with a small task. Jesus healed a fever. After healing this fever or after healing a man of a demon possession in a synagogue, healing a fever was probably not necessarily a big deal. I mean, it was a big deal to her. Actually, a fever back then probably knocked someone out of the work that she could do. They made a point of saying that as soon as she was healed of this fever, she began to serve them. That was a big thing for a woman to be able to serve the people that had come to her house. It was a shame. Oh, oh. It was a shame for her. It was a shame for her to not be able to serve people who had come to see her. She couldn't perform what she was bound by society to perform.

[13:42] She couldn't do her task in life. And that was going to have profound impacts on her economically and on her physically. Her fever needed to be healed. It wasn't a cold. It was a problem for her physically.

[14:06] It wasn't a small task. But next to a demon possession. We know Jesus can probably handle it. That's not the point. The point is after that, people just kept coming with more illnesses and ailments of all kinds. People bringing their sick from all over. And coming to watch this. The spectacle. And. And. bringing their demon possessed, people are just flooding in. It was chaos and it was maybe unexpected. We don't know. There's only so much work that a human person can do without recharging and Jesus may be God, but Jesus is human. He had human limitations. He needs to step away and say, let me take a breath. And Jesus knew that with the authority of God, he could silence these demons that apparently kept coming out wanting to proclaim that he was the son of God. And isn't that interesting that the demons wanted to proclaim that he was the son of God and yet Jesus with the authority of God was saying, not yet. There's a time and a place for the son of God to come and take a breath. And Jesus knew that with the authority of God, he could silence these demons. So if you remember some So if you remember some people were sick for some time. So if you remember some people were sick for some time. So if you remember some people were sick for some

[15:42] So if you remember some people were sick for some So if if if if if if if if if if if if if to be in tune to the will of the Father. So that even when things feel chaotic, and even when things have gotten hectic, he can know with certainty what he needs in the moment.

[16:16] But the disciples are not as in tuned to the Father as he is. And they had decided that whatever was going on, it was working for them. So they were thinking, let's just spend our whole lives and careers here. This is great.

[16:39] They could make a living off of this whole healing miracle, performing things in the name of God. People could come to them, and sometimes they could preach in the local synagogue. It was going really well, and they were becoming something of local celebrities, overnight. And they were helping people at the same time, and word was spreading well enough that they really didn't have to do much traveling and proclaiming.

[17:15] But did you catch that the demons liked this? And Jesus didn't. There was something wrong. And so, before they could do that, before the chaos began again the next morning, Jesus slipped away. Imagine though his heart just felt heavy with that convicting weight. And perhaps you've been somewhere similar to that before. I know I have, where you just feel like this doesn't seem right.

[17:57] Where you're like, no, God, I know what's wrong. I know what happened in this space is okay. Maybe it was even good. But what you want of me is something more. Because people were healed. There was nothing wrong in that.

[18:16] And so he slipped away from the insanity to figure out what that something more was. But then there was a manhunt in verses 36 and 37. Simon and his companions went to look for him. That's what it says. It sounds kind of welcoming and nice, right? Like if your friends want to come and look for you, if you've been gone for a bit, that feels kind of heartwarming. Like, oh, you missed me. That's really sweet. And it's kind of nice. But the word that is used is far better described as hunted. It really means to follow. It means to follow behind someone closely, especially to follow one's enemies.

[19:06] Of course, it could be used in a positive sense as well. We're not saying that Simon is an enemy of Jesus, but there is something here that is an enemy. There is something here that is hunting Jesus down and trying to stand in opposition of him. And there's something here that is hunting Jesus down doing what God's will is. And Jesus knows that. And he can recognize that. And this is not the only time that Jesus recognized Satan using his disciples to do such a thing. In fact, it isn't the only time that Jesus recognized Satan using Simon Peter to stand between God's defined plan and Jesus. And so, what does that mean? Right. Get behind me. Satan. Should sound familiar. Satan will use what is tempting. And I am certain that right at that moment. As Jesus was just beginning his ministry. And what stood in front of him was a long and difficult ministry. And Jesus knew that. What stood apart in front of him were people who were going to hate him. And reject him. And torture him. him and maybe he didn't know exactly what was going to stand in front of him but he knew he knew it was not going to be easy he knew it was not going to be the pleasant and welcoming reception and the joy they had at Capernaum he knew it was not going to be the fame and ease and prosperity they were having there

[20:58] and yet he knew that the preaching of God's Kingdom and the gospel was more important he knows that because he is having those quiet places with God he knows that God's will is important and so Saint August using his friend, Jesus's friends. He's saying, hey, we're looking for you. Hey, this is great. We can have a ministry here. Hey, we're doing good things. And yet Jesus is in tune with God. Jesus knows God's will is to take this hard path, to continue preaching the gospel until all know. He knows they have to take the rocky road ahead. He knows they have to continue and they have to move to what's next.

[21:59] And so he sees that Satan has been hunting him down. Now we of course are not Jesus. And so let us be very careful and not just accuse our friends of being the enemy. And yet let us. also be attuned to that which takes us away from spending the time we need with God and carrying out his kingdom work of loving as Christ loved and living out the gospel.

[22:35] Now, why did Jesus slip away to pray? That's the heart of the issue. Luke 5 16 tells us plainly and simply that Jesus often withdrew to the quiet places to pray, and we see examples of that throughout the gospels. It didn't take a night of chaos and healing to force him to the Father.

[23:03] Honestly, throughout the entire first chapter, he was doing right and good things. He was able to stay connected through the chaotic life. He was able to stay connected through the chaotic life of all of chapter one because he was connected already.

[23:23] When there were quiet places to get to know God, he took advantage to do just that so that he could maintain and grow that connection in those less quiet times. If we only go to God because times get chaotic, that connection is going to feel frayed and feeble. And in the hard times, it's going to weaken and our calls to God are going to feel more like 911 calls than calls to a friend for advice or a chat.

[24:05] And I've repeated this before because my all time favorite line from Godly Play comes from the story of prophets. And so I know I've said it a lot before. I know I've said it a lot before, but every time a new prophet is introduced, the story begins like this. Prophets are people who come so close to God and God comes so close to them that they just know what God wants for them to say or do, or however the story is going to progress from there.

[24:37] Jesus was that in tune with God. And we need to be that in tune with God. that we come so close to God and God will come so close to us that we just know. He made time in the quiet so that even in the chaos he just knew what God wanted him to say and do.

[25:02] So in the chaos, something about the way the fame is spreading in Capernaum didn't sit right. He had made a point to say, keep it under wraps. Now is not the appointed time for the word to spread. But the disciples are saying, our ministry can be in this place here, spread the word for all.

[25:25] And he went to have some time to discern, to just sit with the Father, to sort things out. And that time was all he needed and it was all the enemy needed. When they had found him, he simply spoke to them. He spoke with the clarity God had given him and they all moved on to the next city. And that was that.

[25:46] But why make an argument for carving out the quiet spaces? We live in a fast paced world and don't we serve a God who can keep up? Didn't God move through Jesus and the disciples all through the chapter, which was chaotic as they called upon him to cast out evil spirits, to heal the sick. Of course he did.

[26:13] Absolutely. He did. We serve a God who is with us in all places. We can meet with God. No matter where we are. Physically or mentally or spiritually. Of course we can. And we should. We must. Our God will hear us. And our God will meet us. Our God will answer us. Prayer is not a book. not entirely about God or what God can do.

[26:45] Prayer is about us too. Our God has no limitations, but we do. We have plenty of limitations. Think of Elijah in 1 Kings 19. Listen to this. The Lord said, "'Go out and stand on the mountain "'in the presence of the Lord, "'for the Lord is about to pass by.' "'Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart "'and shattered the rocks before the Lord, "'but the Lord was not in the wind.

[27:20] "'And after the wind was there, "'there was an earthquake, "'but the Lord was not in the earthquake. "'After the earthquake came a fire, "'but the Lord was not in the fire. "'And after the fire came a gentle whisper, "'and the Lord said, "'However, when Elijah heard it, "'he pulled his cloak over his face "'and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.'" God first spoke to Elijah, then his presence could have come in a great and powerful wind, since he's the one who created and sent such a wind.

[28:00] That only stands to reason. And the same for all of the things that followed. God had no limitations. But the distractions. When Elijah had to strain to hear the whisper, when not a single other thing could be heard, when God had Elijah's utmost and absolute attention, that was when he presented himself. Elijah was being hunted. Elijah's life was chaotic. All of his contemporary life, his life was being murdered and slaughtered. Elijah was in trouble. Elijah was destitute.

[28:43] Elijah was taken on a journey before this even happened. God had the power to do anything. But first God took him on a journey across the country, fed him with crows, nursed him back to health, then spoke him through it, and then called his attention through it. Elijah was talking through all of these things. And once he fully had his attention, after talking him through each of these things, that's when he presented himself in a whisper. So it's not that God couldn't get Elijah's attention in the chaos. It's that he presented himself in a way that Elijah's human limitations could fully, fully, fully understand. We are human and we have limitations. And the best place for our limitations to meet with God is when there are no distractions in the quiet. That means no cell phones. That means no email. That means no work. That means no what is going to distract you. You know. You know what is going to distract you. You know what the noise is. You know what the noise is in your life.

[30:07] Maybe you need to speak with God ahead of time. Maybe you need to make a list. And maybe you need to schedule that quiet time before your quiet time so that you can go through that list and check off one by one, this is what I need for my quiet time. And check off where to take the distractions away.

[30:34] In our busy lives, sometimes we have to do what we have to do to make sure that we are meeting with God where we need to meet most every day. Sometimes those are noisy times. Jesus certainly met with God every day. And sometimes we have to meet with God in the chaos. And that's okay.

[30:55] Because we have a God who never shies away from meeting us there. But it's in the quiet that God best prepares us for the chaos that's to come and debriefs us from the chaos of the past. Prayer should be a lifetime action. But we can't live every moment in the quiet places. And I'm not suggesting that we should.

[31:24] Jesus excused himself to the quiet places deliberately and he did so often. In this case, it was after a night of extreme healing and before entering the next village. Which, as the audience, we were assuming would be equally extreme.

[31:46] Our lives are meant to be lived for God's glory every moment of the day. The way we should live should be prayer in action. Or like Paul said in 1 Thessalonians, 5-17, we need to pray without ceasing. We sort of tend to have the state of mind where when we say Amen, we feel like we're all done. Like we've finished praying. The job of praying for the day. When the truth is God's always with us, the Holy Spirit dwells inside of us. And prayer is the part of us that should be ever constant and never ending.

[32:29] Amen literally means let it be. Let it be so. It does not mean the end. Because prayer is a lifelong and constant action, that is why we need to be especially intentional about retreating to the quiet places when we get the chance. So that we can step back and review our days. And we can say, wow, that was a crazy action-packed day. Did I live that day in a way that was a moment to your glory, God? And if so, where?

[33:05] And if not, then how can I do better next time? Jesus' whole life and ministry was an embodiment of living out prayer without ceasing and glorifying God every moment of every day. His retreat to the quiet spaces kind of just fueled those moments.

[33:30] So they were reflections so that he could really review his time with the Father. So here's a small challenge. We're a week and a half away from Lent. And I was wondering if we could just get each person or household to schedule a solitude or quiet retreat at some point during Lent. And that's a six-week expanse, mainly for the church, but maybe schedule it as individuals or maybe as families. And I know that's harder.

[34:05] And it can be as short or as long as you need. But you need to schedule it in advance because otherwise it's harder to do. You need to set your parameters in advance. So if you're a household, pray together as a household and decide what your distractions are.

[34:26] Is it cell phones? Is it work? Is it internal distractions? And write those down ahead of time so you can check those off. Maybe if you have children, it needs to be short. It could be a 10-minute solitude break. That feels long sometimes. That feels very long.

[34:52] If you need more of a challenge, it could be a challenge of a day retreat. And that's hard. Whatever God is challenging you to do, sometime during Lent, our challenge to you is this. Take that time to schedule it now before you forget. Look at your calendars as a household. Schedule that time. And we want to hear you report about it in the chat during Lent. When it comes up, after it happens, we want to hear in the chat log on our site how it went. Maybe just that you did it, but how it went as your household does so. That is our challenge. We want to hear reports about them, and we'll check in from time to time to see if those are going.

[35:45] But for right now, let's pray. Gracious God, we thank you that you are a God who meets us in the quiet, in the chaos, in all times and in all places. God, we pray for your presence to continue to guide us. These things we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.