A sermon preached by the Reverend Sarah Grondin at St. Jude’s Anglican Church, on Wednesday, January 8, 2025.
May only the truth be spoken, and only the truth be heard. Amen.
How many of you find it hard to have quiet time? And I don’t just mean moments here or there where there’s nothing planned in the calendar, but real honest to goodness time to rest?
Maybe for you that rest looks like time to pray, or time to read scripture, or maybe it’s just time to sit in silence and contemplate the world.
If you’re like me, most of the time it feels impossible!
Between kids and pets running around, and that little rectangle buzzing and beeping all the time, and even things like suddenly remembering I forgot to book an appointment, or that I need to pick up more laundry soap or whatever else it might be… I start off with good intentions, but the reality is, life is full of interruptions.
Now there are two ways that we can look at this. We can see these interruptions as being exactly that… things that are interfering with whatever it is that we’re “supposed to be” doing, as things that distract us from our real purpose or goal, things that are getting in the way.
Or, we can take the opposite view and see these supposed “interruptions” as not only an important part of our daily lives, but indeed integral to it. What if the things that we sometimes consider annoyances and interruptions to our lives, are actually what allow us to love most and give fully?
Our gospel passage today contains what might possibly be Jesus’ greatest miracle, since the Feeding of the 5000 is the only miracle that all four gospel writers include. But this morning I really just want to focus on the first few verses that set scene and make this miracle possible.
In the Gospel of Mark, the themes of rest and interruption play a big role. Every time Mark tells us that Jesus has managed to sneak away for some quiet time to rest and pray, he gets interrupted. He’s interrupted by individuals, the disciples, and sometimes like in today’s passage, an entire crowd. Everyone is clamouring for Jesus’ attention.
In fact, Jesus’ whole ministry seems to be a series of interruptions--someone always needs his help, his healing, or his teaching.
But you see, the thing is… while Jesus knows that it’s important to have quiet time, to rest and to pray, to have time away from the demands of others to recharge…. he also knows that all of these interruptions that he faces are the core of his ministry and his mission. In fact, you might say that instead of being interruptions they are in fact what it’s all about.
Our passage from today shows us just how large Jesus’ following had become. Not only was the mission expanding—as we see with the return of the disciples full of stories to share—but people were regularly attempting to track Jesus down.
Mark tells us that when Jesus and the disciples tried to get away for some quiet, the crowd who had formed around Jesus, seeing where they were headed, travelled to the other side of the water faster on foot than Jesus and the disciples who were traveling by boat
These people were intent on locating Jesus and they weren’t going to give up so easily. This might seem a little overly dramatic, but honestly, I think we would probably swarm him and interrupt his retreat, too, if we were desperate and convinced that he could provide relief.
What’s perhaps more difficult to understand is that nothing in our passage suggests Jesus is in any way frustrated with the masses and their insistence. He felt it was important to get away from the crowds so the disciples could rest, and eat, and they could have some time together, yet when they reach this supposedly “deserted place,” the crowds are there waiting for them.
We can probably guess how the disciples felt upon seeing the crowds already there…but to our surprise, Jesus doesn’t yell at them to go away, he doesn’t tell them to go home, he doesn’t even mutter to himself under his breath about how annoying these people are.
Instead, Jesus feels compassion for them, a deep sympathy. His response involves more than just a warm and sensitive heart. These people are being denied well-being and justice, and Jesus is moved by this. The crowd is likened to “sheep without a shepherd.”
The Bible often compares leaders to shepherds, and it’s an apt metaphor. “The system” has failed the people who flock to Jesus. They’re vulnerable in a predatory world. No one, it seems, guards their human dignity. They have to fend for themselves. What kind of society places people in that kind of condition?
If we think back through Mark, the story that comes just before our passage today is the beheading of John the Baptist. Herod is off in one of his palaces, carousing with his cronies, winking at pretty girls, and beheading prophets. His goons on the ground are bullies, and Herod’s people are desperate for leadership.
And now there’s this young prophet, who has some crazy things to say about justice, kingdoms, and love… and it’s to this prophet that the people flock. Is he the king they’ve all been waiting for? Surely it was on everyone’s mind.
I don’t see an entourage following any of you this morning, but “interruptions” are part of our lives too. There are some days where not a single thing on my to-do list gets accomplished, but I’ve been busy the whole day with other unexpected things that have popped up.
And sometimes it’s those unexpected things that end up being the most meaningful parts of my day. It’s those moments where things haven’t exactly gone “according to plan” that make space for the Spirit to move freely, and require me to remember to put my trust in God.
The church as a whole still has a lot of learning to do in this area. We like to plan and strategize, set objectives and time specific goals. We like to map out the future and where we think God is calling us, and we make a 5 year plan based on that.
And all of these things are good and necessary for the healthy functioning of a parish. But they can also be stifling and distracting if we’re not careful. We need to view these time-tables as possibilities, not as essentials that must go according to plan.
In our gospel passage today even Jesus is reminded about the importance of leaving space for the Spirit. He had a plan to get away for some quiet time, and the unexpected event of the crowd following them to this new place led to the greatest miracle we have recorded. If those people hadn’t insisted on staying with Jesus and just gone home when he and the disciples left, there would be no Feeding of the 5000.
In so many cases, following and understanding the life and ministry of Jesus has so much to teach us about how to live our own lives. Not only do we learn about the importance of loving one another, of raising up those on the margins who have no shepherd, and standing up against unjust practices…. In today’s Gospel we also learn an important lesson about what it means to be open to the workings of the Holy Spirit, and the opportunities she presents through those unexpected moments to reflect God’s love in greater fullness.
We all live in the tension between our plans and interruptions, our expectations and the unexpected, life as we want it to be and life as it happens. When our plans are interrupted it’s tempting to just work even harder to make it happen, to reinforce our boundaries, to blame others, and rage about things not working out, or pray that God will make it all go the way we want.
But Jesus doesn’t do any of that. He doesn’t turn the boat around when he sees the crowd. He doesn’t get angry or resentful at the people. He doesn’t blame or complain. He doesn’t ignore or deny the interruption. He’s simply present to what is. All along the way Jesus is present and faithful to whatever and whoever is before him, whether planned or unexpected.
What if we started to look at all those “interruptions” to our day, or our scheduled plan, the way Jesus approached those moments? What if it’s those parts that actually matter the most? How would that change things?
Instead of seeing those unexpected events and occurrences as simply distracting from our To-Do list, we could demonstrate our concern and compassion for those who are present to us in the moment by giving our whole-self to that encounter.
Being in relationship with others means that we have to learn to see more deeply and be more present to whatever is, whether planned or unexpected, desired or unwanted. Everyday life is where God shows up. It’s where we learn about ourselves. It’s a school of love that teaches patience and offers opportunities to soften our hearts and act with compassion. It invites us into the mystery of creation. How we relate to others mirrors our relationship to God. We learn to forgive. We practice faithfulness and hope amidst the uncertainty of life.
We all have hopes and dreams for ourselves and our lives, and how we expect things to go. But God has hopes and dreams for us and our lives too. If everything we do is calculated and controlled, there’s no space for the Spirit to move. So if you were expecting things to go one way and they end up going another… let the Spirit bump you towards those who are in need of your care and compassion in the here and now.
Jesus miraculously fed 5,000 people because things didn’t go according to plan. God wants to work through each of us too, but we have to be willing to be present and faithful to those “interruptions,” trusting that the Spirit is on the move.
So love lavishly and give fully whenever you can, because today’s interruption might make tomorrow’s greatest promise possible. Amen.
