‘It’s a Snow Day’
8 February 2009
Mark 1; 29-39
‘In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.’
What a week this has been! Many people have been unable to get to work because of the weather. Children have been off school for several days. The cobwebs have been swept off the toboggans. The hazardous pavements and roads reminded me of a little story:
A clergyman was walking home with one of his elderly parishioners, during a cold winter spell, when it happened that the old gentleman fell on the ice. The clergyman, always one to draw a sermon from life, remarked sternly; ‘Friend, sinners stand on slippery places.’ The old man looked at him and replied; ‘I see they do, but I can’t.’
So, my friends beware of slippery places!
This week families have woken up with feelings of both dread and excitement. ‘Yippee, it’s a snow day!’ or; ‘Oh no, it’s a snow day!’ Some business experts reckon billions of pounds have been lost through people being off work. But maybe the snow is what we needed to give us a little respite from the treadmill of life which seems so relentless for a lot of people!
I reckon many people will go back to work and school feeling more refreshed and may even find it in them to be more productive.
Our gospel reading from St. Mark gives us a glimpse into the demands and expectations of Jesus’ life and ministry. One of the features of St. Mark’s gospel is the seamless way in which events are put together. There doesn’t seem to be any space between the events. The reading begins with the words: ‘as soon as’ and scattered through the gospel, events are linked together with words such as ‘immediately’ or ‘then’, giving the impression of a great deal being squeezed into a short space of time. But when you think about it Jesus’ ministry only lasted three years….and remember what the writer says at the end of St. John’s Gospel: ‘there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.’
St. Mark also referred to the ‘whole city’ gathered round the door – The events, along with the way they are strung together, gives us the impression of an exhausting ministry. Well, Jesus came into this world to be with us and share in our human existence – it seems that he identifies with us in our exhausting lives – although, Jesus would certainly not identify with our skewed priorities and our wanton materialism! There is no justification whatsoever for working long hours, neglecting our families, neglecting our health, just for the sake of money or property.
But this morning I’d like us to focus on how Jesus managed his busy life:
‘In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.’
Well, there it is, no time management study, no ‘work out’ by the Sea of Galilee!...Jesus didn’t have a ‘snow day’!!.... He simply found a time and a place to pray.
Then take a look at what Jesus did after his prayers….did he go back to where he left off? No, he said: ‘Let us go on to the neighbouring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also.’ Jesus time of prayer not only brought him refreshment, it also brought fresh energy and fresh vision for new possibilities...That is what prayer does!
The psalms are a treasure trove of real experience. How about this verse from Psalm 56:
‘Have mercy on me, O God, for my enemies are hounding me; all day long they assault and oppress me!’....Strong words but the writer expressed something that is very real today….Some of us may feel hounded by what life throws at us.
There are two important pointers about Jesus’ prayer:
He found a time that suited him…in his case it was early in the morning while it was still dark….No doubt, he preferred to quietly go and pray unnoticed….It was the first thing he did in the day…It is very important that prayer is something that is personal as well as something we do together in church....It is important that we find time….and I certainly find that when I risk spending time with God, everything else falls into place in a way that saves me time….I cease to worry unnecessarily about things….and I find that I can make decisions more clearly….which for me I sometimes think is a miracle!
But there is also a place…Jesus went out to a deserted place….Being alone with God is so important….There is an intimacy in our relationship with God which needs our care and attention….The Lord is indeed with us in a special way….But unless we value our relationship with him and make the effort to spend time getting to know him….then we are not only in danger of getting our lives in a mess….we are also in danger of missing out on the most wonderful relationship we can ever have….A place of prayer can help us to focus….The right chair or the right room or a special place such as the quiet Garden in Stoke Poges can help our relationship with God….Making a special time and a special place is surely an important aspect of our prayer lives…
We can never underestimate the power of prayer to change our lives and the lives of the people we pray for! And there is so much to pray about! We should surely pray about our lifestyles, the pressure we are under day after day….We must surely pray that we find some peace in our hearts and give love priority not just in our close relationships but across the world where much is so fragile at this time!
We say, “It’s a ‘snow day’!” But it is also a ‘slow day’ lest we slip or slide. But maybe we slow sufficiently to reflect on what life is really about. A time and place for prayer will do the same!
