The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. Mark 6:30-34
You need a vacation. You know you do. You wince when the phone rings, regardless of who it is. Trying to get everything done, you work right through meals. You wake up in the morning and feel like you haven’t even rested. Even if you are a people person, you know you need to retreat to a quiet, solitary place and get some rest.
Jesus sent his disciples out into the communities of Israel to call people to repentance and to tell them that the promised Savior had arrived. When they returned from that important work, they debriefed with Jesus. It was clear to him that they needed some rest.
Their attempt to seek a place for physical rest was thwarted by a large crowd of people. Rather than being frustrated, Jesus realized that those people needed rest as well. Their need for rest was spiritual, and Jesus met that need by teaching them many things.
When you have physical, emotional, and spiritual needs for rest, Jesus meets those needs by teaching you about himself. “Come to me,” he says, “and I will give you rest.” He calms your concerns about your work and your life by promising to be with you. He remedies your guilty feelings by promising to forgive you. He invites you to remember that everything is under his control and that he loves you.
Jesus sees that you are like a sheep without a shepherd. As the Good Shepherd, he leads you and feeds you with his words and promises. He gives you true rest.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for the rest you supply me, here and for eternity. Amen.
WELCOME TO OUR CHURCH We extend a warm welcome to everyone worshiping with us today! We ask God that he fill our hearts with peace, joy and understanding as we praise Him together during this Pentecost season. WORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES † Saturday: 4:30p.m. at St. John’s † Sunday: 8:00a.m. at Emmanuel 10:00a.m. at St. John’s Each worship service is posted to our website. If you don’t have internet access or are unable to attend today’s service, DVDs, sermons and the bulletin are available for your use at home. You may pick them up in the office or request them to be mailed. Please contact our secretary Ciara Neuhauser at the church office or Pastor Zietlow.
HOLY COMMUNION Communion is offered at both Emmanuel and St. John’s on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month and at St. John’s on the Saturdays before those Sundays. Private communion by request is also available from Pastor Zietlow or a church Elder at your home. Please call Pastor or the church office to schedule private communion.
GOD’S WORD FOR TODAYToday’s theme: The 10th Sunday after Pentecost – Jesus Gives the Bread of Life To Unify Us in Faith, Love and Purpose – It’s easy to become distracted as a member of a Christian congregation. Sometimes false teaching and opinions destroy a congregation’s unity. Sometimes it’s just plain hard to get along with your fellow Christians, and often long-standing resentment follows. Sometimes congregations get caught up in too many “projects” and “programs” that take them off their divine purpose. Only Jesus can overcome such distractions. He gives us his Word, the Bread of Life, to unify us in faith, love and purpose.
†P R E P A R A T I O N F O R W O R S H I P †
We prepare ourselves to worship the one Savior God by expressing our humble repentance, offering our fervent prayers and singing our thankful hymns of praise.
OPENING HYMN CWS 232, “Lord of My Life, Whose Tender Care”
† S E R V I C E O F THE W O R D †
Please stand.
M: The grace of our Lord † Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.
C: And also with you.
CONFESSION OF SINS
We confess to God that we have failed to live up to the perfect standards in his law, and we plead for his mercy.
M:We have come into the presence of God, who created us to love and serve him as his dear children. But we have disobeyed him and deserve only his wrath and punishment. Therefore, let us confess our sins to him and plead for his mercy.
C: Merciful Father in heaven, I am altogether sinful from birth. In countless ways I have sinned against you and do not deserve to be called your child. But trusting in Jesus, my Savior, I pray: Have mercy on me according to your unfailing love. Cleanse me from my sin, and take away my guilt.
M:God, our heavenly Father, has forgiven all your sins. By the perfect life and innocent death of our Lord Jesus Christ, he has removed your guilt forever. You are his own dear child. May God give you strength to live according to his will.
C: Amen.
PRAYER AND PRAISE
M: In the peace of forgiveness, let us praise the Lord.
OH, TASTE AND SEE
PRAYER OF THE DAY
M: Let us pray.
O Lord, your ears are always open to the prayers of your humble servants, who come to you in Jesus’ name. Teach us always to ask according to your will that we may never fail to obtain the blessings you have promised; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Please be seated for the day’s Scripture readings
†T H E W O R D †
The Lord Jesus speaks to us in Scripture reading, preaching and song.
FIRST LESSON Exodus 24:3-11 (today’s sermon text)
Summary: A marvelous fellowship meal at Mt. Sinai pictures the fellowship we have with God in Christ
When Moses went and told the people all the LORD’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, “Everything the LORD has said we will do.” Moses then wrote down everything the LORD had said.
He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the LORD. Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he sprinkled on the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey.”
Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear as the sky itself. But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.
PSALM 84
*Saturday: Sing in unison.
* Sunday: Cantor sings 1st line, congregation sings 2nd line, all sing refrains and Gloria.
How lovely is your dwelling place,*
O LORD Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,*
for the courts of the LORD.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;*
they are ever praising you.
Refrain
Better is one day in your courts*
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God*
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
O LORD Almighty,*
blessed are they who trust in you.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son*
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,*
is now, and will be forever. Amen.
SECOND LESSON Ephesians 4:1-7,11-16
Summary: Fellowship with God means unity with fellow Christians
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit– just as you were called to one hope when you were called– one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
VERSE OF THE DAY John 6:68
M: Alleluia. Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Alleluia.
Please stand
GOSPEL LESSON John 6:1-15
Summary: A miraculous meal demonstrates the power of the true Prophet who came to give us fellowship with God
Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Feast was near.
When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
Philip answered him, “Eight months’ wages (Greek-two hundred Denarii)would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.
Please be seated.
HYMN OF THE DAY CW 538, “The Church’s One Foundation”
SERMON Exodus 24: 3-11
“HERE’S HOW WE GET IN GOOD WITH GOD”
Our relationship with God is…
Purchased with a hero’s blood (v. 4b-6, 8)
Personalized through the holy Word (v. 3-4a, 7, 12)
Pictured by a heavenly meal (9-11)
Please stand.
APOSTLES’ CREED
All: I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Please be seated.
†O F F E R I N G S O F G I F T S & P R A Y E R S †
THE OFFERING
Members of this congregation show their thanks to God for all he has done for them by returning a portion of their income to the Lord. Through these free will offerings, this congregation and its ministries are maintained. Guests need not feel obligated to contribute. The plate is located in the church entryway.
PRAYERS
The Offering Prayer, Prayer for God’s Children to Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness and Intercessory Prayers are spoken by pastor. Please see announcement details of today’s Intercessory Prayers.
Please stand.
LORD’S PRAYER
All: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
HYMN CW 494, “Blest Be the Tie that Binds”
M:O Lord God, our heavenly Father, pour out the Holy Spirit on your faithful people. Keep us strong in your grace and truth, protect and comfort us in all temptation, and bestow on us your saving peace, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
M: As you go from here, remember this:
God’s love is from everlasting to everlasting,
from generation to generation.
Just as a father has compassion on his children
so God has compassion on those who fear him,
who listen to his voice,
and who do his will.
Go out in the knowledge that the everlasting love of God goes with you.
Amen.
Please be seated.
CLOSING HYMN CW 616, “Feed Your Children, God Most Holy”
School & Little Lambs Registration in St. John’s gym
Mon.
6:00p.m.
Principals’ Conference – Redeemer, FDL
Tues.
9:00a.m.
Joint Elders meeting at St. John’s
Wed.
Thurs.
12:00p.m.
Ladies Aid lunch and meeting at St. John’s
Fri.
Sat.
4:30p.m.
St. John’s Worship
5:30p.m.
Evangelism meeting at St. John’s
Next week’s theme: August 8, 2021 The 11thSunday after Pentecost: To Attain Spiritual Food: Human Efforts Fail; God’s Gift Prevails
8:00 a.m.
Emmanuel Worship
9:00a.m.
Emmanuel Congregational meeting
10:00 a.m.
St. John’s Worship
† C H U R C H N E W S †
INTERCESSORY PRAYERS (read by pastor)
– For those hospitalized, ill, shut-in and facing trials: Jim & Caryl Bassett, Cheri Borzick, Mike Brown, Ed Buchholz, Darlene Burrough (Judy Fandrey’s niece), Sharon Crook, Jan Dahlke, Don Ebert, Reinold Eckelberg, Ken & Sally Elmer, Mike Farrell, Kelleen Grucza (Judy Fandrey’s daughter), Marian Heller, Louise Hillmer, Roger Hillmer, Jerry & Darlene Hunter (Bonnie Chapman’s parents), Xzander Jahr, Ellie Kendall, Robert Lederer (Jackie & Jeanne Buchholz’ father), Thomas Marcelain (Dawn’s son), Neil Miller, Phil Nelson (Melanie Zuehls’ step-father), Al Pompa (Pete & Lucy Laun’s brother-in-law), Karen Radke, LuAnn Reber, Jeff Reimer & son Tim, Don & Doris Smith, Tom Stempniak (Carol’s husband), Jennifer Strauss, Dennis & Ramona Wacholtz, Kathy Weinfurter (Ken Pabelick’s mother-in-law), (added this week: )
-For Salem Adonis Michael Bignell, the son of our St. John’s member Michael Bignell and Destiny Thome, born on 7/12.
-For the family of Kenny Hillmer, our St. John’s member called to his heavenly home on 7/25.
– For marriage
– For missions
NEW CHRISTIAN WORSHIP HYMNAL PRE ORDER Be sure to check out our new CW hymnal display in Emmanuel parish hall and St. John’s link way. Here, you can also find a pre order sign up. The cost per hymnal is $24 each. You can submit your payment to Ciara in the office.
Starting today, St. John’s and Emmanuel also have weekly informational short videos and fliers, leading up to National Hymnal Sunday (Sept. 19), that will give you a better understanding of our new CW hymnal and what’s to come. You can find these on our Facebook page, website: www.stjohnsmontello.org, and email.
ATTENTION SOFTBALL PLAYERS OF EMMANUEL AND ST JOHN’S At 6:30pm, there is adult softball on the baseball diamond behind St. John’s. This is open to men and women who have graduated high school (recently or a long time ago!). We are not preparing for a future event, just gathering in fellowship and activity during the warmer months of the year. See you then!
CROSSES The Time of the Church is the longest season of the church year. Green represents growth-growing the Church through witnessing and missions-becoming “fishers of men.”
This season appears 1st and 2nd Sunday of Epiphany and ends Transfiguration Sunday just before Lent. It reappears the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost and ends on Reformation Sunday.
Please pick up your ribbon today! If you are in need of a cross or would like to gift to someone, please help yourself. They are available and both Emmanuel and St. John’s. Thank you again to Gene Crook (Emmanuel) and LuAnn Zieman (St. John’s) for creating and coordinating!
CHURCH NEWSLETTER The St. John’s church newsletter will be sent out via email to the congregations. Need to sign up on our mailing list? Please call the office. If you wish to receive a hard copy, we offer a yearly subscription for $10.00.
LIST OF DEDICICATED ACCOUNTS Want to donate and know exactly where your money is going?! Here is a list of accounts between St. John’s church and school that you can choose from:
Church General, School General, House/Parking Lot, Family Easter Festival, Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, School Technology, Church Video/Audio System, Security System, Tuition Assistance, Athletic Fund, Outreach Events, School Server Upgrade, School HVAC/Purifying System
CHRISTIAN ONE LINERS (from a member) “It is easier to preach ten sermons than to live one.”
† S C H O O L N E W S †
LIST OF DEDICICATED ACCOUNTS Want to donate and know exactly where your money is going?! Here is a list of accounts between St. John’s church and school that you can choose from:
Church General, School General, House/Parking Lot, Family Easter Festival, Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, School Technology, Church Video/Audio System, Security System, Tuition Assistance, Athletic Fund, Outreach Events, School Server Upgrade, School HVAC/Purifying System
Jesus Gives the Bread of Life
To Unify Us in Faith, Love and Purpose
The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost – B
God’s Word for Today
It’s easy to become distracted as a member of a Christian congregation. Sometimes false teaching and opinions destroy a congregation’s unity. Sometimes it’s just plain hard to get along with your fellow Christians, and often long-standing resentment follows. Sometimes congregations get caught up in too many “projects” and “programs” that take them off their divine purpose. Only Jesus can overcome such distractions. He gives us his Word, the Bread of Life, to unify us in faith, love and purpose.
First Lesson (Exodus 24:3-11)
How did the people respond to the words and laws that Moses brought them from the Lord?
In what two ways was this covenant (agreement) with the Lord sealed?
Second Lesson (Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-16)
What concept does Paul emphasize in verses 2-7?
What special gifts has Jesus given to his Church? What is the ultimate purpose of their work in the Church?
How is unity attained in the Church?
Gospel (John 6:1-15)
What concern did Jesus have for the great crowds who were following him? What was Philip’s response?
How did Jesus show his power? How did some wrongly react to Jesus’ miracle?
Answers:
They said with one voice that they would do everything the Lord had commanded.
Moses sealed the covenant by sprinkling the people with the blood of the covenant. The Lord sealed the covenant by eating and drinking with the seventy elders of Israel.
Paul emphasizes that Christians are to desire unity and “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” That means being “humble and gentle.” We need to “be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
Jesus has given the Church public ministers of the gospel (“pastors and teachers”). The ultimate purpose of their work is that the Church might “reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature.”
Unity is reached through a faithful proclamation of the truth, the Word of God, the Bread of Life.
Jesus wanted to give the people something to eat. Philip thought that it was the people’s responsibility to find food for themselves.
Jesus fed the entire crowd with just two fish and five loaves of bread. Some people, seeing this miracle, wanted to make Jesus a worldly king by force. But Jesus had not come principally to give physical bread but spiritual bread, the Bread of Life.
Attendance
Emmanuel
St. John’s
7-24
7-25
St. John’s Altar Committee for July 2021:Lucy Laun&Kathy North
SUMMER OFFICE HOURS
Monday 8:00am – 4:00pm
Tuesday 8:00am – 4:00pm
Wednesday 8:00am – 4:00pm
Thursday 8:00am – 4:00pm
●●● Welcome To Our Visitors! Find & Like us on Facebook Visit our website:www.stjohnsmontello.org Pastor Peter Zietlow: (608) 408-7830, E-mail:zietlowPL6@hotmail.com Little Lambs Director & Teacher Mrs. Lynn Sellnow: 616-826-0816 K, 1st & 2nd Grade Teacher Ms. Shelley Myers: 920-285-7554 3rd-5th Grade Teacher Ms. Katlynn Tindall: 262-352-7021 Principal & 6th – 8th Grade Teacher Mr. Larry Sellnow:616-822-6689, Email: principal@stjohnsmontello.org Church & School Secretary/Office Ciara Neuhauser: (608) 297-2866 Church & School Address/Mail: 313 E Montello St, Montello, WI 53949 Church & School E-mail:scsecretary@stjohnsmontello.org ●●●
One truth that we were reminded of by the global pandemic is that not all heroes wear capes. In fact, most don’t. Instead, they wear nurses’ garb and first responders’ gear. They keep our vehicles running and store shelves stocked. In 2020, we were reminded about all the heroes hidden in plain sight.
The Word of God from Mark chapter 6, shows us Jesus as a hero hidden in plain sight. Sure, he was a magnet for attention. Sure, people were chasing just to get a glimpse of him. But, when we see him here, he’s not doing prototypical hero things, or more appropriately, superhero things. He’s listening, nurturing, and teaching.
Indeed, teaching is the stuff of heroes. Especially when the Kingdom of God is the subject matter. Someone might ask, “If Jesus had the power to raise the dead, to give blind eyes sight and deaf ears sound, why would he spend his valuable time talking?” It lets us know that the miracles weren’t really why Jesus had come. He had come to reveal the plan of salvation to human hearts. And that plan is made known through words. If we do not hear it, we cannot believe it and be saved. Paul wrote to the Romans, “Faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” In Mark chapter 6, we see that happen quite literally!
But we also see it happen in our lives today. Jesus still teaches us many things, still makes known the path to eternal life for us. He sends faithful pastors to point us to the cross and the empty tomb. He sends faithful teachers who speak to us about the things of God, including those who sit in a classroom, and those who share God’s truth in more informal settings, and those who show us Jesus in their Christian example. “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news,” Paul wrote to the Romans just a couple of verses before the one we quoted earlier. Indeed! The words of Jesus bring lost sinners from the brink of eternal death to the gates of eternal life. That is heroic work!
Prayer:
Dearest Jesus, you have the words of eternal life. Thank you for sharing them with me through your messengers. Amen.
You have had the week marked off on your calendar for months. You have been counting down the days until you are finally able to get on the plane and jet away to your favorite vacation spot. As the plane touches down, you finally exhale. You have arrived, and it is time to relax! As you enter the baggage claim area of the terminal, there is a welcoming committee. It is your boss, your clients, and a bunch of your coworkers! And they are not here to vacation. They have phone calls for you to answer, emails that need attention, demands, and deadlines that cannot wait. You thought you were getting a little rest and relaxation, but you ended up instead with work and more work.
Even though the example is a little over the top, it bears some resemblance to what happened to Jesus and his disciples in today’s Bible verse. They went away to rest—at Jesus’ suggestion—and when they arrived at their destination, their work was right there waiting to greet them. I know how I would have responded in that situation, and you probably do, too. That is what makes the way Jesus responded truly heroic.
Yes, his work followed him on vacation. But when he got off the boat, he didn’t see work waiting for him there. He saw people. People who needed him because they were confused and helpless, spiritually speaking. They were like sheep without a shepherd. And that pulled Jesus’ heart toward them.
Perhaps you can see in this scene on the shoreline shadows of something even bigger. The same Savior whose compassionate heart moved him to set aside rest here is the One whose compassionate heart moved him to set aside heaven itself in order to come and rescue us from the sins that would have condemned us.
Heroes sacrifice. Their hearts are pulled toward people in need, and they always make the time. They abide with the inconvenience. They reach out when others will not. That is what Jesus has perfectly done for us. Thank you, Jesus!
Prayer:
Jesus, my friend and hero, thank you for looking on me with compassion rather than condemnation. Thank you for rescuing me from my sin so I might spend my eternity with you. Amen.
So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. Mark 6:32,33
Ernest Hemingway once wrote, “As you get older, it’s hard to have heroes. But it is sort of necessary.”
When you’re young, having heroes is easy. Your imagination is big, and your cynicism is little. There are so many people who seem stronger and smarter than you. But as the years pass and you get older, you realize that that idealized image you had in your head wasn’t all that real. So many people seemed strong because you hadn’t yet been made aware of their weaknesses. So many people seemed smart because you hadn’t yet seen the foolish mistakes they make. As you get older, more and more heroes fall by the wayside, exposed by time as vulnerable at best and outright villains at worst.
But at the same time, having heroes is somewhat necessary as you get older. Because even as you realize the frailty and vulnerability of others, the passing years also bring you to the realization of how frail and vulnerable you are. You realize that you can’t do it all. You realize that in some situations, you can’t do anything at all. The more we become aware of our weaknesses, the more we become aware of how desperately we need a hero.
The people following Jesus were desperate for a hero. They wanted what Jesus had to offer, even if it meant hoofing it for miles to catch up to him.
People today are still looking to Jesus as their hero. They realize that Jesus offers them something they can find nowhere else. Perfect and unconditional love. Forgiveness. A clean conscience and the promise of eternal life.
Other heroes may fall by the wayside, but Jesus never will. He is a hero worth following.
Prayer:
O Lord Jesus, as I get older, I realize all the more how much I need you. Turn your heart to me, recognize my desperation and save me in my distress. Be my hero. Amen.
Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, [Jesus] said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Mark 6:31
Every year, countless people buy planners to help them map out their days, weeks, and months. Whether it’s paper or digital, a planner helps to get us where we’re supposed to be, when we’re supposed to be there. One recent trend finds our daily planners with a section called “Self-Care” (or something similar). The designers recognize if you don’t pencil in a time for rest and refueling, you’re not going to be as effective in all your other tasks. Sometimes, you just need to rest.
Jesus understood that the constant stream of people demanding his time and the disciples’ time was going to take its toll on them, too. Yes, sharing God’s kingdom was their mission. But they couldn’t carry out that mission if they were exhausted, burnt out, or sick. So Jesus put a pause on the “demands” and penciled into their collective planner the gift of time.
We might say, “I sure wish Jesus would do that for me today.” But, of course, he does. It’s important for us to recognize those times when Jesus gifts us a Saturday morning with nothing to do or weekday evenings when the calendar is clear. Let’s embrace a week at the lake or a trip with the family for what they are: our God presenting us with the opportunity to get some rest.
But don’t forget that he invites us to get a little rest for our souls as well. Every Sunday morning, there’s a time for us to retreat from the world to a quiet place and get rest from the world in the sanctuary of a church. And every day, there’s a time to retreat to a quiet place and do the exact thing you’re doing right now—meditating on God’s Word! Jesus knows that we need rest. I pray that’s exactly what this time has been for you!
Prayer:
Dearest Jesus, you give me rest. You are my rest. Continue to graciously present me with little retreats to quiet places, that I may find the rest I need for my body and soul. Amen.
If I were to ask a 4-year-old what a hero is like, he might mention that heroes are powerful, brave, and smart. I imagine he’d describe how a hero saves people—and usually does so in a dramatic fashion. We frequently see Jesus do “hero things” in the Bible: reaching down to pluck a drowning Simon Peter out of the water, calming a raging storm, raising Lazarus from the dead. Those events would be worthy of treatment on the silver screen, accompanied by dramatic orchestral music appropriate for such heroic acts.
Our Bible reading for today is not this kind of scene. No one is saved from immediate peril—no one dead becomes alive again. No miracle happens, no jaws drop in awed, wide-eyed wonder. And yet, when we look closer, we see Jesus still doing hero things—things that are perhaps less dramatic but no less heroic.
Take, for example, what he does with his ears. He listens when it would have been so much easier for him to talk. Jesus’ disciples had just returned from the mission trip Jesus had sent them on. You can easily picture the disciples going on at length about their work for the kingdom, telling stories about the challenges they faced and the successes they’d found. Of course, they were reporting their accomplishments to the One who is the master preacher and teacher. So this would be like me proudly reporting to Peyton Manning that I played high school football. Or excitedly telling Rachael Ray that I’m pretty proficient at making Kraft Mac and Cheese.
How easy it would have been for Jesus to smile and dismiss them in a patronizing or condescending way! But he didn’t do that. He took in every word and accepted their imperfect work gracefully. He listened because he cared. He cared about them and about what they were doing.
His ears remain attentive to our words today. He still listens to us because he cares about us. So don’t hesitate to share your joys and challenges, your frustrations and accomplishments with him in prayer. Our hero has ears to listen.
Prayer:
Dearest Jesus, friend and hero. You are never too distracted to listen or too busy to help me. Give me ears like yours that I also may patiently listen to those who need to talk. Amen.
King David knew the life of a shepherd because he grew up tending his father’s flocks. He was well aware of the dangers his sheep faced. We read in the Bible that David bravely defended his sheep from the attack of a lion and a bear (1 Samuel 17:34,35). And his only weapons were a wooden rod and shepherd’s staff.
David reminded himself of this picture as he thought about the dangers he was facing in life. Though danger was all around him, he was not afraid. Why? Because he trusted that the Lord, his Good Shepherd, was always with him to defend, rescue, and protect him.
Jesus is our Good Shepherd. He rescued us from Satan and the jaws of eternal death. Jesus defeated Satan by laying down his life for us, and he won the victory over death with his resurrection. Neither Satan nor death could overcome him. And in Jesus, who is our defender and protector, we can be confident that neither Satan nor death can overcome us. He crushed the power of Satan! He swallowed up death in victory!
Take comfort in the salvation that your Good Shepherd has accomplished for you. And be assured that Jesus is always with you to defend you from danger and guide you through every difficulty of life.
Prayer:
Dear Good Shepherd, allow me to focus on you when troubles come my way. My challenges may seem great, but I know you are greater. And whether you take my troubles away, or give me the strength to endure them, I know you will be with me and always watch over me. Amen.
The word “Sabbath” means “rest.” When God created the world, he “worked” for six days, and on the seventh day he rested, he stopped his work of creation. Therefore, in the Old Testament church God commanded his people to work for six days, and on the seventh day (the Sabbath day), they were to rest. On that Sabbath day, they rested in the Word of God. Yes, even back then, it was a temptation to work nonstop and get so busy with earthly things that they would neglect the Word of God.
In Jesus’ day, the local teachers of the law had made the day of rest into a day of rule-following, not a day of rest in God’s Word. They had multiplied the requirements and rules, adding all kinds of details as to what defined “work” and what defined “rest.” If you kept the man-made rules, you were to be proud of yourself. If you failed to keep the rules, you lived in guilt.
Here’s the problem: Seeking rest through following rules is never restful!
Jesus set them straight. He said that he was the one in charge of the Sabbath, not human beings making up their own rules. And Jesus came to give us rest for our souls. We could never keep God’s law so well that we can find rest in what we have accomplished. But Jesus kept it in our place. Then he died in our place for our failures. And he promises that because he has done it all, we can confidently look forward to heavenly rest by faith in him.
That’s why we take time to rest in the Word—not to follow a rule, but to honor our Savior. Jesus invites us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). We thank him for the rest we have now and look forward to the eternal rest that he has provided.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank you for the rest you have provided for my conscience. Give me peace as I look forward to the eternal rest that lies in the future, all thanks to you. Amen.
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:13,14
When a person agrees to purchase a home, it’s customary to put down a deposit. The seller wants to know that the buyer is really serious about closing the deal. A deposit serves as a kind of guarantee that the transaction will happen. If the buyer steps away from the deal, they lose their deposit.
We like promises to be kept. When reliable people give us their word, it provides a sense of certainty and peace about the future. If we know what’s going to happen, we can take a deep breath and relax.
That’s how our heavenly Father wants his people to feel about his eternal choice to save them. He doesn’t want them to fret and stew. He doesn’t want them to wring their hands, wondering anxiously whether or not he’s going to follow through on his plan. He wants them to have certainty and peace about their eternal future, planned from eternity.
So what did he do? First, he revealed his perfect love, forgiveness, and salvation for all people in the person and work of his Son, Jesus Christ. But now he has also sent his “promised Holy Spirit” to his people through his Holy Word, written down in the Bible.
For what purpose? To reassure them. The Holy Spirit is “a deposit,” Paul tells us, “guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession.” In other words, while God’s people await Jesus’ return on the Last Day—when he will take them to life everlasting—their heavenly Father continually sends and plants his Holy Spirit deeper in their hearts through his Word of promise. And why? So that they can be certain, confident, joyful, and at peace that eternal life is theirs—guaranteed!
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, help me daily to listen to your Word and to trust your promises without fail. Amen.
Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
