Mark 6:30-34,53-56

I'll bet you've punched it, stabbed it, jabbed it, jiggled it and wiggled it.

Punched, stabbed, jabbed, jiggled and wiggled---what?---you're wondering.

Elevator buttons!---especially the "door close" button. Might as well admit

it. You've pushed them when you were feeling anxious; you've pushed them when

you were feeling stressed and strained. And, while it may be true that people

with Type-A personalities are more likely to push "door close" buttons harder

and more frequently, everybody does it!

With more than 1000 kids staying at the Regal Riverfront Inn for the ELCA

"Youth Gathering 2000," all riding the elevators up and down, retrieving

books and bathing suits, or just visiting friends, elevator transport was a

test of one's patience and sanity!

The impatience usually began while waiting for the elevator to arrive.

Manufacturers such as the Otis Elevator Company know that a good waiting time

is in the neighborhood of 15 seconds, because at around 40 seconds people

start to get visibly upset. And, once onboard, "elevator impatience" only

intensifies while waiting for the door to close.

How long, on average, do you think you have to wait for an elevator door to

close? Twenty seconds? Ten seconds? Five seconds? Two seconds?  The answer,

according to a recent, rather extensive study (yes, someone somewhere does

conduct such studies) the average wait for an elevator door to close is only

four seconds.  I don't believe it! But, according to John Kendall, director

of research for the Otis Company, "even four seconds is enough time to make

Type-A personalities begin to feel unproductive."  And, it's not just a

problem for anxious Americans. "If you travel in Asia at all," observes John

Kendall, "you will notice that the "door close" button in elevators is the

one with the paint worn off."

I am convinced, beyond a shadow of doubt, that the elevator companies have

disabled ALL "door close" buttons, everywhere on earth. The doors only close

as they have been programmed!  The buttons are, for safety reasons, all

dummies---something to occupy anxious fingers.

 

In the fifties, women's magazines advocated recipes that could be prepared in

sixty minutes. Now truly quick recipes reign. Thirty minutes is the maximum

cooking or baking time if a recipe is to get a second glance; and, 7 or 8

minutes is max for the preparation of microwave dishes.

Would you believe that the same forces that have popularized "quick chicken

dishes" influence the Church and its celebration of the "Lord's Supper?"

Pastors and other worship leaders spend hours discussing how to make sure

Holy Communion "doesn't take too long." That this, "quicker is better

attitude" would carry over to communicants and their communing is most

telling! It tells us that "time" is what we worship, not God in Christ at his

Table with us. It is the real reason the Eucharist, Protestant and Catholic,

has become largely a speedy spectacle rather than a solemn Sacrament.

In our cultures of hurry and worry, Jesus invites us to, "Come away with him

and rest a while" (Mark 6:31). He knows that faster can be slower; that haste

is often waste; that stress usually results in mess. That is why, when he

comes into our ever-accelerating world, Jesus says:

"Come away to a deserted place where we can be alone and rest a while."

The Sabbath Day, is a reminder that we are more than worker bees. And, within

our family units, our children, more than all others, desperately need

"Sabbath time" each week.  They need time and attention from us in a quiet

place. On a day of true Sabbath rest, we will discover that we are all

valuable simply because we are all children of God.

Is working at high-speed always wrong? Of course not! In fact, sometimes,

working at high-speed is absolutely necessary; ---an essential element of

success in the Information Age. Jesus himself led a full, active, busy and,

and as we can tell from our text, very hectic life. It could even be said

that he was ahead of his time as the "master-multi-tasker." And yet,

Scripture tells us, his very full days were compressed with compassion.

This sermon is then, not so much a call to a slower, more contemplative

lifestyle, but a cry for self-imposed limits for those of us who try to cram

work into every hour of every day and sometimes, every day of every week.

Today's Christian disciple should recognize the need for "deserted places;"

those timeless places in which long books (like the latest in the "Harry

Potter Series") can be read, three-hour movies can be watched uninterrupted

and yes, even endless prayers can be offered and deep thoughts pondered.

Sabbath keeping should begin with places like the one in which we are

gathered here this morning! ---"sanctuaries" designed for silence,

inspiration and renewal. The demands of tomorrow will always be waiting for

you, as they were for Jesus. It won't take long for others to find you and

ask you to work miracles---right away! However, having been to your "deserted

place" of quiet inspiration, you'll find yourself strangely stronger and

ready to do good work.  After your Sabbath time away, you'll probably do your

work more patiently and with time to spare.

In this morning's Gospel Lesson, Jesus decides to take his disciples to a

"deserted place." it is clear that he knows what they need; a place to relax,

an opportunity for calm discussion and prayer. Jesus is well aware that those

engaged in missionary activity (yes, like you and me) desperately need peace

and quiet. He is not encouraging us to be lazy, but to search out a place to

retreat from others and to find peace in the company of their Lord.  Christ's

chosen disciples, who usually help others, need to find time for themselves

in order that they might have peace of mind and be strengthened in body and

soul.

Resting a while is not simply a lifestyle option.  It is critical for

Christians! "Godspeed" doesn't mean: "God hustle you along your way." It

means: "God grant you a successful and prosperous journey"---wherever you are

going, if just through life! This is why we are all here this morning; to

acknowledge that we require a quiet place for inspiration and renewal---for

tomorrow and for life's journey, as we take it full length.

    AMEN.