The Gift of Slowing Down
Simple Gifts - Part 1
Sunday, December 3, 2023
Luke 10:38-42, Isaiah 40:28-31, Matthew 11:28-30, Psalm 37:3-7
The Lord answered, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things. One thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the better part. It won’t be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:41-42 (CEB)
Listen to this Week’s Sermon here:
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Have you ever noticed that the only spiritual practice explicitly commanded in the law is Sabbath? Yes, we are instructed in worship, prayer, and countless other means of receiving God’s grace, but Sabbath is right up there in the big 10. John Mark Comer writes:
God eventually has to command the Sabbath. Does that strike you as odd? It’s like commanding ice cream or live music or beach days. You would think we’d all be chomping at the bit to practice the Sabbath. But apparently there’s something about the human condition that makes us want to hurry our way through life as fast as we possibly can, to rebel against the limitations of time itself.” (Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, 159).
Sabbath is about rest, and it is about acknowledging our limitations. It is a call to slow down and be still with God, just as Jesus encouraged Martha in the midst of her own well intentioned hurry. Consider the following 10 symptoms of “Hurry Sickness.”
Irritability (especially at little things)
Hypersensitivity
Restlessness (difficulty relaxing)
Workaholism / non-stoop activity
Emotional numbness
Out of order priorities
Lack of care for your body
Escapist behavior (overeating, social media, binging TV, etc.)
Slippage of Spiritual Disciplines / Devotional Life
Isolation
How many do you have?
Resist the tendency to feel guilt or shame. These symptoms are tragically built into our culture and have become normal. The point is to become aware of just how busy and chaotic our lives have become.
Once we become aware of this reality, we can take Jesus up on his invitation, to “take his yoke upon us, for his yoke is easy, and his burden is light.” Frederick Dale Bruner reminds us that a yoke is a work instrument. You would think he might offer a mattress or a vacation for our weary souls, but no, Jesus, realized that the most restful gift he can give is a new way to carry life; not an escape, but equipment to be more fully present in each moment and to find peace and rest even in our work.
Dallas Willard says that we must “ruthlessly eliminate hurry from our lives.” In a season of preparation and of learning to pay attention to the coming of Christ in our world, this seems a highly appropriate invitation.
This advent, let us learn to honor Sabbath together, to receive the gift of rest. Let us, as Paul writes, “make it our ambition to lead a quiet life” (1 Thess. 4:11).
We will fail multiple times a day, but each time we can slow down, breathe, and come back to the present moment. Let us breathe deeply in the love and peace of the Spirit, and breathe out our anxious busyness and toil, that we may be present enough to encounter the gift of Emmanuel, God with us, in each moment of our lives.