Dear Ones, This year, Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary, in our Sunday liturgies we’ve been hearing readings from Mark’s gospel. And these past several weeks in our Adult Formation we’ve enjoyed some time to wade deeper into Mark’s gospel, beyond what readings and sermons in the liturgy might allow. Recently, during one of Dr. Rene Schreiner’s presentations, I wrote something down that struck me as deeply relevant to St. Simon’s call to help bring about abundant life for which Jesus came by making sure everyone is connected to community: Jesus doesn’t just stay in the synagogue- his mission is bigger. Staying in the synagogue would mean Jesus was staying among his own people. Jesus knew the ways and routines of those people intimately- those ways and routines were his own, after all. Staying in the synagogue wouldn’t require Jesus to be open to change. And staying in the synagogue would mean that the abundant life Jesus came to bring was only for some, not all. The idea that Jesus came to bring abundant life for all was a surprise to everyone, perhaps even Jesus, if the story of the Syrophoenician woman’s faith in Mark 7 is any evidence. Healing the demon possessed daughter of such an outsider was certainly a clear indication of the expansion of Jesus’s mission. We have experienced the abundant life that Jesus came to bring here at St. Simon’s. We’ve experienced the love and care of our community when a loved one dies. We’ve experienced healing and wholeness. We’ve celebrated anniversaries of sobriety, birthdays, and other milestones. We’ve delighted in music, in delicious food, and in the presence of one another. We’ve given time, talent, and money not only to support the St. Simon’s community, but also to help support people in need of food and holiday gifts. The abundant life we experience at St. Simon’s is so wonderful. So wonderful that we might just like to stay here and bask in the wonder and delight...more of this, please and thank you. But, like Jesus, our mission is bigger. And I think we know that – we know, deep in our bones, that we are called to be bearers of the abundant life of Jesus far beyond the walls of our building. I wonder, though, if anyone else reading this reflection feels worn out, tired, battered, or discouraged in the midst of the ongoing events of recent weeks. It’s hard to be bearers of abundant life when we feel that way. It’s the most human of reactions to feel that way. And what’s the most human of needs to have when we feel that way? Restoration and rest, of course. Jesus understood that, and we hear about it in Mark’s gospel: “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” (Mark 6:31, NRSV) Friends, our community, our country, and our world are desperate for the abundant life that Jesus came to bring. And even though that abundant life may seem far away from us right now, it is still as close as our very breath. Let’s rest. Let’s cocoon. Let’s reconnect with that abundant life that we know so well at St. Simon’s. And then let’s go. Go forth into the world bearing the abundant life of Jesus for ALL. In Deepest Gratitude, |
Beau Surratt Associate for Music and Community Connection |
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