Readings:
2 Sam 7: 1-14a;
Psalm 89: 20-37;
Ephesians 2: 11-end;
Mark 6: 30-34, 53-end

Collect:
Generous God,
you give us gifts and make them grow:
though our faith is small as mustard seed,
make it grow to your glory and the flourishing of your kingdom;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Reflection

I can’t believe that we are at the end of the school year and the summer holidays are beginning.  It’s certainly been a strange year for those in school, as it has for all of us, and the end of term celebrations have been adapted to cope with the changing situation.  Many staff are tired and exhausted.  The children, who have worked hard all year,  both in school a nd online, are ready for a break.  It’s not just those in education who are ready for a break, many of us have struggled to take time out over the last 15 months to recharge our batteries.  People in all walks of life have just kept going, continuing adapting to the changing situation and government guidelines.  Many who are working from home are finding it hard to switch off, as the computer is constantly there calling you to do some more work.  Then on the news you hear the stories of those working in the health service who are on their knees and long for some respite.

This summer is going to be an important time for us all and it’s going to be vital that somehow each and every one of us finds some respite, some way of relaxing and recharging our batteries.  Whether you are working or not, we all need some space to be.  To relax, to recharge, to be nourished and refreshed.  

In our readings today we hear that familiar Psalm, that in its first few verses talks about ‘…making me lie down in green pastures and leading me beside still waters.  He shall refresh my soul.’  I wonder how many times we have read this psalm and glossed over these first few verses?  It’s certainly something that I’m guilty of.  And yet they talk about how the God is looking out for us encouraging us to find rest and refreshment.

Then in the reading from Mark, which we often miss because we often focus on the miracles in the middle, we hear Jesus saying to his disciples ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’  Jesus on hearing about all that the disciples had been doing told them to rest.  We don’t know how they were feeling, they may have been on a high because of all that God had been doing through them, but Jesus told them to rest.  If we think about the familiar creation story, what did God do on the seventh day?  He rested!

Rest, isn’t and shouldn’t be a dirty word.  People should be encouraged to take time out for themselves and their families.  If we don’t look after ourselves then we are in danger of burn out and not being effective at anything we do.  

I love the image of the heart monitor. When you look at it you can see the line creating a lovely zigzag pattern as is goes regularly up and down.  Sometimes, the heart beats faster, the zigzags are smaller and possibly bigger.  Other times, it beats slower, and the zigzags are further apart and maybe lower points.  Then when the heart stops beating the line is flat.  For many of us over this last year the monitor has been constantly zigzagging up high, because we are working at full capacity all the time and there have been few or no down points.  There is a need for us to kick start a rhythm that allows us to have a healthy, fulfilling and fruitful life.

This idea of having a balanced life is right there in the scriptures.  God desires us to be the best we can be and that doesn’t mean that we work ourselves into the ground but about having a balanced and healthy lifestyle.

My prayer for us all over this summer is that we take time to stop and rebalance our lives, to find rest and refreshment in whatever we do.  Then, as we regroup in the autumn, to have that healthy rhythm re-established.

Mike Morris