Sermons from Moorpark Presbyterian Church

When Jesus Says "Come Aside and Rest"

by Dave Wilkinson

Mark 6:30-32

April 21, 2002

"Slow Me Down, Lord."

That’s the name of a poem a friend sent me through email. I haven’t actually read it, yet. It took long enough just to download the darn thing. Yeah, we have DSL. But it’s slow DSL. And who has time to read poems about slowing down?

Now, I’m kidding. I’m not that bad.

But I am bad enough that I strongly resonated with some words that were read by Dr. David Ross at our Couple’s Garden in February. They are from a book by Tim Hansel called When I Relax I Feel Guilty. I invite you to slow down for a moment and reflect on what Hansel says:

"Is it possible that your days are hurrying by so fast that you don’t fully taste them anymore? Are play and rest foreign words in your living vocabulary? When was the last time you flew a kite, went for a bike ride, or made something with your hands? When was the last time you caught yourself enjoying life so deeply that you couldn’t quite get the smile off your face?

Many suffer from a nagging sense of guilt that no matter how much they do, it is never quite enough...A curious and familiar psychological need to justify everything emerges, leaving no room for discovery and pure enjoyment.

Words like wonder, joy, rest, and freedom have become faded replicas of what Christ taught. Time becomes a tyrant instead of a friend. Joy becomes something we will do later. Play becomes something for children. Creativity becomes the unattainable quality of artists and poets instead of the essence of our lives. Wonder is just the name of a bread, and imagination doesn’t make enough money to be worthwhile."

Can you relate to those words? If you can, I sure wish that you were doing what God has made possible for mer and Carol through the support of this congregation and a generous Clergy Renewal grant from the Lilly Endowment.

In just a two days, Carol and I will leave for a sabbatical. During this 17 week period we will travel primarily in Great Britain. We will visit a number of great Christian sites including Canterbury, Oxford, Durham and York. We will spend study or retreat times at St. Deniol’s Library in Hawardan, Wales; St. Andrew’s University, Sarum College in Salisbury, Rutherford House in Edinburgh, and Iona.

This retreat period has been in the planning stages for such a long time that it’s hard to believe that it’s here. In fact, it was over a year ago that I talked with you in worship about the need for me to step back for a time of renewal and why it is important if I am going to continue to be effective as your pastor.

I was led then to the Old Testament book Song of Solomon -- but not the racy parts. I spoke about a verse in that book that grabbed my attention; Song of Solomon 1:6 "My Mother's sons were angry with me; they made me keeper of the vineyards, but my own vineyard I have not kept."

The woman who spoke these words, you may remember, was a Cinderella-type character. Her angry brothers made her keep their vineyards to the neglect of her own.

My story is very different from hers and Cinderella's. I have no angry brothers or wicked step-sisters who make me do something I don't want to do. Whatever I do as your pastor, I do willingly and happily.

But as a pastor, my story is similar to hers, in that, as a pastor, I am also a keeper of other people's vineyards. I am there to share with them and rejoice in the harvest that God brings through them.

And there is nothing I would rather do. But the balancing act, for me is to be as attentive to my own vineyard as I am to others.

And this I have not done. Somewhere along the way working in other people's vineyards became a substitute for working in my own. Other people's vineyards somehow became more interesting for me, more fulfilling, more fun. I've gotten out of balance between the needs of the church including the organizational needs and the building needs and the needs of my own soul. It's not that you have put inappropriate pressure on me. I am well able to put it on myself.

This is why I need some extended time to find a better balance between helping nurture your vineyards and my own. I need to relearn how important it is for me to do what I do because of who I am, rather than to be who I am because of what I do.

I don't want to give up working in other people's vineyards. Not at all. I love this congregation. But I need to find a way to keep my own vineyard very healthy at the same time -- and you need for me to do that.

I have been in the ordained ministry for almost 27 years. I’ve been here in Moorpark for over 15. I’ve never taken a sabbatical. I know it’s time.

But that doesn’t mean that I’m going easily. If Tim Hansel’s book is called When I Relax I Feel Guilty, mine should be called When I Take a Sabbatical I Feel Guilty. There is a voice in my head that says, "You’re going to be gone for four months. Suppose something happens."

Well that voice is wrong.

It’s not that something may happen. Something will happen. You know that, I know that and God knows that.

And we also know that the church is in good hands.

These are the hands of Jesus. He is the Lord of the church. There are no hands that are better. And I also rejoice that our Lord has chosen to work in this place through some very effective people starting with our Associate Pastor, Janet. I have complete confidence in her readiness to carry the day-to-day responsibility of pastoral ministry, administration, Session and staff leadership. I am excited about the sermons Janet is preparing on Jesus’ words to His church in the Book of Revelation. It will be a powerful series.

Sheri and Rick Blackmon, our parish associates, will preach crucial days like Father’s Day and Mother’s Day. They will also assist in adult education both now and in the fall. Next Sunday our youth minister Bil Thompson will conclude my adult class on the Old Testament. Then, on May 5, Rick Blackmon will begin a six week BAD class -- B. A. D. -- two weeks on boundaries, two weeks on anger and two weeks on depression -- none of which, of course, are issues for any of us -- but its good to learn how to help other people.

We also have the opportunity to hear from new voices. That is always enriching to a congregation.

Next Sunday, for example, our first guest preacher will be Dr. Alan Stones. You’ll want top be here for Al will also will be the one available to our congregation to assist in pastoral care while I am away.

I have been in a small group with Al for quite a number of years and have come to trust him both personally and professionally. When you hear Al preach, you will know that he is a strong and effective teacher. If you have occasion to have him touch your life more personally, you will discover him to be a warm and insightful pastor and friend.

We also enjoy the strong ministry of a host of committed lay leaders including our elders and deacons. In fact, my greatest fear for this whole time is that you’ll discover how well you can get along without me.

Actually, I welcome that. For this sabbatical is also a time of the church discovering itself without my direct nudging. It gives you the opportunity to consider your commitment, and assess in depth your relationship to the life and witness of the congregation rather than to my leadership. And, as I said last Sunday, these four months will be a great opportunity for us to learn something important about what we have built here together.

What we will learn is if we can truly function as we are called to function as the body of Christ — or if Moorpark Presbyterian is too dependant on one person. We will discern that by seeing if the church moves forward or falls back over the next few months.

Well at this point, as I shared last Sunday, all our vital signs are good. In fact, that is why we have one more thing to do today. We have deliberately left time in this service to do this. I want to participate with you this morning in giving a gift to the larger church of Jesus Christ.

One year ago, 2000 congregations of various denominations took part in the U.S. Congregational Life Survey. 700 of these were in the Presbyterian Church. Similar surveys were conducted at the same time in England, Australia and New Zealand. The survey was funded by a group called the Louisville Institute and also by my dear friends at the Lilly Endowment who are shipping me out of the country this Tuesday.

The purpose of this survey was to take a "snapshot" of the church at the beginning of a new millennium. The hope is that the survey will help congregations measure their ministries against denominational, national and international benchmarks and help guide leaders and planners.

That was a year ago.

So, a year later, where do we come in?

Well, in our own quiet way, we are identified as among the faster growing congregations in the Presbyterian Church. So the national church has asked us to take the same survey that was conducted last year. They want to compare the responses of people in growing congregations like ours to the profiles of other churches. They believe that there is a reason some congregations are healthy and growing. The goal of our participation is to figure out what is happening in this church that might be successfully transplanted elsewhere.

So this morning, as we close worship, we will give this gift to the church. We will take part in the survey. It isn’t just for members. It is for everyone fifteen and over — even for people who are here for the first time ever this morning and have already made up their minds that they’re never coming back again. The church needs to know why.

The results are confidential. No one will know how you respond. But the overall picture will help the church, including our church, understand ourselves, evaluate our ministries and relate to our community in a more productive way. In a few months we will receive a summary of our responses -- a snap shot of our own congregation that will be fully shared with you.

As we prepare to give this gift, let us pray.