Our first discussion series will be Lent: 40 Days in the Desert. We’ll be covering topics ranging from the Israelites wandering the desert to reach the promised land to the temptation of Jesus in the desert to general thoughts on the season of Lent. Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Simon," he said to Peter, "are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.
Mark: 14:37-40
The Lenten Season is almost over, and we find ourselves very tired. We have wandered in the desert with Jesus, we have been tempted by the evils of the world, and we have found ourselves in need of prayer. But, instead of praying and keeping watch, we instead, make our ways to our beds. We pull the covers over our heads, and we close our eyes before we even hit the pillow. WE ARE SO TIRED!
Jesus knew that we would become weary, in fact, he even tried to plan times in his ministry for the disciples to take breaks. However, even on the Sabbath we find Jesus working. So, what sort of examples are we to keep? Do we work until our hands can no longer move, till our eyelids droop, and we forget who we are working for? We don't know the answer ... we are an EASTER people, we are ready for the resurrection, but why is the journey there so hard? Why must there be pain and suffering before there is joy and celebration?
The disciples were tired too, but here they were, hours away from the arrest and death of our Lord, and they are sleeping. Jesus asks them time and time again, "please, stay awake, pray for me." It was a simple task, one that we hope we could do, but when the time came for prayer, the disciples were too tired to even try. This lesson teaches us that it's hard following Jesus out into the wilderness, and that it's not going to be easy. Even the disciples, who saw the mystery of Christ, could not follow cheerfully and be aware. We are the same way. It is hard for us when there is so much that still needs to be done to take the focus away from the world and onto where God is calling us. But Jesus tells us -- STAY AWAKE!
Weariness as a Christian can be found -- in our attitudes, in our relationships, and at the end of the day, like the disciples, in our prayer life. Has life gotten in the way of living for Jesus? Are we too tired to step forward in faith for Christ? Why are we sleeping, when Jesus needs us to stay awake for him ... even just for one more hour?
Discussion Starters:
1. When there is so much to be done, and so little hours of the day, when do you find time to focus on what Christ is calling you to be in the world?
2. Do you believe that a Sabbath, a true day of rest, is possible? Why or why not?
3. What suggestions do you have for the group that could help us practice "staying awake?"
* Artwork: Praying at Gethsemane by HE Qi
-- Mary
I want to start with the fact that I think it's an amazing thing that even Jesus prayed and needed others to pray for him.
I have no idea what Christ is calling me to be in the world. I know I'm supposed to have fellowship with other Christians and pray and study his word and things like that, but as for what I'm supposed to make of myself, like professionally, I don't know what he wants (or what I want). Then again maybe that doesn't matter so much to him. Maybe it's just the other things I listed that are all he wants me to do and the rest is just details.
I think we need to do a whole series on Sabbath so I'll expand my thoughts more later. But right now Graham and I are starting to decide what we think Sabbath should be by experimenting with not shopping on the Sabbath. We're trying our best not to make other people work on Sundays. If no one shopped on Sundays, nothing would be open, and no one would have to work.
"Why must there be pain and suffering before there is joy and celebration?"
I believe you can't understand joy if you've never experienced some form of sorrow. If both joy and sorrow didn't exist, you wouldn't be happy OR sad. You'd just be and life would be boring. Drama is what makes life interesting, though I'd prefer it if the drama in my life remain of the milder variety. :)
I believe people can truly do no work on the Sabbath--look at the Seventh Day Adventists--that's a big part of their faith. I used to work with a guy who didn't work on Saturdays AT ALL. I saw bosses call and ask more than once for him to come to work, but he stood his ground (and the law stood behind him). It can be done, but do we want or need to fight to do it? And where do you draw the line?
I think it's incredibly difficult to carve time out of a busy day, let alone a week, to focus or good prayer time. I try to have a little "God time" before I go to bed, but often I'm so tired I'm not focused. I'm not a morning person--at all. Any suggestions on carving out time, I'm listening! This has truly been an area where I've struggled.
I agree w/Whitney. I like to be on the backside of most drama, but I always learn something from it.
I think I should have given a little more background on what I think Sabbath is. I don't consider Sabbath Saturday or Sunday, I consider it any day that we do not focus on work and instead take time to acknowledge God's creation, take time with our family, and spend some quality time with God. It could be taking a long walk with your husband or sitting by the lake and watching the sun go down in prayer, I believe that Sabbath time can be anytime.
I think it starts with giving yourself a little time during the day, even if it's just 15 minutes. A whole day is almost impossible in this day and age.
However, I want to talk a little bit about working on Saturday and Sunday. I think it's so crazy that people say we shouldn't work on Sunday, but that they should go to church that day ... what people don't realize is that you ARE making someone work on Sunday by attending church. If we were truly celebrating Sabbath the way it is celebrated in the OT, people would not be able to strum guitars, or hold a microphone, or even preach for a prolonged period of time (because it would work up a sweat). Putting together Sunday morning worship is NOT easy and it is very hard work. I have worked harder on a Sunday morning during "worship" than I have producing a television show or putting on a special event!
So, I personally believe that we should take the focus off of Sabbath being on a specific day, and instead focus more on it being a time to set aside the world and focus on God.