Faith on the Go

We all take time daily to pray and meditate, right? Hmmm.... maybe not. I'm not even able to do that, and I'm a "professional" Christian! This sermon is for those of you who, like me, don't always have time to stop and pray. I hope that it helps you connect with God more often!

Before I share my thoughts with you this morning, I want you to think about a couple of questions. Do you have a busy life right now? If you don’t have a busy life right now, have you had a busy life sometime in the past? Finally, have you ever experienced a time when life seemed absolutely out of control, even if it was only for a few days? I imagine that all of us can say “yes” to at least one of those questions! We all try to live lives that are manageable most of the time; but the reality is that many of us are very busy people. And if we’re not busy right now, we probably have been at one time or another. We all know what it feels like to be overwhelmed with too much to do, and not enough time to do it. One of my friends calls it “trying to stuff 10 pounds of bologna into a 5 pound bag.” It’s just not very much fun! And when we have too much to handle, some well-meaning friend usually says, “You need to take some time for yourself. Relax a little bit!” Yeah, right. That advice sounds good; but we all know that there are times when we have to run as fast as we can just to stay in the same place. Sometimes relaxation is a luxury that we just can’t afford.

My life is frequently like that. I remember when I was finishing my seminary studies and serving a congregation as their student pastor at the same time. “Free time,” as far as I was concerned, was just an entry in the dictionary! I was also seeking ordination as clergy in the United Church of Christ. One of the requirements for ordination is to participate in an “ecclesiastical council.” That’s a fancy name for an oral exam. Anyone and everyone who is a church member or a pastor in our area are invited to attend and to ask the candidate questions about anything and everything! At my ecclesiastical council, I presented a short worship service, complete with a sermon; and then the questions began. Some of them pertained to subjects that I had encountered in seminary. Others asked about my understanding of the Christian church in general, or of the UCC in particular. I had no problem with any of them, and I started to think that I was home free. But then, one of my colleagues asked me, “How much quiet time to you take for prayer each day?” I imagine that I looked like a deer in the headlights. Quiet time? My only quiet time was when I was in the shower and it drowned out the noise of my daughters yelling for me! I remember stammering that most of my quiet time was when I was by myself – while driving in my car or enjoying a walk outside. That varied from day to day. Much of my prayer was done on the go. My colleague didn’t like that answer. Obviously, it was important for her to find time every single day to sit down somewhere quiet for prayer and meditation. Now, I certainly respect that! But it reminded me of Martin Luther’s comment that he prayed for an hour every day; and that when he was really busy, he prayed for two hours. Good for you, Martin Luther, but get real!

That ecclesiastical council took place almost 10 years ago; and as I have lived in ministry for those 10 years, I have become more and more comfortable with both her question and with my answer. Is it important to take time for prayer and meditation? Of course, it is! But can we do that on a schedule at the same time every day, with nothing ever interfering with it? Probably not. I know that I can’t do it. So, today, I’m not going to offer tips about how to make time to pray and meditate. That’s another sermon. No, today I’m going to think about how we can connect with God when we can’t make that time. If any of you have your lives under control, and nothing unexpected ever comes up, you can take a nap right now. The rest of you might want to listen in.

First of all, it’s important to remember that Jesus knows exactly what our lives are like. Other people may judge us for not having time to sit down and meditate; but Jesus doesn’t. The scripture reading that we just heard (Mark 6:30-34, 53-56) reassures us of that. Twice in that reading, Jesus is overwhelmed with needy folks who want to hear what he has to say and to be healed of diseases. Twice Jesus tries to escape with his disciples; and both times, the crowds follow him. He couldn’t get away, either! I can just imagine Peter saying to Jesus, “Lord, we’ve been at this all day, and my stomach is growling. I know of this great little falafel stand just on the other side of the lake. Their pita bread is to die for; and they serve all-you-can-eat fresh caught fish and chips! Why don’t we go over there for dinner and toss back a couple of brewskis?” But they never enjoyed that great food. When they arrived, there were so many people waiting for them that they couldn’t even get to the drive-up window! We know that Jesus took care of all their needs; but do you suppose that he secretly rolled his eyes, heaved a huge sigh, and said, “Can’t I even get a bite to eat?” Oh, yes, Jesus knows how we feel very well.

Remember, too, that as we run through our busy lives, Jesus runs right along with us. Some folks seem to think that Jesus sits in a heavenly recliner waiting for us to find the time to sit down next to him. But the Jesus that I know wears track shoes and running shorts! Oh, we’re always encouraged to find time to join Jesus in that recliner. But on the days that we don’t have the time, Jesus runs right along with us. Some of you may have heard the name Malcom Boyd. He wrote a book of prayers in 1965 with the title, “Are You Running with Me, Jesus?” That book was full of prayers for people on the go – conversational prayers that talked with Jesus like a friend. It was way ahead of its time. Back in 1965, “prayer” meant sitting down quietly, bowing your head, and folding your hands. Boyd was one of the first to realize that sometimes, we just can’t do that.

Here is the very first prayer in the book.

“It’s morning, Jesus. It’s morning, and here’s that light and sound all over again. I’ve got to move fast… get into the bathroom, wash up, grab a bite to eat, and run some more. I just don’t feel like it. What I really want to do is to get back into bed, pull up the covers, and sleep. All I seem to want today is to sleep, and here I’ve got to run all over again. Where am I running? You know these things I can’t understand. It’s not that I need to have you tell me. What counts most is just that somebody knows, and it’s you. That helps a lot. So I’ll follow along, OK? But lead, please. Now I’ve got to run. Are you running with me, Jesus?”

Malcom Boyd was on to something! We don’t always have to pray like we pray here in church. Oh, I know – the prayers of the people that I offer are always carefully written in churchy language. But prayers don’t have to be that at all! If you’re stuck in traffic and some nitwit is honking at your back bumper, you can pray, “Help me keep my cool, Jesus!” If you’re waiting in a doctor’s office, you can pray for your own health, or for someone else. And certainly the evening news will bring up all kinds of things to pray about. Sometimes when I’m especially troubled by the news, I simply pray, “Lord, have mercy!” God knows what I mean.

The easiest prayer of all doesn’t even use words. It’s simply being aware of your breath as it first fills your lungs, and then mingles again with the air around you. After all, the Hebrew word ruach that means “breath” also means “wind” and “spirit”! Feel the ruach as it fills you; and then feel it as it goes out of your body into the world. Your breath… the Spirit of God… is filling you over and over and over again. Just being aware of the presence of God in you and around you is a powerful prayer in itself; and no words are even necessary!

Connecting with God shouldn’t be something reserved for Sunday morning or for midweek Bible study. Being aware of the presence of Jesus with us and responding to that presence is something that we can do no matter how busy our days are. I’m going to end my sermon today is with another prayer by Malcom Boyd, this one for the end of an especially busy, worrisome day:

“I’m exhausted, Jesus, but sleep won’t come. My brain keeps whirring with thoughts, and it won’t turn off. I have to get up early in the morning, and I’m desperate for a good night’s sleep. I keep telling myself to quiet down and drop off, but it just won’t work. The night is going to slip away and pretty soon the light will come and I’ll be dead tired. I’m worried, and I can’t let go. So many things are on my mind. What’s going to happen, Jesus? What’s going to happen? Help me to stop asking. Bless my sleep. Let me sleep. Help me to sleep. And then wake me up when the light comes, will you; and let me be refreshed in your strength.”

Amen to that.