Wanna Get Away?

This is the famous Southwest Airlines tag line.  I think that Jesus could have answered in the affirmative from time to time.

This week's lectionary passage for the Gospel is Mark 6:30-34, 53-56.  These are two passages broken up by the stories of the feeding of the 5,000 and Jesus walking on water.  They both emphasize the common people coming in droves to Jesus for healing.

It must have been tiring for Jesus as the passage indicates that sometimes they didn't even have time to eat.  He tried to get the disciples away to a deserted place for a while because they needed rest.

I see in this passage the need for rest after a period of intense ministry activity.  I also see the crowds of people with their need, finding their peace and wholeness in Jesus.

How are these two things related?

As we look to advertising lines, we may find that marketing has spiritualized products to invoke a narrative that gives people an idea that this will deliver more than just a hotel or a flight or a candy bar.

People used to dress up for their flights - do we lose
anything by informalizing travel today?  And if so,
is this related at all to worship?

I think about Motel 6's iconic phrase, "We'll leave the light on for ya" which expresses the idea of a loved one keeping watch for you pulling up late into the night.  I'm reminded of trips to my grandmother's house when we would sometimes pull in after dark and she was there to greet us with warm cobbler and a cold glass of milk.  I doubt if I would find anything remotely like this at a motel, but the catchphrase does conjure up this image for me.

How about "Snicker's really satisfies"?  It may provide a little snack relief but to see the people enjoy it on the ads makes one think that they have found inner peace.

The ten commandments tell us that we are "To remember the Sabbath and keep it holy." Maybe this is how we are to combine the rest that we need with our coming to Jesus for peace.  

This Sunday, I'll be preaching on this passage using the sermon title, "Comfort Ye My People".  My hope is that it will "really satisfy"!  And we'll leave the light on for you!

In Christ,

Sam


Photo by By San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive (https://www.flickr.com/people/sdasmarchives/) [see page for license], via Wikimedia Commons