Grace Cathedral

2 Samuel 7:1-14a, Psalm 89:20-37; Ephesians 2:11-22; Mark 5:30-34, 53-56

As a dyed-in-the-wool introvert, I’m so pleased when the Gospels tell us that Jesus tried to get away from people sometimes. “Sit down and rest,” he tells his friends. “Eat, tell me what happened to you while you were away. Let’s find a quiet corner to chat.”

There are few quiet corners left for Jesus as word gets out of his compassion, his wisdom, his power to heal. People who need these things so desperately come running from all angles at top speed, from towns, from farms, from the desert, from the shore of the lake. Will there ever be a peaceful pasture for them … for us?

It’s important to find and savor even the smallest slices of sabbath, a moment to rest in our trust in God, even as we struggle to respond to the needs of ourselves, those we love and the world at large. It’s a faithful act, to let ourselves accept the gift of non-doing and the limits of our ability to do, to let go our insistence that “if I don’t do it, it won’t get done.” God wants us to sit down, to enjoy a snack, to share the story of what we’ve been up to. We’re not doing any of God’s work alone.

Carol James has been part of the cathedral community for over a decade. She has served as a co-mentor in the Education for Ministry program. She currently leads the evening prayer providers in the Jail Ministry and is a cathedral staff member.