Jesus... appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out... Mark 3:14
If you love someone, you’re happy just to be with them. It doesn’t matter that much what you are actually doing - just being with them is enough.
I wonder if Mark meant us to think like that when he wrote that Jesus “appointed the twelve that they might be with him”? Perhaps I’m reading too much into the passage; but the fact is that when Matthew and Luke recorded the same event they didn’t mention this tiny detail. So I like to think Mark was led to do so in order to encourage us to focus on it...
Before they were “sent out”, it seems, before they did any preaching, before they worked any healings or delivered any demon-oppressed people, Jesus wanted the twelve simply to spend time with him. To listen; to talk; to enjoy meals; to share day-to-day experiences; no doubt sometimes to joke and play games: just to be with him.
And the point is very simple: isn’t it the same for us? And the question that arises is also very simple: how much time do and I you spend just being with Jesus?
I got back today from a ministers’ conference, and one of the subjects we heard about was “mindfulness”.
Mindfulness is very much the “in-thing” at the moment. One definition I read described it like this: “the psychological process of bringing one's attention to experiences occurring in the present moment”. Which means, pretty much, being still and focussed; not letting your thoughts zip about here there and everywhere; taking notice of the posture of your body and the regularity of your breathing.
You may feel that sounds rather like meditation, even yoga. And you would be right. Throughout history human beings have looked for ways of settling their restless hearts and calming their troubled minds. Some of these may be harmful, and we need to be careful.
But what we were hearing about at the conference was specifically Christian mindfulness. While mindfulness as such has no particular religious content (it is presently being studied in universities, and used by the National Health Service) there is no doubt that there are strong points of contact with the Bible and various Christian traditions and practices.
When I first heard of mindfulness a year or two ago I was pretty sceptical - just a fancy name for an age-old interest and practice, I thought. And, if I am to be completely honest, I would have to admit that my scepticism hasn’t gone away, in spite of the many interesting facts and helpful insights we were given at our conference.
I even wonder if it could turn out to be one of those fashions the church has a habit of adopting from time to time - if perhaps in twenty years’ time we will look back and say “Do you remember that ‘mindfulness’ business that was all the rage a few years back...?”
I don’t know; time will tell. But there’s a saying: we mustn’t throw out the baby with the bath-water. And the conference certainly challenged and helped me to reflect a bit on my own mechanical and often rushed attempts to enjoy my relationship with God. Perhaps my thoughts can help you too.
The Bible tells us that “there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). And, thinking of mindfulness, I can only say a big Amen to that.
Nothing new; but what you might call rediscoveries. In recent years we have had a spate of worship songs designed to help us cultivate closeness to God: “Be still, for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One, is here...” “To be in your presence,/ To sit at your feet,/ Where your love surrounds me,/ And makes me complete./ This is my desire, O Lord...”
Beautiful. And it brings back memories of my Sunday School days nearly seventy years ago, when we were taught to sing, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus,/ Look full in his wonderful face,/ And the things of earth will grow strangely dim...” When we prayed we were encouraged, “Hands together, eyes closed”, a posture to help focus and concentration.
Call it mindfulness, call it meditation, call it “having a quiet time”, call it “drawing near to God”, call it your “devotions”, call it what you like - the fact is that, especially in our restless, noisy, troubled, angry, violent world, this is something we desperately need, and something we harm ourselves by neglecting. As the tee-shirt slogan says “Just do it!”
So... Jesus called the twelve “that they might be with him” - I trust we’ve got hold of that.
But what comes next? Ah, this too is vitally important: “...that he might send them out...”
Don’t overlook that. Oh, don’t overlook that!
Lord Jesus, my life is so busy and my responsibilities so heavy that I find it hard just to be with you. By your Spirit, please help me! Amen.
If you love someone, you’re happy just to be with them. It doesn’t matter that much what you are actually doing - just being with them is enough.
I wonder if Mark meant us to think like that when he wrote that Jesus “appointed the twelve that they might be with him”? Perhaps I’m reading too much into the passage; but the fact is that when Matthew and Luke recorded the same event they didn’t mention this tiny detail. So I like to think Mark was led to do so in order to encourage us to focus on it...
Before they were “sent out”, it seems, before they did any preaching, before they worked any healings or delivered any demon-oppressed people, Jesus wanted the twelve simply to spend time with him. To listen; to talk; to enjoy meals; to share day-to-day experiences; no doubt sometimes to joke and play games: just to be with him.
And the point is very simple: isn’t it the same for us? And the question that arises is also very simple: how much time do and I you spend just being with Jesus?
I got back today from a ministers’ conference, and one of the subjects we heard about was “mindfulness”.
Mindfulness is very much the “in-thing” at the moment. One definition I read described it like this: “the psychological process of bringing one's attention to experiences occurring in the present moment”. Which means, pretty much, being still and focussed; not letting your thoughts zip about here there and everywhere; taking notice of the posture of your body and the regularity of your breathing.
You may feel that sounds rather like meditation, even yoga. And you would be right. Throughout history human beings have looked for ways of settling their restless hearts and calming their troubled minds. Some of these may be harmful, and we need to be careful.
But what we were hearing about at the conference was specifically Christian mindfulness. While mindfulness as such has no particular religious content (it is presently being studied in universities, and used by the National Health Service) there is no doubt that there are strong points of contact with the Bible and various Christian traditions and practices.
When I first heard of mindfulness a year or two ago I was pretty sceptical - just a fancy name for an age-old interest and practice, I thought. And, if I am to be completely honest, I would have to admit that my scepticism hasn’t gone away, in spite of the many interesting facts and helpful insights we were given at our conference.
I even wonder if it could turn out to be one of those fashions the church has a habit of adopting from time to time - if perhaps in twenty years’ time we will look back and say “Do you remember that ‘mindfulness’ business that was all the rage a few years back...?”
I don’t know; time will tell. But there’s a saying: we mustn’t throw out the baby with the bath-water. And the conference certainly challenged and helped me to reflect a bit on my own mechanical and often rushed attempts to enjoy my relationship with God. Perhaps my thoughts can help you too.
The Bible tells us that “there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). And, thinking of mindfulness, I can only say a big Amen to that.
Nothing new; but what you might call rediscoveries. In recent years we have had a spate of worship songs designed to help us cultivate closeness to God: “Be still, for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One, is here...” “To be in your presence,/ To sit at your feet,/ Where your love surrounds me,/ And makes me complete./ This is my desire, O Lord...”
Beautiful. And it brings back memories of my Sunday School days nearly seventy years ago, when we were taught to sing, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus,/ Look full in his wonderful face,/ And the things of earth will grow strangely dim...” When we prayed we were encouraged, “Hands together, eyes closed”, a posture to help focus and concentration.
Call it mindfulness, call it meditation, call it “having a quiet time”, call it “drawing near to God”, call it your “devotions”, call it what you like - the fact is that, especially in our restless, noisy, troubled, angry, violent world, this is something we desperately need, and something we harm ourselves by neglecting. As the tee-shirt slogan says “Just do it!”
So... Jesus called the twelve “that they might be with him” - I trust we’ve got hold of that.
But what comes next? Ah, this too is vitally important: “...that he might send them out...”
Don’t overlook that. Oh, don’t overlook that!
Lord Jesus, my life is so busy and my responsibilities so heavy that I find it hard just to be with you. By your Spirit, please help me! Amen.
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