Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church

Mark 1:32-39 and Luke 2: 25-32

Earlier this month Kate and I drove our daughter and two grandchildren to Dallas, Texas where they will now be living.  Earlier this year their daddy got a job in Dallas so we helped with the move. 

Our first stop was to spend a night in Tucson with Kate’s parents.  Her dad, my father-in-law, insisted on hooking up his GPS to our already overcrowded car.  “No problem, it just fits in the front window.”  He pushed some buttons and entered the new address in Dallas and we were off.

To tell you the truth, I’ve never been interested in getting a GPS.  My father-in-law is totally into the latest gadgets and tried to convince me fifteen years ago that I needed one.  “No thanks.  Maps were good enough for the pioneers, they are good enough for me.”

Okay… let me admit that today’s GPS is awesome!  I got used to the friendly non-judgmental voice saying, “recalculating.”  Actually, I don’t think we would have made it through the confusing Dallas highway system without that GPS.  It was amazing.  We gave it back on our return through Tucson and passed on the comment that they might consider giving Kate a GPS for Christmas.

We’ve titled this summer series of sermons “Spiritual Apps for the Life You’ve Always Wanted.”  The idea is that just like a GPS app can be added onto your smart phone, there are some apps that are worth downloading to help us with our spiritual life.

I don’t actually own a smart-phone.  But what I understand from my totally awesome dude friends…  (do I sound really up to date?)  is that apps on a smart-phone are not used all the time, just when you need them.  Each app helps with something specific.  The GPS app won’t be necessary to get me from the house to the office, but it will come in really handy when I am lost in a construction detour in Dallas.  You download an app and practice using it for when you will need it in the future.  Some apps may come in handy every day.  Others may only be needed once a month or even once a year. 

Now, let me pause to give a warning about this series.  Don’t turn these spiritual apps into a meaningless list of shoulds and musts.  That only leads to feeling guilty.  “Now the preacher is telling me I have to do more things and I can’t even keep up now.”  Don’t assume that each week is aimed specifically at some immediate need.

I am thinking of the Johnsons.  Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, a retired couple, were finishing up the dishes for the evening.  The husband walked behind his wife and asked, “Would you like to go out, girl?”  Mrs. Johnson quickly replied, “That would be wonderful!  I’ll be ready in a minute.”  They drove to a movie theater.  They stopped and shared a dessert.  It had been years since they had been out for such an evening.  In the restaurant, she leaned over the table and squeezed his hand.  “What made you think of this?”  He paused and then answered.  “When I asked, ‘Would you like to go out, girl?’ I was talking to the dog.”

Please don’t misunderstand the intent of this series of sermons.  When I say, “I want to invite you to download this spiritual app” I understand that we may not need it in the next few hours.  Rather, I am encouraging us to experiment with it and keep it available for a future time of need.

Okay, so today’s spiritual app is called solitude.  Let me define solitude as the spiritual technique of eliminating the external voices that distract us.  Like a white noise machine helps to shut out all the distracting outside noises, so this spiritual app helps us to center, be still, and enjoy quiet.

I am intrigued by a scientific study done on mice.  The experiment was intended to discover the effects of amphetamines on mice.  The scientists wondered how high a dosage of amphetamines would be lethal to a mouse.  They discovered that the tolerance level depends on whether the mouse is in isolation or in a group.  It takes twenty times the dosage to kill a mouse in isolation over what it takes to kill mice in a group.  Why?  When the stimulant is given to groups of mice, they stir each other up to such a frantic pace that they run themselves to death even on minimal dosages.  In fact, an undrugged mouse introduced to a group of mice treated with the stimulant will join in the frantic pace to the point that he dies along with the rest of the group.  Even though he has no drug in his system, he joins the frenzied pace to his own harm.[1]

As we head into the slower months of summer, I’ve been thinking about those mice.  How do we hold onto our sanity and health in the midst of the frantic pace of modern society?  How do we avoid becoming like the un-drugged mouse that runs itself to death in the midst of the hurry? 

The Bible holds up Simeon as an exemplary senior who regularly spent time alone with God.  Now that he was retired, he could replace the daily pressures of a frantic work life with the quiet of solitude.  Solitude was his primary means of connecting with the Lord.  Is solitude merely a spiritual practice for seniors who are retired?

In the Christmas story of Luke 2, compare Simeon’s lifestyle with Mary’s.  Simeon was the senior citizen who saw the young couple, Joseph and Mary,l bring baby Jesus to the temple.  I am sure it was easier for Simeon to practice solitude than it was for Mary, the mother of a newborn infant.  At his advanced age, Simeon had more time to spend at the temple.  Mary, a new mother, was called more to serve her child.  Can you imagine if Simeon had lectured Mary on taking time each day to be quiet with God?  What was easier for him at his stage of life would probably have been more difficult for her as a frazzled young mother.  That didn’t let Mary off the hook.

Simeon was obviously a man who devoted himself to the spiritual practice of solitude.  As a result of solitude, Simeon encountered the Holy Spirit and received the message that he would not die until he saw the Messiah.  How long had he been waiting for the fulfillment of this prophecy?  Was it just another day of calm repose when Joseph and Mary brought their newborn into the temple?  Did Simeon know immediately that Jesus was the child he was waiting to see?  All we know was that his solitude led him to the prayer as he held the child in his arms, “Lord, now you are dismissing your servant in peace.”

Peace.  Solitude brings peace.  Not only for Simeon but also for Mary when she learned to sit with God and “pondered all these things in her heart.”  Solitude is the act of getting quiet in order to ponder. 

Jesus practiced solitude as a young man starting his ministry.  After his baptism, Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness as a time of solitude as well as fasting.  One result was that Jesus learned how to remain peaceful in stressful situations.  The Bible tells us that before Jesus made important major decisions he sought a secluded place and spent time alone (Matthew 14:23; Luke 4:42, 6:12).   I suspect the spiritual practice of solitude was the main reason that Jesus so effectively refused to let others set his agenda for him.

Let’s use some sanctified imagination to fill in the details of Mark 1:32-39, Jesus’ first healings.  Peter comes running to Jesus early in the morning.  The night before, they had all stayed up late as Jesus healed the people who crowded to the door of the house.  Now, the crowds are back.  Even more people than before.  Jesus is not around, so the disciples have been organizing the crowds so that Jesus will be able to move straight into healing when he returns.  Can’t you just see the disciples trying to organize the crowds in Capernaum for efficiency?

“Okay.  Arm problems in this line,” calls out John.  “Knees and ankles over there,” announces Andrew.  Peter speaks to the crowd; “Nose, throat, and eyes follow me over here.”  They organize the crowd for more efficient ministry.  Then Peter runs to find Jesus.  “We’ve got them ready for you.  We’ve simplified the whole process.  All you have to do is stand in one place and we’ll herd them toward you according to illness categories.  Would you like to start with the upper body or lower body needs first?” 

Jesus has just been alone.  Coming from his early morning solitude, Jesus’ voice is calm but definite.  He looks at Peter and responds that it is time to move on to another village (Mark 1:35-39).   How could Jesus have such peace about saying “No” to Peter?  Answer: Jesus knew the spiritual practice of solitude.

How long does it take to practice the discipline of solitude? Sometimes Jesus was alone for forty days.  Other times he got alone for an evening.  Perhaps someone might practice solitude this afternoon by getting alone for a quiet walk by the beach or simply turning off the car radio in order to be with God on the way to work.

Susanna Wesley, mother of famed revivalist John Wesley, reared twelve children.  She was known for her practice of solitude in the midst of her frenzied schedule.  How does a mother with a dozen children around her practice solitude?  When she felt herself getting frazzled with the noise and activities of a large family she had the habit of taking her apron and lifting it over her head.  The older children knew that mom wanted a moment of peace so they took the younger children out of the room.  She would spend a moment of quiet with God until she felt composed.  When she lowered the apron she was ready to deal with life again.[2]

John Ortberg tells about the time he was bathing his three young children.  The oldest was already out of the tub and getting into her pajamas.  The youngest was still in the water.  But the middle child was dancing around the bathroom as he tried to towel her dry.  She was doing her “Dee Dah Day” dance.  It apparently consists of whirling around in a circle while singing over and over “Dee Dah Day.”  She was obviously in a fun mood and happy to express herself while still dripping wet.

John grew short with her.  With an irritated voice, he told her to hurry up.  “Mallory, hurry!”  She responded by speeding up the steps of the dance as she pranced in her circle and rapidly sang “Dee Dah Day,” “Dee Dah Day.”  John responded, “That’s not what I mean. Stop with the dee dah day… and get over here so I can dry you off. Hurry!”  She innocently looked at her daddy and asked “Why?”

John Ortberg suddenly realized he had no other evening commitments.  He was just so used to living at a frenzied pace that it had not occurred to him to slow down and enjoy this moment with his children.  His daughter was expressing unbounded joy and he was missing it.[3] 

Life shouts, “Hurry.”  Solitude asks, “Why?”

[1] John Ortberg, The Life You’ve Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997) 90-91.

[2] Donald S.  Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (Colorado Springs: Navpress, 1991) 190.

[3] John Ortberg, The Life You’ve Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People 59.