Our Calendar

Numbers 29:1“ ‘On the first day of the seventh month hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. It is a day for you to sound the trumpets.' "

     Often our calendars are important to us. They keep us on track with our days. They remind us of important moments and celebrations. They help us to not forget anniversaries and birthdays! As a husband, I am thankful for this!
     But calendars can also become our slave masters. They can drive us and hold us captive. They can hedge us in and confine our activities in a way that limits our ability to stay present in the moments we have with those around us. We can always be running to the next thing, rushing ahead in hopes that the next thing will bring us satisfaction (hopefully).
     The Scriptures tell us that the LORD is in charge of the calendar. He created light and darkness (Genesis 1:3) thus marking out the time frame for a single day. He put the stars in the sky marking out different seasons. (Genesis 1:14-18) He created ordered worship around days, weeks, and years. He highlighted the passing of seasons various feasts and festivals, times when His people gathered to celebrate and remember what the LORD had done on their behalf. (see Numbers 28-29)
     Who has the rights to put events on your calendar? Do you give the LORD permission to add events? Do you let Him order your days, weeks, and years?
     Or do you fill the calendar yourself, or with your boss's help, or with your spouse and children, and then see if you can fit the LORD in in some of the empty spaces that are left?
     Maybe it is time to listen to His schedule first, and after He has placed His priority in our lives, then we can see how to fit our things in the places that are left. We say He is LORD, but do we live it with our schedules, our calendars?

Physical Touch

Mark 5:23-24

      There is power in human touch. Babies need human touch or they will not survive. They need to know that someone will care for their needs. They need to feel safe in order to develop into healthy adults emotionally and physically.

      One of the deficits that soldiers have when they are deployed is touch. They don’t get the positive, touches that we need. They become physically isolated, even though they live in very cramped quarters. Even adults need touch.

      Sports have created rituals to reinforce positive touch. Opposing teams often shake hands after the competition has come to an end. They file past each other and shake hands. “No hard feelings. Today just happened to be our day. Don’t give up.” The words might not be there, but the handshake, the thump on the shoulder, the ‘high five’ and the dance, the whole body lift or pile-on all signify togetherness, connectedness and security. We are on the same team.

      Our text explores Jairus’ need to have Jesus come and touch his daughter. Jesus’ physical touch was not necessary for healing to happen. He could “just speak the word” and the daughter would be healed. The touch was not so much for the daughter as it was for Jairus. Jairus needed the touch. He needed the physical sign of Jesus’ care.

      Jairus needed Jesus to come to where his daughter was. I guess she was so ill that she couldn’t be moved. Or perhaps this was an impulsive act by Jairus. Maybe he had no intention of asking Jesus for help. Jesus was considered dangerous, His teaching too far from the mainstream to be accepted. But Jairus doesn’t care that Jesus will be in his house and home. All those things are not that important in that moment.

      Jairus needs the physical touch that Jesus had demonstrated on other occasions with other people to be physically present with his daughter. She was so ill she needed healing, and healing to the extent that if healing does not take place, she will die.

      A friend of mine recently died of an illness. Within eight days he went from diagnosis to death. His illness was desperate and acute. Fortunately for my friend, he had settled the eternity question years ago. He lived in the grace provided to him by Jesus’ death and resurrection. His body may have ceased to function, but he is now in eternity, where not tears or sorrow or pain exist. His battle is over. He is at peace.

      Jairus had no such assurance when he came to Jesus that day. Jesus could have refused to come. He could have said that there were other priorities, that there were great numbers of people who needed Him and going to help one young girl would limit His impact that day. But Jesus often sought out the one in spite of the needs of the many.

      How do you balance the one and the many? How do you “divide your time” with work, family, community, and self? How do you know when enough is enough?

Hectic

Proverbs 12:27

Eating is more than ingesting calories. We can learn something about another person when we observe their eating patterns. We can learn this even in our society that is increasingly choosing prepackaged and fast food.

During the time this proverb was written hunting meant more than racing through the WalMart aisle trying to find the latest sale item. Hunting for game required planning, and lots of time waiting. Walking for hours or even days was not uncommon in pursuit of some meat. When the hunt was over, there was relief. Starvation was held off for a few more days.

If they didn’t cook the food it meant they were desperate for food. They were a culture living on the edge. The next meal was never a given. They had no reserves. Perhaps they had no meat at all and meat is a good source of protein. But it takes effort to have meat.

But for the wise people, they put in the effort and planning to obtain meat. They were not desperate and eating could take on added dimensions. So when the hunt was successful, all the family rejoiced. They rejoiced in God’s provision. They paused and recognized how fragile life is and gave the LORD thanks.

Haste denies the purpose of eating together. It is not simply about calorie consumption and holding of starvation. It is about togetherness and connection to each other.

I think one of the most challenging aspects of our modern life is the pace of events which we tackle. We have so many things going on that we don’t have time to sit and relax and enjoy each other. I find this especially true for families with kids involved in sports.

We don’t want our kids to miss out, so we sign them up for everything, which means we are signed up to take them to everything. All our “free” time is spent riding in a car and waiting for the activity to be completed. We arrive home just in time to collapse into bed and start the cycle again the next day.

Wise people are able to enjoy the riches of life, not just the physical riches, but the riches of relationships with others. They plan and execute life, making choices that allow them to slow down and relax. They recognize the value of Sabbath, the rest we have in Christ.