The rhythm Jesus established in Luke 5:15-16 between service and solitude enabled him to live in what my friend, Susan Muto, has called “the pace of grace.”
I’ve written about this previously, but posts eventually fall into a large pile, so I don’t think it will hurt any of us to revisit the idea.
For many, the idea that grace even has a “pace” is a new idea. But it is true. The same God who worked in creation rested from creating. The same Christ who gave the Great Commission to the apostles also invited them to take a break. Running through both a creation theology and a redemptive theology is the sacred rhythm of working/resting.
We are the ones who have invented clichés like, “I’d rather burn out for Jesus that rust out for him.” We’re the ones who fall prey to the “light is always on syndrome.” And as I have said previously, my personal experience of doing this teaches me that, for the most part, losing the pace of grace is either a self-inflicted wound—or caving in to unreal expectations of dysfunctional people.
I write strongly about this, because it seems that “the normal volume” doesn’t get our attention. We ignore the warning signs. We break through God-given boundaries. We run the wheels off our spiritual wagon. We go on vacations, but check in to the office several times a day. We attend retreats, but keep our phones on “vibrate” in case someone needs to get in touch with us. We are never off the court.
And then, one day, we slow down! Our body, mind, and spirit collapses under the weight of unrelenting activity. But it is the stopping which comes when we are exhausted or depressed. It is not the stopping which comes from the pace of grace. We’re not contemplating; we’re crashing.
These are not idle words for me. These are results I have experienced myself. And that’s why I have come to see Luke 5:15-16 as among the most-significant ones given to us as clergy.
There was a “pace” in Jesus. There is a “pace” in these verses. Is there a “pace” in us?
Oboedire 