Called and Compassionate

When the kids were younger, they were terrified of thunderstorms.  And living in Alabama, the storms got bad.  Most of the time, people think that Oklahoma and Kansas are tornado ally, but they are equally violent in Alabama.  So, they were terrified of bigs cracks of thunder, lightening and the occasional tornado siren going off in the distance.

When Clara was probably 5 and Ellie was a baby, a violent storm swept through Northern Alabama where we lived.  And, it happened in the middle of the night.  The girls rooms were upstairs in our Alabama home, and we were woken by blood curdling screams coming from upstairs in Clara’s room.  We instantly jumped our of bed and our room was illuminated by lightening, I took off running towards the stairs because if Clara’s screams.  We had wooden stairs with no carpeting so I sounded like a horse galloping up the stairs.  I was taking two at a time.  Rachel was behind a bit as I missed a step and my knee cap slams right into the edge of the stairs.  I dropped like a sack of potatoes on the landing screaming in pain.  The combination of my screams, Clara’s screams and the thunder no startled baby Ellie, who woke up in a panic and started to scream.  Rachel had to make a choice.  Does she stop and tend to her dying husband on the staircase, console Clara or swoop up the baby.  

The way I remember it…Rachel steps over me as I am on deaths door, swoops up Ellie and bolts to Clara’s room within milliseconds.  Once the girls calm, she finally gets to me as I believe they will have to do major surgery to replace my “broken” leg which Rachel assured was not broken, but just bruised.

But, I am sure that was an incredibly stressful moment for Rachel.  Waking up from a deep sleep to become the hero in moments is difficult.

Going from peace to instantly overwhelmed is not easy.  But, she did it with a certain grace that night.

I think she’s use to it.  Because I will be honest….living with me is often chaotic.  For instance, Rachel and I in the month of February have been in the same place 10 days out of 30.  And during the course of ministry and mission’s travel, something always come up.  For instance, I was in China when Rachel discovered a snake curled in the washing machine.  He had crawled through a pipe.  Some of you didn’t know snakes did that, and I just gave you instant anxiety.  She dealt with it by grabbing it with tongs and threw it outside.  When I was in Poland, a bird flew in our house and caused havoc.  Rachels used a broom.

Something always seems to happen when I am gone which causes life to be chaotic…overwhelming.

But, that is life isn’t it.

Life is overwhelming.  We go from peace to chaos pretty quick.  

The phone call in the night notifying us of some tragedy.

The kids get really sick right before you leave for vacation.

The unexpected bill that rocks your budget.  Chaos. Overwhelming.

But then go outside the home.  The needs that we face daily.  The man on the street needing a meal.  The school fundraiser needing you to sell cheap candy for school supplies.  The preacher taking another mission’s offering.  

Every leader, every believer, and every church eventually faces the same tension:

How do we stay faithful to our calling when the needs  of life never stop?

We are starting back into our series on the Gospel of Mark.  Mark was the first Gospel and he often cuts straight to the point.

Remember, In Mark 1, Jesus’ ministry explodes overnight:

Demons cast out

Sick healed

Crowds gathering

Fame spreading

By the end of the chapter, everyone wants something from Him.

Mark 1:35–45 shows us how Jesus handled:

Pressure

Popularity

Compassion fatigue

Competing demands

And it reveals a powerful truth:

Faithfulness is not about meeting every need—it’s about staying aligned with God’s mission. So, how did Jesus stayed aligned with the the mission of his life.

The Priority of Solitude (vv. 35–37)

BIBLE VERSE

Mark 1:35-37

35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37 and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.”

After a day of miracles and ministry, Jesus does something surprising.

He withdraws.

Not to plan.

Not to strategize.

Not to check results.

He goes to pray.

If you feel like you have heard this before, its because solitude was a part of Jesus’ life.

Why this matters

If anyone didn’t “need” to pray, it was Jesus. Yet He prioritized:

Time before people

Silence before service

Communion before calling

Meanwhile, the disciples panic:

“Everyone is looking for you!” (v.37)

Translation: Let’s find a human solution.

But Jesus refuses to let urgency replace intimacy.

If Jesus needed solitude to stay aligned, how much more do we?

This is an ancient practice that we don’t do often don’t practice in today’s world.  We are connected whenever, wherever, however.  

I don’t bring my phone up to preach…because someone can call me an interrupt me.

You have your phone on now and inevitably you have gotten a message or a phone call.  Some even leave the ringer on and occasionally we all hear it.

WE LIVE WITH CONSTANT CONTACT.

In Richard Foster’s great book, Celebration of the Disciplines, he reveals how solitude maybe what we need before we do anything:

““Without solitude it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life.”

He goes on to point out that…

Solitude exposes what controls us

Foster says silence and solitude reveal our addictions to:

Noise

Busyness

People’s approval

Productivity

Entertainment

When we stop, we often feel:

Anxiety

Restlessness

The urge to check something or talk

That discomfort is diagnostic. Solitude shows what we rely on instead of God.

Here’s the point.  The greatest threat to your calling and living your life to the fullest for God is not failure.

It’s distraction by good things that crowd out the best thing—time with the Father.

And that’s important because it gives us…

2. The Clarity for Mission (vv. 38–39)

BIBLE VERSE

Mark 1:38-39

38 And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” 39 And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons. 

Now listen, I believe every one who is a believer has a mission…a calling.

In Mark Labberton’s book on calling, he points out these amazing insights:

“The primary work of calling is not achievement but attentiveness.”

And, I believe you cannot be attentive to what God has for you with the busyness of life.

After prayer, Jesus gives a shocking answer:

“Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” (v.38)

Wait—what?

People are waiting.

Miracles are happening.

Momentum is building.

And Jesus leaves.

Why?

Because success is not the same as obedience.

You can have everything…the house…the job…the perfect spouse….the perfect kids…You can rank high on everyone’s ranking of success…but it is not about success…its about obedience.  

So follow me here…

Finding solitude…leads to clarity because it allows you to be attentive to God and what he wants for your life.

EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW HOW TO HEAR FROM GOD…FIND SOLITUDE AND GET CLARITY.

Now notice…

Jesus’ mission was clear:

Not just healing.

Not just crowds.

BUT

Proclaiming the Kingdom.

Prayer gave Him:

Direction

Courage to disappoint people

Freedom from crowd expectations

It gave him margin honestly.

Now, I am feeling this tension in my own life.

Attendance growing

Needs increasing

Opportunities multiply

But the question is not: “Where is the demand?”

The question is: “Where is God calling us?”

So, I am finding myself having to step away at times to get more and more clarity. I am typically not in the office on Tuesday because that is my study day and I need clarity to preach well.

So, I am doing my best not to get engaged in the “rat race.”  Because…

A church that chases crowds loses its mission. A church that follows God changes cities.

But how does that apply to you…

Well, a person that chases success for the wrong reasons can see everything unravel…or have their soul die.

Jesus would say it this way…

BIBLE VERSE

Matthew 16:26

26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

Labberton would say…

“Calling begins not with what we want to do for God, but with what God wants to do in us.”

“Discernment is learning to pay attention to God’s presence and activity—and then responding.”

But that can’t happen without the moment to unplug.  How can it work practically…

Its a walk or sitting outside as you eat your lunch.  Its finding a prayer closet in your home.  Its just unplugging so you can hear from God.

And here is what we learn from the story…When we do this…we gain MARGIN which allows us to…

3. The Heart of Compassion (vv. 40–42)

BIBLE VERSE

Mark 1:40-42

40 And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” 42 And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.

A leper approaches Jesus:

Leprosy meant:

Isolation

Shame

No human touch

Social and spiritual exile

Then comes one of the most powerful lines in Mark:

“Jesus was indignant (or moved with compassion). He reached out His hand and touched the man.” (v.41)

He didn’t just heal him.

He touched him.

The untouchable. The forgotten. The avoided.

This reveals Jesus’ heart:

Mark does a couple of things in his Gospel.  He shows Jesus being interrupted.  And, he often shows Jesus touching those who have been isolated and broken.  

And we see this tension:  Jesus focus on his mission and Jesus responding in compassion.

Mission clarity did not reduce compassion.

Boundaries did not remove love.

Focus did not make Him cold.

IT ACTUALLY GAVE HIM MARGIN TO RESPOND

Application:

Here’s the thing…there are always needs.  Church needs, mission needs, kids needs, work needs…Life is one big quest of meeting need after need.

There are two truths here:

We cannot meet every need.

But we must never lose compassion for the one in front of us.

To me in Mark, the most impactful moments in the life of Jesus are not his audacious miracles, its his ability to show compassion.  He was present.  And that flows from him disconnecting and gaining clarity which kept…

4: The Gospel at the forefront.

BIBLE VERSE

Mark 1:43-45

43 And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” 45 But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter. 

There is this incredible moment I want you to see.

Jesus tells the man not to spread the news.

He does anyway.

The result?

“Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places.” (v.45)

Irony:

The leper was outside the city.

After healing him, Jesus is now outside.

He takes the man’s place.

This is a preview of the cross.

Gospel Connection

In this story:

Jesus touches the unclean

Takes his isolation

Bears the consequence

That’s the Gospel.

We were the outcasts. Unclean. Separated.

And Jesus:

Came near

Touched our brokenness

Took our place

Went outside the camp (Hebrews 13:12)

So we could be brought near.

Because of Jesus clarity, he not only preached the Gospel, he displayed it in his life and acts of compassion.

Why?

Solitude gave him clarity of mission and that mission came out in everything he did.

Closing Challenge

This week, ask yourself:

What is crowd pressure pulling me toward?

What has crowded out my time with God?

Where might success be replacing obedience?

Who is the “leper” God is asking me to notice?

Because the power of your calling will never come from your activity.

It will come from the quiet place where your mission is shaped by God.