And summer in Saskatchewan brings with it some gorgeous sites… the waving fields as the crops are growing… the stunning stars in the vast skies.. the rushing water of the river… the wildlife (especially the birds that love chirping their enthusiasm at 4.30 in the morning)…
And of course, that ubiquitous summer sight: the traffic cone.
Nothing says summer like construction all over – well, everywhere!
Our traffic is impeded, whether we’re driving, riding transit, riding those funky scooters, walking – there’s a great opportunity for learning new ways of getting to where we want to be going to.
It’s fascinating to watch how people respond to construction, too.
Because: we all know it’s there, we all know it’s necessary. We know that the roads needs repairs, and that we’ll benefit from them. No joke: God bless the pothole fillers!
Yet for some folks, they seem personally put out by this seasonal reality. I watched a driver the other day yelling and gesticulating - at a “road closed” sign.
I’m going to guess there were some other things going on in this person’s life, and the sign was just one thing too many. I hope their outburst was enough to de-escalate their emotions.
The reality is: frustrations happen on our journey. They’re part of life.
And learning to deal with them, to overcome them, is also part of our journey.
Which is what’s happening with poor king David this morning. He’s not doing too well.
Admittedly, we hear he’s tired – he’s just been granted rest from his toils.
Maybe it’s as hot as it is for us – and he’s not sleeping well, and generally feeling icky.
But he’s not pleased that he has limitations. For he has been given care over the ark – and he wants to make a permanent structure. Stone – solid – monumental, if you will.
And this desire for permanence is rejected… for Nathan reminds him that God wants the ark to remain in a tent.
A temporary dwelling. A transient situation. A perceived instability.
And David didn’t like that: he had a plan: to make sure that the ark – and all that it stood for – would never again have to worry about the challenges of travel.
We remember, of course, that the ark symbolises the presence of God: so a stable home for the ark would indicate to the people that God’s people were also stable, and secure, and permanent.
There was a side benefit, of course, to David’s plan… he was going to be known and remembered for his work at securing the permanent house of the ark of God!
And, God uses Nathan to make a bit of a course correction. To gently re-route the intended directions.
David has already brought security to God’s people: they are safe, thriving, dwelling in safety – exactly what David wanted for the ark. And the safety and well-being of God’s people pleases God.
And, David is already a known entity: and God promises Nathan that David will be remembered for his good works: in bringing about stability, and safety, and in being faithful to God.
So while David is looking at short-term solutions, God is presenting a long-term, sustainable, intergenerational commitment.
The promises of God don’t depend on our creating a road map of the shortest distance between points.
The psalm then takes us through this long timeline; as it was written as a response or follow-up to the passage from Second Samuel. It’s what Charles Spurgeon calls a Covenant Psalm: reminding folks of the power and promise of God’s covenants.
“I will keep my love for him forever” we all sang; recounting God’s faithfulness in the promises he made to King David.
Paul echoes this celebration of God’s covenant with the Ephesians, as he uses the symbol of a temple to speak of the power of God’s people: the people of God, being brought together to grow as a dwelling place of God. Whether near or far, we are all together in Christ’s peace; and all enmeshed in building the temple of the Lord.
Our journey – in that near and far – takes us to places we are meant to be: whether we were expecting to be there or not. For the journey of faith takes us where God needs us to be: should we be receptive to the nudges and encouragements to go there.
What a gift God has given us; that we have one another, and we have our own pathways, and through it all, we are woven together as integral members of the body of Christ.
Which brings us to Christ himself, in the Gospel!
Where he is leading his friends the apostles on a literal and spiritual journey: and they are overwhelmed. For the work of God is never done:
But the journey sometimes goes in different directions.
Come away, Jesus says, and rest.
You don’t have to do it all. You couldn’t even if you tried.
It’s okay to come off the beaten path, he says.
It’s okay to honour the sabbath.
It’s okay to take a break, and have some solid nourishment and rest.
Your bodies need it!
It’s interesting that the skipped over verses kinda demonstrate what happens when we try to force ourselves to go farther than intended; the apostles get hungrier and more tired – and more miserable. Which doesn’t help anyone.
So Jesus embraces the rest; the pause; the sacred stillness to care for self in body and in soul.
The road will still be there – as we see, even off the boat folks were waiting for them; with needs, with requests, with high hopes: and with faith.
The journey Jesus took his disciples on was full of detours, and unplanned changes, and amazing surprises.
The journey Jesus takes US on is similar: it moves, it changes, it surprises.
But it never stops. For the privilege of following God, and loving each other, never stops. And the road will still be there for us: it’s our choice to view changes not as frustrations or limitations, but as re-directions.
The readings today remind us that we are on a journey, that we are always on a journey.
And we are reminded that this is okay: the church – the people of God – are not meant to stand still; immobile and rigid as life passes us by. We’re meant to be faithful, to recognise the journey of faith is a journey: and as such we are pilgrims. Called to plan, and called to be flexible. Called to go, and called to pause sometimes. A pause can be a good thing. A rest can be a gift.
And it’s helpful to remember that God doesn’t expect us to do everything – but God does want for us to do something.
So we go: and God is with us on the journey – always! Guiding, directing, sometimes putting up those roadblocks for our own good, in ways we can’t even imagine.
So onward we go: honouring God, honouring ourselves, honouring the journey – with realistic, faithful, humble hearts.
However God is guiding you this week, I pray that you are blessed with abundant and unexpected ways to appreciate the journey – with all its twists and turns (and traffic cones).
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