SERMON SHORT FOR NOV. 1st, 2020
A CELEBRATION OF DISCIPLINE – SOLITUDE
1 Kings 19:9-13, Luke 5:12-16
It’s not as though I’m antisocial or reclusive by default, but I sure like times by myself. I firmly believe the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his book “Life Together”; “Let [one] who cannot be alone beware of community…. Let [one] who is not in community beware of being alone…. Each by itself has profound pitfalls and perils.”
Solitude is an important spiritual discipline. You may think that being in solitude is being alone. What makes it a spiritual discipline is when we realize in these times we are not alone; we are with God. When we remove ourselves from the company of others we are free from influence and interference and we are released to have that blessed one-on-one with God.
Our lifestyle and culture tend to disapprove of such times. But God, and certainly Jesus, sanctify this practice. Jesus has many incidents of being in solitude. We should, too.