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Luke 10:38-42 Bruce Babbitt, the former Governor of Arizona and Secretary of the Interior, once told a story about a family he observed at the Grand Canyon. They were standing at one of the canyon overlooks, with the entire family of five people huddled around. They were gazing very intently, fascinated with what they saw. Were they looking at the Colorado River flowing along the base of the canyon? No. Were they looking at the majesty of Cathedral Rock? No. They were watching a Polaroid photograph of the canyon develop. Babbitt reflected that it was amazing to watch a group of people distracted from the power and majesty of the canyon by a piece of photographic paper. But, aren't we the same way? Aren't we tempted to forget about the beauty, love and power in front of our face by life's little distractions? Do you remember the film Forrest Gump? It's about a man who grows up in the rural south. From his first day on the school bus, he is hopelessly in love with beautiful Jenny. As kids they become fast friends, sharing the deepest pains and happiest joys of their young lives. One of Jenny's pains is the abuse she suffers at the hand of her father. But as Jenny goes off to college, their relationship doesn't take a romantic turn. Forrest still thinks of Jenny as his sweetheart, but she's interested in living life to the fullest. She doesn't have room in her heart for this simple-minded man from Greenbow, Alabama. As the years go by, Forrest's love is always there for Jenny. He writes her letters. He thinks of her constantly. But Jenny isn't able to see the deepness of Forrest's love because of her own distractions. In trying to dull the pain of her childhood, her adult life become a merry go round of distractions. Let's take a look... [VIDEOTAPE] Forrest's love for Jenny was always deep and true. But Jenny wasn't able to trust that love. Instead, she pursued destructive distractions to help her escape the pain of her past. It wasn't until much later in the story that Jenny comes to understand, and trust, Forrest's love. Today's scripture lesson has to do with our distractions in life. It teaches us that, no matter how good intentioned our busyness can be, it can still get in the way of truly understanding what God has in store for us. The story of Martha and Mary is found only in the Gospel According to Luke. Bible scholars have speculated about why it's located at this particular place in the Book of Luke. Is it because the author wanted to make it clear that the Christian life is more than just doing good deeds, like the Good Samaritan? Whatever the reason, it's clear that a major point of the story is that serving others is not enough. During the past week I had plenty of distractions to keep me from focusing on this sermon. I was on a business trip for Primavera to Oakland, California. The week was full of business meetings, banquets, receptions, and get-togethers. So, it was interesting to work around each of those distractions to think about today's text. Here's the first thing I noticed: I. We Can Lose Sight of God by Serving Others too Much What? How can that be, Don? How could be serve others too much? Doesn't Jesus command us to turn the other cheek? To walk the extra mile? Isn't the Christian life all about servanthood - serving God and serving other humans? Today's gospel reading teaches us that we can lose our souls in a lifestyle of high activity. Even if it's highly useful activity. Our service to other people needs to alternate with sitting at the feet of God and listening to God's word. It makes sense that this must be true not only to bring peace to our own souls, but also if our service to others is going to be truly helpful. In today's story, Martha is distracted, but did you notice anything else? She's not giving truly effective service to others. Why? It's because she is anxious and troubled about many things - she's anxious about things that don't matter to her guests. She is busy preparing an elaborate meal with many dishes, when only a few are needed. Really, one dish would be ample for their needs. So, Martha is wasting a lot of her time. Have you ever been to a party where the host or hostess was so busy getting every detail just right, that they didn't have time to pay attention to you? Do you remember the feeling it gave you? You might have sat there thinking, "It doesn't really matter to me whether the napkins are folded perfectly - I'm here to spend time with you." As a result, the host wastes precious time that could be spent for the main purpose. The reason she's wasteful is that she has lost perspective. She's lost the perspective for the reason of her activity. The work itself, preparing for her guests, then starts to be less important and satisfying to her. And she loses the ability to be either efficient or creative. I think that all of us recognize these symptoms. Whether they are destructive habits, obsessions, or duties that we give ourselves to - these activities begin to sap our strength. Why is that? Why is it that activity can begin to wear us down? If we look carefully at today's scripture, we find the answer: II. We Use Activity to Address a Deep Need in our Souls Just as Jenny used drugs in an attempt to deal with the pain and scars of her past, we often use activity in a vain pursuit of meaning. As Martha scurries about the house, anxious and upset, Jesus reminds here that "only one thing is needed." What's he talking about? What is that one thing? I think that the one thing Jesus is talking about is the peace of knowing God's love. When we are able to rest in God, to let go of our anxiety and our concerns, and truly settle in to God's love, we find a peace and calm that gives true meaning to the activities of our lives. If we stop and think about it, it's much more difficult to find meaning in life than to find something to do. In our frantic, nervous search for meaning, we wind up turning to many different things in an effort to find peace. We may look for novelties to keep us entertained and distracted. In our technological age, there is no shortage of gadgets that promise happiness and diversion. Minivans now come equipped with televisions so kids won't get too bored on a long trip. Gameboys, and computer games, and movies, and the internet, all wait to transport us into another place that is far from our anxieties and concerns. Have you noticed that all of those gadgets and gizmos, entertainments and diversions lose their usefulness after a while? We grow tired of them and then we look for the next great diversion that will bring meaning to our lives. The central, gnawing hunger of our hearts is to love and be loved. God offers us unconditional love and acceptance, even when we're busy finding every possible diversion. Once we accept God's love, and experience the fullness of our own capacity to love, we begin to lose the anxiety and frantic feelings that come from being unfulfilled. Today's scripture also teaches us something very important about how we interact with the world around us. III. When We Relax and Trust God, We Give Powerfully to the World The message that Jesus gave Martha also has a broader application for us and our church today. Supporting economic policies that give all humans their fair share is an important goal. But, it is not the most important thing in the world. I believe that there are two important goals for the church: 1) providing opportunities for every human to have the fullest possible chances at life; and 2) understanding, and helping others to understand, that life is really worth having a chance at. The first is bare existence, the other is knowing the meaning that makes life worth living. Jesus taught us that "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." We understand that we cannot live, and have full meaning, simply on food alone. In my work at Primavera, I know how important it is to provide opportunities to the poor for food and shelter. Without food, we can't live. But, without the words that give meaning to life, why should we desire to live? And so, Jesus encourages Martha to cease her busyness and find the meaning of real living. In our ministry to the community, is there any question which is the most important? Giving food, or giving meaning? The words of God, and God's all encompassing love, provide the power and peace for meaningful life. In the Gospel According to John, the author tells us about the time when Jesus watched a large crowd go away angry and disappointed. They had asked him for bread, but he didn't have anything to give them, so they went away. Jesus turned to his disciples and asked, "Will you also go away?" The disciples answered, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." When I think of Martha, who got caught up in worries, even while doing good work, I wonder how we can avoid that pitfall. Then I thought of Mother Teresa, the selfless nun who served for many years among the poor and lonely of Calcutta. In her Nobel Prize acceptance speech, she described how her work continued to be meaningful by describing some of the people she served: "like that man who we picked up from the drain, half eaten with worms, and we brought him to the home. 'I have lived like an animal in the street, but I am going to die like an angel, loved, and cared for,' he said. And it was so wonderful to see the greatness of that man who could speak like that, who could die like that without blaming, without cursing anybody, without comparing anything. Like an angel, this is the greatness of our people. And this is why we believe what Jesus has said, "I was hungry, I was naked, I was homeless, I was unwanted, unloved, uncared for - and you did it to me." I believe that we are not really social workers. We may be doing social work in the eyes of people. But we are really contemplatives in the heart of the world. For we are touching the body of Christ twenty-four hours. We have twenty-four hours each day in his presence, you and I. You, too, must try to bring that presence of God into your family." It's striking to me that, as we listen to the words of Mother Teresa, she never described her work as drudgery, or dirty, or challenging. It was a simple of expression of love, based on the love of Christ. Are you tired this morning? Tired of chasing after diversions that wear you down? Are you tired of spending time on things that don't feed your soul, that don't bring you comfort and love? Jesus calls to us today, just as he called to Martha. Put down the pots and pans and take off your apron. Turn off your computer. Put away that Gameboy. Let your car or boat go without washing this weekend. Instead, come and sit at the feet of Jesus, where we find love, acceptance, and joy. Amen. |