Pentecost 0810 – “Addressing Our Excesses.”  Luke 10:38-42

 

      Grace to you and peace from God, our Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.  The text for our sermon meditation is taken from the Gospel account of St Luke, the 10^th Chapter:

 

      ‘The Lord answered her and said, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted about much.  And one thing is of necessity, for Mary has chosen for herself the good portion, which shall not be taken from her.”’

 

So far the reading.

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

 

      As a nation, the people of the United States are certainly familiar with excess.  We are the materially richest nation on earth with access to excess.  There are not many homes that do not have any manner of convenience to make life easier.  How many of you have an electric stove that is self cleaning?  How many of you have a microwave oven?  How many of you have more than one television in your house?  How many of you have cable television or cell phones?  How many of you devote your all free time to pursuing leisure activities?  How many of you feel you just don’t have enough time to do what needs to be done?

 

      Martha was feeling the same way?  While she did not enjoy the benefits of modern conveniences, Martha was certainly busy preparing a meal for her honored guest and feeling as if she did not have time to get everything done.  More than that, Martha is seeing her sister Mary simply sitting at the feet of Jesus apparently unaware of what needed to be done.

 

      At first glance, what would you think is happening between Martha, Jesus and Mary?  Do the words jealousy or sibling rivalry, or any other thoughts arise?  Certainly!  There is a level of irritation that could be attributed to the normal relationship between two siblings.  I remember the trouble that was part of growing up with 1 sister and six brothers.  Trying to keep things to a dull roar at times must have been a chore for my mom and dad.  Mom would often say in frustration, “Wait till your father comes home.”

 

      So then what is the question which Jesus is addressing?  Jesus is addressing the excess we indulge in rather than the business we are to be about.

 

      As we consider Martha, what is her difficulty?  Well the lesson speaks to us pf Martha’s dinner preparations.  She is busy preparing a meal for Jesus and her family.  Perhaps there are other friends who are present as well, but for sure Jesus and Mary and Lazarus and Jesus are soon to be eating in this home.  She stands before Jesus and her sister and asks Jesus to command Mary to help with the meal.

 

      When Martha opens her mouth to speak, she accuses both Jesus and Mary of failing to do what is required.  She accuses Jesus of not caring about the meal preparations and all the work that needs to be done to see the meal is ready.  She accuses her sister of ignoring the responsibility to help set a fine table for their guest and good friend Jesus.

 

      Martha has been bustling around the house seeing to this and doing that for the meal.  Perhaps she banged a few pans and utensils making noise that is to be noticed reminding her sister indirectly that a meal is soon to be served.  It was her version of the dinner gong calling not the eaters to the table, but the workers to the kitchen.

 

      All these things are little tests to prove the importance of what Martha is doing.  She is standing before Jesus testing him to see if he will recognize the importance of the meal and send Mary to the kitchen duly chastised for ignoring the necessary work.

 

      To be sure the meal may be important.  To be sure the guest who visits is important.  To be sure the preparations are necessary.  Martha is not off somewhere else when she needs to be preparing the meal.  Martha is busy, even too busy, as Jesus reveals to her.  Hear what Jesus says to her.

 

“Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted about much.”

      Do you notice what Jesus does not say?  Jesus does not reprimand Martha concerning what she chose to do.  He did not tell her the preparations for the meal were sinful, or wrong, but that there is something of greater importance to be done.  You must discern between busy-ness and business.

 

      What is of primary importance for anyone?  Earning a living?  Being a productive citizen in the community?  Taking care of your health and welfare?  All of these are important and necessary.  Carrying out the day to day tasks that must be done.  It is important to impress upon our children the necessity to abide by the rules of society to be a benefit to society rather than become an unnecessary burden.  We are therefore fulfilling part of the Law of God.  Namely, we are abiding by the second table of the Law which teaches us to love our neighbor as we love our self.

 

      Now, Mary might have0 started to help Martha prepare the meal, but do we find her?  We find Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to his teaching.  To Martha this appears to be the wrong thing to do when there was so much other work to be done.  Martha is shown otherwise when Jesus chastises her rather than Mary.

 

      How often we let these other things come before the one thing needed?  We have an excess of other things to pursue rather than the one thing needful.  We think that we can substitute golf courses and tennis courts, and swimming pools, theme parks and a host of other places for the sanctuary of God.  “I can worship God on the golf course,” some have told.  “I don’t have to go to church to be a Christian,” others have said.  “I will go to church when I feel I need to go,” I have been told.

 

      Martha was worried and distracted by many things that drew her away from where she needed to be.  The other side of the coin is to be indifferent as these modern day excuses reveal.  We should fear, love and trust in God above all things, the first commandment teaches.  We should not despise preaching and the Word of God but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it, the third commandment teaches.  Golf courses, swimming pools, theme parks, tennis courts might be places you can worship God, but people do not go to these places to worship the true God.  The god’s worshiped at these places are blind, deaf and silent idols.  They do not teach you the way of truth and life.  Rather they suck the life of God from you when they take the place of right and proper worship.  Like Martha, the busy-ness of these activities is no substitute for the business of the Church.

 

      What is the business, the work of the Church?  It begins with the Word of God.  Have you ever read the 119^th Psalm or tried to memorize it?  It is a beautiful psalm teaching the importance of the word of God.  There are 176 verses divided into 22 sections.  Each section corresponds to a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, with the first word of each verse beginning with that same letter.  The psalm is a song of praise to the glory of God’s word.  You are probable familiar with some of the verses.  Perhaps you are able to finish this verse

 

      “Thy word is a lamp to my feet …

      and a light to my path.” Ps. 119:105

 

      “I have stored up your word in my heart

      that I might not sin against you.”  Ps. 119:11

 

      The Word of God was present at creation.  The word of God took on human flesh and lived for a while among us.  The word of God is named Jesus Christ.  He is sitting in Martha and Mary’s house.  He is teaching Mary the things that lead to eternal life.  He is mildly chastising Martha because she is focused on serving her lord when he desires to serve her.

 

      That is what this incident teaches us.  The Word of God made flesh desires to serve his people.  Many times we do not let Jesus serve us.  We search for the food that leads us away from eternal life, when Jesus would feed us on the manna and living water which grants us eternal life.  We become as children who push the plate away because they do not want to eat what is put before them.  The food is beneficial.  It gives the body the minerals and nourishment that is needed.  The child eats little or none of the food but they say they do not like it.

 

      God does not ask us to like his word.  He asks us to feed upon his word.  That is to sit at the feet of his faithful pastors and teachers as Mary sat at the feet of Jesus.  Many people do not know the satisfying food of God’s word because they see no value in doing more than sitting in worship on occasion.

 

      I am currently teaching Bible Class at a congregation without a pastor.  Once a week on Wednesday morning I bring a meal of God’s Word to those sheep of Jesus Christ.  They reveal their hunger for the Word of life in their questions and eagerness to learn more of God’s grace and mercy.  Many times the people commented that they had never known these things before and desired to have more food put on their plate.  Would that all God’s people desire this food and sit at the Lord’s Table eating as Jesus instructs us.

 

      Before we sit at the Lord’s Table we must go to the place where Jesus’ feet were pierced for our indifferent and rejection.  We must go to the cross of Jesus and lay our sinful pride at the foot of the cross in confession.  For only then will we know and understand the fullness of God’s grace poured out upon us. 

 

      Mary is commended for her devotion to the Word of God, the Word made flesh.  Jesus speaks of the greatest blessing which can be given to those who become children of God’s eternal Kingdom.  Jesus says Mary chose what is good right and proper.  Moreover, this gift that was chosen will never be taken from her.  What Mary pursues in faith will never wear out, rust away or be taken away.

 

      All the more we need to consider what we pursue and the benefits such things may give.  All things of material nature will be destroyed by moth or rust or be taken by others when we leave this life.  All things given through the Word of God will last beyond the boundaries of time.

 

      The atoning death of Jesus covers all sin from first to last, greatest to least, youngest to eldest, male, female, child, father or mother.  The living and life-giving Word of God stands ready to teach of such forgiveness and give such forgiveness to the penitent and eager child of God’s Kingdom.

 

      Many of you know this truth and do indeed sit at the feet of Jesus as did Mary.  May our Lord and Savior teach us to lay aside our busy-ness, distractions and avoidance to sit where we need to sit to be fed with the bread of Life and to drink from the Water of Life, even Jesus Christ our Lord.  In His holy name. Amen.