Sermon - 2013-07-24

Mary, Martha, do you know which one you are?  

In our modern time, the more you do, the better you are.  We have a lot of mantras: Faster is better. Newer is better.  We have more stuff, but less time to enjoy it.  We have more things to help us do the chores that Martha was so busy doing, but we do not stop and be like Mary. Today we are reminded that sometimes mantras can be misleading and even guide us away from what is truly important.  You may have heard this kind of sermon before, filled with guilt and perhaps even a lot of what you should be doing. Instead, I would like to remind you of all the things that you may be missing within your busy life.  

10. Sharing your gifts - This can look many different ways, volunteering, teaching, mentoring, leading

9. Appreciating others gifts - this can also look different but often means encouraging and supporting someone else in your life with their gifts, sending them a card, calling them, letting them know you care about them and their gifts helps you both.

8. Enjoying Creation - going for a walk to enjoy the fresh air, the cool breeze, and really all four seasons. You are able to stop and realize just how amazing your body truly is and the complexity of the world around you.

7. Planning.  Finding time for things you never thought you had time for.  

6. Vacation - This is something that God created for us, however God called it a Sabbath.  A day and time to stop and be reminded of what was important.  To get out of your routine, refocus and live life with the loved ones around you.

5. Lessons Learned - This is one of those things where when you don’t stop and realize how you are hurting yourself, you are simply going to repeat them over and over and over again.  For that matter, stopping and listening to others and learning from their mistakes so that you don’t have to.  

4. Loved Ones - you will miss the opportunities to hear stories, make new ones and even the milestones within a person’s life.  Such as Baptism, First Communion, first steps, the last moments that a person is here on Earth

3. Self -  taking time to understand who you are and what God has created you to do is a true blessing to find fulfillment in your life.

2. Sense of peace - I hear it all the time, people run so fast and so hard that they are simply exhausted.  They are so tired that they feel out of balance.  Taking time to rest, enjoy life and remember all the great things that you have done will remind you of all the blessings that you have in life.  

1. Time with God - God created you and placed you here for a purpose. When you spend time with God you begin to realize and remember the solid foundation that God has given to you and the love that is shared among you and all that are around you.