Sermon - 2019 - 07 - 21
Last week as we talked about the Good Samaritan, we dove even deeper into the understanding of what it is that God is calling us to do and pay attention within our daily life. However, today’s parable is no different. Mary and Martha are two people whom we have heard about before.
Mary who is the one who we should be more like: attentive to Jesus, focused on what is truly important, or perhaps a better way to say that is WHO is important. Mary is the one who gets it right. Yet we more often than not probably align ourselves with Martha. A person who has a list of things to do to ensure that people know that they are cared for and loved. However, all we see in the list, the tasks to be done and when the people who we care about are not found on that list, when they do not experience the love that is truly meant by the gift of service then we do need to reevaluate what we are doing and who we are making important in our life.
I have used this method of discovery for you. If you want to know who is important in your life. Then look no further than your most used device, your cell phone. Look at the calendar, where are you spending all of your time and energy? Is that what you want to know for? What is missing that you wish you had more time for?
Now, look at your credit card statements or bank statements. Where does the wealth that you have been blessed with go? How do you use the blessings that are in your life? Does it go to your passions? To your family? To yourself?
Talking to people who are on their death bed and know that they are being called to their heavenly home. I have not heard many people say: “Oh I wish I would have worked more hours at my job.” “I wish I would do the laundry or cleaned the dishes instead of spending time with my children.” For this is when we enter the account of Mary and Martha and we realize that we are just like them. In fact, Christ himself may be asking these same questions of us to be reflecting on so that we may wake and realize that Christ is right there with us. Yet we were not aware. For many of us, we are living a Martha lifestyle and are unaware. Some of us may be living a Mary lifestyle but do you know who we truly miss and wish was there with us? Martha, to know and understand what it is like to experience and know the joy of this experience, even but for a moment.
Perhaps this goes even further. Who are we valuing in our lives? Who are we valuing in this church? Whose presence are we spending every single day in or should be? But I won’t give you the answer, I am simply here to ask the question to you. Amen.
Mary who is the one who we should be more like: attentive to Jesus, focused on what is truly important, or perhaps a better way to say that is WHO is important. Mary is the one who gets it right. Yet we more often than not probably align ourselves with Martha. A person who has a list of things to do to ensure that people know that they are cared for and loved. However, all we see in the list, the tasks to be done and when the people who we care about are not found on that list, when they do not experience the love that is truly meant by the gift of service then we do need to reevaluate what we are doing and who we are making important in our life.
I have used this method of discovery for you. If you want to know who is important in your life. Then look no further than your most used device, your cell phone. Look at the calendar, where are you spending all of your time and energy? Is that what you want to know for? What is missing that you wish you had more time for?
Now, look at your credit card statements or bank statements. Where does the wealth that you have been blessed with go? How do you use the blessings that are in your life? Does it go to your passions? To your family? To yourself?
Talking to people who are on their death bed and know that they are being called to their heavenly home. I have not heard many people say: “Oh I wish I would have worked more hours at my job.” “I wish I would do the laundry or cleaned the dishes instead of spending time with my children.” For this is when we enter the account of Mary and Martha and we realize that we are just like them. In fact, Christ himself may be asking these same questions of us to be reflecting on so that we may wake and realize that Christ is right there with us. Yet we were not aware. For many of us, we are living a Martha lifestyle and are unaware. Some of us may be living a Mary lifestyle but do you know who we truly miss and wish was there with us? Martha, to know and understand what it is like to experience and know the joy of this experience, even but for a moment.
Perhaps this goes even further. Who are we valuing in our lives? Who are we valuing in this church? Whose presence are we spending every single day in or should be? But I won’t give you the answer, I am simply here to ask the question to you. Amen.
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