DISTRACTED, AGAIN
Psalm 52; Colossians 1:15-28; Luke 10:38-42
Rev. Tiare L. Mathison, Pastor & Soul-Tender
Let me ask you, What’s on your worry list this morning? Are you willing to speak them out loud? If not, We are going to take a few minutes to write them down and then gather them up. Let’s just say we are re-ordering worship a bit - this will become our prayers of the people list:)
Thank you.
We live in an age of too many words: Twitter, Slack, Sub-stack, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and a zillion others require, dare I say demand? our attention, every day. Our world is full of words - Fox News, MNBC, NPR, talk radio, podcasts. Words, words, words. We are plugged in, for good and for ill. Technology has given us great opportunities to offer our continuous partial attention (Linda Stone, a technologist).
Distracted, Again.
I am a witness - I live on Stoneway and the # of parents with babies in carriages with earphones plugged in astounds me. How will you hear your baby’s chatter? Reactions to the garbage trucks, the buses, the birds, the dogs? And I am guilty. What is the first thing I do when I come in the door after work? Turn on NPR, talk radio, that runs for 2 hours or so. Or crank it up in the car when I am running errands. It is a hard habit to break!
Distracted, Again.
I said to the session on Tuesday night, “before we get started on the business of the church, I want to remind us of our purpose: the ministry of Jesus Christ in this place. Even at session meetings we can get caught by words and decisions and plans and policies to the point that we forget the reason for our very existence! To witness to the glory of God.
Now, don’t get me wrong. We have to take care of things, of course. Yet I think it is important to take a measure of our focus. The Greek word is perispamai and refers to drawing away or diverting something. We say, Distracted, Again.
In Martha’s case, prepare dinner for her Lord and upwards of 70 disciples, is polle diakonia, many tasks, that need to be done. She follows the ritual practice of the Hebrew Tradition, that begins in Genesis 18 with Abraham instructing Sarah and their slaves to prepare food for their 3 guests. Hospitality is a fundamental function of the Jewish Tradition, which was carried over into the life of Jesus and therefore, into our lives as Christians. She expects Mary to help, of course, it was a lot of people, with a lot of prep! And Lazarus could step into the kitchen too, right?
What she loses sight of is her gifts of hospitality are part and parcel of her discipleship to Jesus. There is no small thing about service in the kitchen or to teach SS or to visit the homebound, or fix the roof. These acts are as significant; no hierarchy of value in our Christian practices. All are necessary to build up the body of Christ. What we have to guard against is how easy it is to be distracted from our devotion to Jesus, even in our service.
Let’s stop for a moment and go back to your worry list.
Is it possible for you to imagine sitting in a chair beside Jesus, maybe on your porch or deck, favorite tea or glass of wine on the table between you and simply talk through the list with Him? You might call it ‘continuous attention’ to the One who is at the center of your being. (Pause)
Let’s be clear here: Jesus does not condemn Martha for being busy, in fact, He doesn’t condemn at all. He simply suggests she got diverted from her service to some sort of implied measurement of perfection that would not allow her to relax INTO her hospitality. As an act of love for her Savior. You know His look - its filled with love and compassion and mercy and forgiveness. That glance? An embrace!!!
Put your name in Martha’s spot for a minute: Jesus is speaking to you.
(Pause)
What strikes me today is the fleshing personhood of Jesus that Martha and Mary encounter, is the focal point of Paul’s structured personhood. I want to toggle a bit between this flesh and The Word.
This Jesus who walks about, teaches, preaches, prays, laughs, cries, eats dinner with 70 of his closest friends, is this first born of creation; everything created through Him, the fullness of God is pleased to dwell. The fullness of God is pleased to dwell. Everything we need to know about God is shown in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His blood on the cross makes for peace. All dominions, thrones, powers, rulers, all of the fallen world - everything - is under his command.
Right. And what about our worry lists? (Pause)
The heart of Paul’s writing is this Christological hymn found in verses 15-20: The image of God, firstborn, all things created, all things hold together. Head of the body, the church, our church! First place in everything and then this: In Him the fullness of God is pleased to dwell. His blood on the cross is enough to repair it all. You know Jesus? You know God. The purpose of the church? To proclaim Christ. Not for maintenance, not for fellowship, not for growth, not for getting your needs met, the centering point of our faith is to proclaim Christ. This is why I remind myself and the session and you all that the reason for our being is our witness to Christ.
But what fascinates and delights me, is to go back to the Martha story. This One we proclaim in our daily lives, by what we say and what we do, is the same One she complained to! ‘Jesus, I need help here. How come she just gets to sit on the floor?’ Distracted, Again.
The top of Martha’s worry list in the moment: getting everything done. Right? She loses sight of her dear friend, her Beloved Savior and Lord. And we know how easy this is. Martha is us, let’s be honest. And we get rewarded in a culture that is driven to distraction. I am so busy, I cannot even see straight! Frantic is good. It’s really hard for us to hear, ‘slow down, pay attention, listen carefully.’ Words so powerful and yet so silenced in our lives.
Jesus calls for our utmost devotion. It takes time, energy and focus. But it can be done in a way that offers us the rest we need to be able to hear - to clean out our ears, minds and hearts of distractions. Our faith in Him as Savior and Lord is this gift of grace to savor, enjoy and celebrate.
Yesterday at Bob’s service, I borrowed the phrase from J. S. Bach, composer extraordinaire, ‘To the Glory to God’.he always signed off on his compositions with this. I invite you to adopt this practice. Every time you wake up, leave the house, start a conversation with your spouse or your kids or your co-workers or your pastor, whisper, ‘to the glory of God’. For this is what Martha forgot in the heat of the moment. Her life was dedicated to her Lord. She just got caught. Center your life on Jesus. See what happens. Report back if you would. Distracted No More. Amen