Feast Or Famine

Feast or Famine?

Amos 8:1-12 Luke 10:38-42 Colossians 1:15-28

As is my usual preaching or teaching style…

I want us to take a look at each of the passages

from our readings today in Amos, Colossians and Luke to

see the complete teaching. So here we go, let’s dig in!

In Amos they couldn’t wait for the Sabbath to be over so

they could go back to their real passion: making money!

Worship was just a habit, an empty ritual, because in their

hearts they were plotting how to profit in deceitful ways,

cheating their customers with short weights and measures.

So the Lord said since they had no “appetite” for hearing the

word of the Lord (or heeding it), he would take away the

provision of it. There would be a famine of hearing the word.

Today we have the Bible on our bookshelves, on our laptops

and on our Ipads and smart phones. But do we reach for it

as often as we download bestsellers or play our game apps?

There are churches on practically every corner, but crime

and hunger are also around every corner.

You see, we have the bread of life but we are not sharing it.

We feast while others starve for the hope that is in the

gospel. Would we really miss the Bible or church services if

they were suddenly or gradually taken away?

Now let’s skip over to the reading in Luke.

We are familiar with this passage. It is always a hotly

debated topic which stirs up much argument and discussion.

It seems to present Martha as the “suffering servant “ and

Mary as the “sitting saint.” But let’s investigate some other

possible lessons from this story.

These are examples of different temperaments and different

talents or gifts of the Spirit. One is not right and the other

wrong. God needs His Marys and His Marthas.

(His Johns as well as His Pauls if you will.)

But when Jesus stopped by their house that day it was going

to be His last trip.

He was on his way to Jerusalem to die!

He just wanted to talk it all over with his friends.

Martha was anxious (worried) about “many things”…

(the menu, the table setting, the cleanup, etc) but Jesus had

“many things” to tell her.

Many things fill up our agendas just like many dishes fill up

our stomachs. We can get lost in a flurry of good activity,

but what about filling our souls?

Martha welcomed Jesus as a significant guest in her home

but failed to let His words into her heart at the moment.

First Martha was distracted. She probably sat down a few

minutes to chat but her mind was on the roast in the oven

or making sure the bread didn’t burn. She decided dinner

was more important and excused herself from the teacher.

But rather than whistling while she worked she became

depressed, feeling as if she had to do everything by

herself.

Loss of focus caused her to resort to self-pity instead of

enjoying her chance to serve Jesus.

Martha’s work and worry are wasteful now because she has

lost the satisfaction in it.

She was operating out of a sense of duty rather than

devotion. It has become all about her!

Charles Hummel in his book “Freedom From the Tyranny of the Urgent” notes, “Tension and frustration mount when we are performing the wrong tasks or trying to cram too many of the right activities into a given period…. A critical spirit develops and we begin to judge and condemn others for what they do or don’t do.

Duty perceives devotion as shirking responsibility

Now she becomes disapproving of both Mary and Jesus!

“Lord why don’t you make her help me, don’t you care?”

Whoa! Our Martha has become the poster child for

“ the good the bad and the ugly”!

It was good that she welcomed Jesus into her home and

wanted to provide a special meal for Him.

It was bad that she lost the spirit of it and began fussing

and fuming.

And it was ugly that she wanted to sic Jesus on Mary for not

being a gifted hostess also.

Can’t you just see her getting madder by the minute, trying

to get Mary’s attention with hand gestures and eyes rolling?

She has a tea towel on her shoulder a smudge of flour on

her face and her hands on her hips in exasperation!

Now what did Jesus do?

Did he tell Mary to go help her sister?

Did he tell Martha to come join Mary? Well, sort of…

But mostly he pointed to their individual CHOICES.

He knew Martha was a gifted cook and hostess and if

she chose to be busy instead of being blessed by resting