Title: Stress On Earth, Humbug Toward Men
Text: Luke 10:38-42
Experts tell us that while the Christmas holidays are an exciting time for worship and family, not all people have the same happy experiences. During this season some talk of having the blues, many experience more severe forms of depression, and incidents of suicide increase. This may seem bizarre to Christians who celebrate the birth of the Savior, but for many, this time of year brings much sadness and gloom.
Though not to such a degree as this, it is not uncommon for Christians to also experience a great deal of stress during the holidays. But how do we handle the stress? Is it possible that we can actually take time to enjoy the holiday season? I believe so. As we look at this passage in Luke, though not a “Christmas” text, we can certainly find some biblical principles that will help us to cope in this hectic season of the year, and help us to maintain our focus on what is really important, the birthday of our Savior.
I. MAINTAIN YOUR FOCUS BY MANAGING YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES. (Luke 10:40a)
But Martha was distracted with much serving…
A. Distractions Cause Stress. (Philippians 3:13-14)
Illustration: A Rubber Band.
A rubber band, if stretched, will return to its normal, relaxed position when the external force is removed. The body’s stress response is also stretched whenever it is subjected to any emergency or demand. The rubber band ought to return to a normal, relaxed state when the demand is removed. But if stretched for a long time and held, it loses its elastic properties and will eventually snap. The same can happen to us when exposed to constant stress. In this holiday season we must learn to manage our circumstances in order to eliminate the distractions and remove unnecessary stress.
1. Life is filled with distractions.
2. Paul understood this, and learned to keep his focus on the ultimate goal.
a. In our context, the many distractions of the season are the “things which are behind.”
b. The true purpose of Christmas are “those things which are ahead.”
c. Our ultimate goal is to celebrate the birthday of Jesus.
d. Any activity on our “To Do List” that does not focus on the ultimate goal needs to be reevaluated and possibly removed.
B. “Much Serving” Is A Distraction. (Luke 12:29-31)
1. If God wants us to be free from stress about supplying our daily needs, then it is entirely unacceptable that we worry about the non-essentials.
2. When our work, even in the ministry, begins to distract us from our relationship with God, our work becomes an idol, and a major source of stress.
C. We Can Eliminate Much Of Our Stress By Managing Our Circumstances. (Hebrews 12:1-2)
1. Lay aside the non-essentials; not all of the activities we involve ourselves in during the holidays are necessary.
2. Look to Jesus; after all, it’s His birthday.
II. MAINTAIN YOUR FOCUS BY RESTRAINING YOUR REACTIONS. (Luke 10:40b)
…and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me."
Quote: Burnout is not the result of too much activity. It is the result of the wrong kind of activity. (John A. Stroman, “God’s Downward Mobility,” CSS Publishing, 1996).
Note: How we react to stress may lead to sinful behavior.
A. Martha Accused The Lord.
1. “Do you not care?”
2. In her own mind she had already determined the answer to the question.
3. If the Lord had cared, He would have done something to rectify what she saw as an obvious imbalance in sharing the household duties.
B. Martha Accused Mary.
1. “My sister has left me to serve alone.”
2. Martha considered service to be more important than worship.
a. This is a typical attitude of those who are blessed with the gift of service when they fail to allow the Holy Spirit to control their gift.
b. We often have to deal with the “no one does anything around here but me” attitude.
c. When we begin to see quantity of service as more important than quality of worship, we have missed the mark.
d. We are all saved to serve, but compromising our worship for the sake of service is always wrong.
e. We should also point out that neglecting service in the name of worship is equally wrong.
f. There must be a balance in our worship and service, and worship must always have our first priority.
g. We cannot serve effectively until we have first worshiped faithfully.
3. What is lost in this passage is the fact that Jesus is teaching, for Mary sat at His feet and “heard His word.”
a. In Martha’s preoccupation with serving, she not only missed an opportunity to worship the Lord, but to hear His teaching as well.
b. When we become distracted with service, we will always miss opportunities to worship the Lord and learn from His word.
C. Martha Made A Selfish Demand.
1. “Tell her to help me.”
2. Mary worshiped while Martha served.
3. In Martha’s mind, there wasn’t time to worship because there was much work to be done.
4. Her demand not only displayed her selfishness, it interrupted the Savior’s teaching and hindered Mary’s worship.
III. MAINTAIN YOUR FOCUS BY ELIMINATING THE NON-ESSENTIALS. (Luke 10:41-42)
“Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
A. Be Anxious For Nothing.
…you are worried and troubled about many things.
1. Preoccupation with many things brings worry and stress.
2. Preoccupation with things that do not matter is sinful.
3. When we eliminate worry from our lives, the peace of God takes over. (Philippians 4:6-7)
B. Focus On The Essentials.
One thing is needed…
1. Christmas is about the birth of our Savior; Christmas is not about the arrival of Santa.
2. Spending time with family is great; spending time with Jesus is greater.
3. Reading “The Night Before Christmas” to our children prepares them to receive gifts; reading the Christmas Story to them prepares them to receive Jesus. (Job 23:12)
C. Choose The Good Part.
…and Mary has chosen that good part…
Give A Birthday Present To Jesus.
One year our church celebrated Christmas by giving a birthday present to Jesus. On the first Sunday in December, I asked the congregation to think about what Jesus Christ really meant to them, and to offer a gift on the altar to symbolize their love for Him and their commitment to Him. I informed them that we would have a special Christmas service on the Sunday before Christmas, and as many as wanted to participate could come and present their gift and explain its significance.
I really wasn’t sure what to expect. Several members came to me asking for ideas about what they should give, but I gave them little help. I told each of them that they should give something that represented their personal relationship with Jesus. Whatever they chose to give didn’t necessarily have to be tangible, but it did have to come from their heart. When the time came for our special service, we were extraordinarily blessed by the special visitation of the Spirit of God.
One of our members, an avid Green Bay Packers fan, brought his football card collection. He explained that he had realized that his love for sports sometimes conflicted with his love for the Lord, and that sports often received the greater priority. He admitted that he probably knew more football stats than Bible verses. His gift represented his renewed commitment to put the Lord Jesus in first place in his life.
An elderly lady, who had been the church organist for more than fifty years, came to offer a song. This wouldn’t mean much to most people. But we all knew that she was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. After more than fifty years at the organ, she suddenly quit one day with no explanation. We didn’t understand at first, but as we watched her personality change from one week to the next, we soon learned the tragic news of her disease. It had been months since she had touched a keyboard, but on this day she sat quietly at the piano and played “Happy Birthday to You” without missing a note. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
Another lady came whose daughter had died more than a year prior to this. Her daughter was a Down’s Syndrome child whom she had taken care of for nearly thirty years. Her grief was deep and prolonged, and she questioned why God would take such an innocent life. I had prayed for her many times, but she just could not get over her grief. Ever since her daughter’s death, part of her daily routine had been to visit the grave and weep. But this day she stood at the altar with a little angel in her hand. She explained that the angel had been on her daughter’s grave since the day she was buried. On this day, however, she was leaving the angel on the altar and placing her complete faith and trust in God concerning her daughter, even though she didn’t fully understand what God was doing.
Several others brought gifts, each with a special significance to the giver. As they shared their gifts with the rest of us, we were all truly amazed and greatly blessed by the simple expressions of love for the Lord. I am convinced that He looked upon that service and wept. It was a Christmas I will never forget.
Conclusion
How can we be calm in the midst of stress all around us at this time of year? How can we be like Mary, and simply focus on what is needed? Here is a plan that might help.
I. Manage Your Circumstances.
A. Cross out everything on your list that takes away from the real meaning of Christmas.
1. Do you really need to do all that baking and cooking?
a. It is possible these days to purchase entire meals already precooked.
b. Have you considered just having sandwiches and refreshments?
c. It’s not wrong to spend time in the kitchen, just don’t let it take over your life.
2. Decorate, but don’t overdo it.
a. Is it really necessary to put up all those decorations?
b. Simple elegance can be the key to a beautiful holiday atmosphere.
3. Christmas cards are great, but do you need to send one to the boy who used to mow your lawn twenty years ago?
B. Prioritize your relationships.
1. Jesus comes first – it’s His birthday.
2. Your spouse needs your attention – go out on a Christmas date.
3. Don’t fill your calendar to the point that you neglect your family – you’ll eventually regret all those missed opportunities.
C. Focus on those who are in need.
1. Volunteer some time at a homeless shelter.
2. Buy gifts for a needy family who will have nothing for Christmas.
3. Give a generous love gift to your church to support missionaries.
4. Visit those who are shut-in or in the nursing home or hospital.
5. Invite a lonely widow or widower to spend Christmas with you.
II. Restrain Your Reactions.
A. Refuse to get frazzled by over-committing yourself.
B. Decide what needs to be done and enlist others to help share the load.
C. Check your calendar; you probably don’t need (or want) to attend all those parties anyway.
D. Don’t overspend on gifts; set a budget and stick to it.
E. For older couples who have married children:
1. Remember how difficult it was to stretch a budget to include Christmas gifts when you were first married?
2. Insist that your children keep it simple when they buy gifts for you and you will eliminate a lot of stress in their lives.
III. Eliminate The Non-Essentials.
A. Spend some time resting in God’s peace.
B. Spend some time thanking God for sending the Savior.
C. Give a birthday present to Jesus.
Let’s remember that Martha isn’t a bad person, she just got caught up in the demands of the moment. She is like most of us who get stressed out during the holidays. But the holidays don’t have to be the most stressful time of the year. When we follow the example of Mary, and focus on what is needful, we will find the holidays to be some of the most enjoyable experiences we will ever have.
