“Renewable Energy: The Rest of the Story”
Luke 10:38-42
So with whom do you identify – Martha or Mary? Which one do you like better? I think I agree with the man who replied, “I like Martha best during dinner and I like Mary best after dinner.” It’s almost impossible to hear this story without taking sides – we are dealing with two people who are polar opposites. We are dealing with people who are very familiar to us, people with whom we can identify, people who are sitting here this morning. Did you ever wonder with which one Jesus identified or liked best? Actually, that’s pretty clear, isn’t it? Or is it? To
find out let’s get to the rest of the story.
It centers on THE CONFLICT. There’s MARTHA. She’s a Type ‘A’ personality. She works hard only to discover there’s always more to do. She’s realistic; she calls it a spade a spade. If there’s work worth doing it’s worth doing well. Martha is a doer – if there’s a job to be done, she’ll do it. She’s goal oriented, a high achiever, born and bred with the good old Protestant work ethic. You know Martha’s type by looking at her Blackberry filled with work and events scheduled weeks – even months – in advance, the long lists on the refrigerator door, the immaculately clean house, and the manicured weed-free yard. As one pastor suggested, if her son came home from a tour of duty in the war, she’d make him take off his shoes at the door and wash his hands before she hugged him. She loves him but, after all, cleanliness is right up there next to godliness. We all know there is a right way and a wrong way to do things – and she will do things the right way, no matter what. Make no mistake, Martha will be in control. And what’s not to like – if not for the Martha’s of the world, little would get done. God cannot get along without her. And Martha most often enjoys this productive life and the attention it draws to her.
Quite frankly, as a pastor, I love having Marthas in the congregation. Without them few classes would be taught, few dinners prepared, few missions undertaken, few calls made, and few mistakes corrected. In fact, I could often be mistaken for Martha. There’s always one more sermon to write, two more services to plan, six more notes to send, 10 more phone calls to make, two more agendas to prepare, and a dozen more people to visit. And if any of it is worth doing, it’s worth doing well. Then if and when these are all done, there’s the ‘to do’ list of 75 items to peck away at. Make no mistake – a busy pastor is a productive pastor. God just can’t get along without me.
And then there’s MARY, the Type ‘B’ personality. She’s relaxed, laid back, relationship oriented. Even a bad party is better than a good day of work anytime. You have to be at the party when it happens but the work will always be there later. It’s okay to have a weed or two in the lawn, some dust specks in the living room, and some waste baskets full. There might even be some dirty dishes in the sink. And it’s okay as long as relationships are being built and love is being shared.
Quite frankly, I love having Marys in the congregation. Without them, people would fall through the cracks, birthdays would be missed, people would be sick without anyone knowing about it, and there wouldn’t be much fun and laughter. In fact, I envy Mary. She seems to enjoy life at a much more relaxed pace. And she always seems to have that extra insight and wisdom just when it’s needed.
See the conflict? As Joanna Weaver wrote, in Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, Martha is thunder and Mary is sunlight; Martha is the locomotive and Mary the caboose; Martha picks and arranges the roses while Mary smells them. How do Martha and Mary get along, co-exist in the same church? Which is right and which is wrong? Who draws Jesus’ favor?
You know the struggle; it’s A STRUGGLE OF WORK VERSUS WORSHIP, of the urgent versus the important. You participate in it. You work long hard hours to make a living, practice fiscal responsibility, coach the kid’s teams, try to spend time with your spouse, and once in a while even volunteer to do something at church. You’d like to do more, but duty calls. You’re tired, but, hey, who isn’t? Or perhaps your time is spent doing the good religious things – attending Bible study, teaching the class, singing on the worship team, serving as Elder or Deacon, volunteering in the church office a day a week, and working as a youth leader. You have two more years on the WE CARE board and one more on the Hospice Board. You’re tired, and should spend more time at home, but, hey, when Jesus calls, how can you say “No?”
Welcome to Martha and Mary’s house. Welcome to Jesus’ world. It’s a world of conflict. It’s a world where Jesus makes THE CORRECTION. In the midst of the busy, tiring pace of life, Jesus gets to the rest of the story. When Martha wanted Jesus to correct Mary, He instead UTTERED A CONDEMNATION. He condemned Martha – right? Wrong! “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.” He did not condemn Martha’s hospitality. After all, being a thorough, gracious hostess was the honorable thing to do. When a guest came to your house you put out the best spread possible. It could be an insult to slight your guests. JESUS CONDEMNED MARTHA’S ATTITUDE. As Luke wrote He said Martha’s busyness distracted her – she was so focused on the work she was pulled in many directions and didn’t know where to turn. Therefore she was dissatisfied with Mary and with Jesus. She worked herself into a frenzy of self-pity. Sound familiar? Much of life’s work is unappreciated and unrewarded. Martha does all the work and Mary gets all the glory. Life is unjust and unfair – which is to say Jesus needs a gentle reminder! All Martha wanted was some recognition and appreciation. Perhaps just like you. You’ve spent a lifetime trying to get mom or dad to say they love you and are proud of you. You worked the long hours because you’re sure the only way the boss would appreciate you would be for you to outwork everyone else. You volunteer at church so the pastor will appreciate you. You spoil the children because you want them to always love you. You work hard to be sure God loves you. And it all becomes distracting because THE FOCUS IS OFF WHAT JESUS WANTS AND ON WHAT YOU WANT, ON WHAT YOU WANT AND OFF WHAT YOU NEED. Science tells us that a dense fog, one hundred feet deep and covering seven city blocks, is composed of less than one eight-ounce glass of water. So a single glass of water can shut down a large airport! One glass of water can completely destroy our vision and obstruct our focus. And that’s what worry and agitation do to us.
So how does Jesus respond to Martha? What was HIS COMMENDATION? “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” First, WHEN WORK IN THE KITCHEN MAKES YOU ANXIOUS AND IRRITATED, IT’S TIME TO REST IN THE LIVING ROOM AT JESUS’ FEET. Do not busy yourself with work and service to the neglect of worship. Busyness breeds distraction. If what you are doing is becoming a distraction, simplify. Take time out for rest. As Haddon Robinson pointed out, Martha would have had a better spirit if Jesus had not come to her house! The irony of the scene is that because Jesus is present, Martha cannot rest! As Jeremiah said, “Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask for the ancient paths. Ask where the good way is and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jesus put flesh on God’s promise of rest when He said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Jesus’ second commendation is MAINTAIN A BALANCE BETWEEN WORK AND WORSHIP. You are not losing or wasting time when you are letting Jesus’ feed your soul. It’s interesting that I have known Consistories who spent the first 30-60 minutes of their meetings in prayer and worship only to find that they accomplished the business of the evening in less time than ever before. IF YOU TAKE TIME TO TUNE AND LUBRICATE THE ENGINE OF YOUR SOULS, YOU’LL GET BETTER MILEAGE! If you take time in the living room to be the Father’s son or daughter, you will soon wind up in the kitchen serving with energy and gusto. Put worship before work. When you put work before worship you are putting the cart before the horse and end up pulling the cart. As Joanna Weaver pointed out, “When we take time to hear His voice, God provides the horsepower we need to pull the harvest load. He saddles up grace and invites is to take a ride.” A super-salesman once sold a complicated filing system to a thriving business. Three months later the salesman paid a visit and asked, “How’s the filing system working out?” “Magnificently,” replied the manager. “Out of this world!” “How’s business?” the salesman asked. Said the manager, “We had to give up our business to run the filing system.” Never give up the business of resting at Jesus’ feet to run the kitchen. When you rest, you will have energy and power to run. Maintain a proper balance.
Thirdly, Jesus wants us to know that TO SIT AT HIS FEET IS TO SUBMIT TO HIM AS LORD. We cannot do two things well. We cannot serve God and mammon. The whole thrust of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount was “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Charles Spurgeon said it well. Jesus is a ‘monopoliser’ of human hearts; HE MUST BE EVERYTHING TO US OR HE WILL BE NOTHING TO US. He went on to say that when we sit at Jesus’ feet we are the child and He is the Master, we are the vessel and He is our Fullness, we are the rain drops and He is the Sun that makes us glisten. A young monk once went to Mother Teresa and said that his vocation was to work for lepers. She responded, “Your vocation is not to work for lepers; your vocation is to belong to Jesus.” To sit at Jesus’ feet is to submit to Him as Lord.
In light of Jesus’ correction what is THE COURSE to follow? What are we to do? Realize it isn’t more Jesus requires of you – it may be less. Come out of the kitchen long enough to experience the intimacy of the living room. You won’t get it all done by doubling your speed. JESUS WANTS YOU MORE THAN YOUR WORK. Haddon Robinson told a story of a mother and her son. The father died when the boy was young. This was back before television, when folks spent evenings listening to the radio or reading to one another. They both enjoyed listening to good music. In his early twenties, he met a young woman at the church, fell in love with her, and they decided to be married. Since housing was difficult to find, the mother said, "We have a two-story house. I can make an apartment for myself in the second story. You and your bride can live in the first story. The only thing I ask is that we get a chance to spend some time together because I'm going to miss the reading and the music." Her son said, "Mother, you can be sure of that. It's important to me, too." The couple married. For a while, life continued with the son stopping by a couple of times a week to spend some time with his mom. He was busy, and eventually days and weeks went by between visits. The relationship was not what it had been. On the mother's birthday, the young man bought a lovely dress, brought it to her, and said, "Happy birthday, Mother." She opened the package and looked at the dress. "Oh, Son, thank you. I appreciate so much what you've done." He said, "Mother, you don't like it." She said, "Oh, yes, I do. It's my color. Thank you." He said, "Mother, I have the sales slip. They tell me I can take it back." She said, "No, it is a lovely dress." He said, "Mother, you don't fool me. We've been together too long. What's wrong?" The woman turned and opened her closet. She said, "Son, I have enough dresses there to last me for the rest of my life. I guess all I want to say is that I don't want your dress. I want you." Robinson added, “With all of our busyness, we better SIMPLIFY OUR LIVES, because God doesn't want your life as much as he wants you.”
Second, DEVELOP A PASSION FOR JESUS. Understand that passion can be developed. It develops as we spend time with someone or something. I became passionate about loving Barb because we spent a lot of time together. We become passionate about Jesus by spending time with Him. Jesus told us how: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks the door will be opened.” START ASKING, SEEKING, AND KNOCKING.
Third, FOLLOW JESUS’ PATTERN. Joanna Weaver points out that Jesus WENT FROM PLACE OF PRAYER TO PLACE OF PRAYER, AND IN BETWEEN DID MIRACLES! No one action was wasted. It is the pattern for your life. Mother Teresa required her Missionaries of Charity to spend three one-hour blocks of time a day for payer to sustain their love for the dying. St. Francis of Assisi left the cloistered monasteries for the streets to proclaim Christ, but had a rhythm of leaving the cities to be alone with God for days and weeks at a time. It may not be practical for most of us – but going from time of prayer to time of prayer is.
I know what some of you are thinking. “But if I take all this time for sitting at Jesus’ feet, I won’t get the work done.” I could take a wide mouth gallon jar and put some fist-sized rocks into it. It would not be full. I could then pour pea gravel into the jar until it reached the top. It still wouldn’t be full. I could then pour sand into the jar, shake the jar up, and add more sand until it was to the top of the jar. Still it would not be full. I could then add water which would filter down before finally overflowing the jar. The point? IF YOU DON’T PUT THE BIG ROCKS IN FIRST, YOU’LL NEVER GET THEM IN THERE LATER. “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Sit at Jesus’ feet. You will rediscover that you are loved, not because of anything you do or how you perform. You are loved and accepted because you are God’s child, Jesus’ brother or sister. Jesus’ love is not based upon your being successful, or a clean house, or a manicured lawn; you are loved because you are His! Nothing will ever change that. No success and no failure – no wealth or poverty – not singlehood, marriage, or divorce. None of it changes the fact that YOU ARE LOVED. There is nothing that can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rest in Jesus – for that’s the rest of the story.
