Minister's Message July 27th Find Balance

Balance is hard…isn’t it? We get involved with one thing and let something else equally as important go altogether. Our lives then become lopsided. 

A couple of weeks ago, I was busily involved in making potato salad for the recent cookout at the church.  My doorbell rang and I answered to find one of my dear friends there almost in tears. She asked me if I was busy. I told her I was making potato salad for a cookout at church but my potatoes weren’t finished cooking yet so I was ready for a break. It was obvious she was upset. So I pulled out a chair and asked her sit down and tell me what was troubling her. She told me she woke up that morning and couldn’t remember the last two days. She was very upset. I told her she had had lunch with me the day before and did she remember that? After thinking a moment, she said she did now. She had been upset over the pending visit of her son who wanted to put her in a nursing home and was stressed over that. I suggested that might be the problem. Stress can do that.  She agreed that could be the case. 

Later, I realized she might need even more support. So I went to her home and she was very glad to see me. I suggested we go get a milkshake at Gabbie’s downtown and that too seemed like a great idea to her so we did that.  I spent the afternoon with her. I realize it’s only a temporary fix but when he is gone, perhaps I can get her to a doctor. 

Luke 10: 38-42

This is a story of Jesus and two sisters. He is visiting them at home. It is a “cottage meeting” type visit. Remember those? We used to have visits in the home from ministers or missionaries. Sometimes their visits would upset our TV watching but if we were wise, we would turn off the TV and enjoy a real opportunity to discuss the mission of Jesus and what that had to do with us. We may have chosen “the better half”.

In the case of Martha and Mary, though, we may sense a bit of sibling rivalry. Perhaps even some jealously.

The house is small. Indeed, it may be just one tiny room. There is no separate kitchen. Do Mary and Martha live here alone? What is it that keeps Martha so busy? What are her many tasks? As we try to imagine the scene, we can see Jesus and Mary sitting (on the floor most likely), and Martha bustling about. Is she tidying up? Is she fixing something for dinner?  We can only guess. She is not cut out of the conversation. However, she is a whirlwind of activity, racing against an unknown clock. And there sits Mary. “Can’t you tell her to get up and help me?” Martha asks Jesus.

A guest has arrived. Hospitality is freely given. In fact, hospitality is a hallmark of many cultures, both in Jesus’ time and now. It is odd how some interpret this passage as placing more importance on learning from Jesus and studying the “word,” to the neglect of hospitality. Although Jesus suggests Mary has chosen “the better part” (v. 42), he contrasts that with Martha being “distracted by her many tasks,” not that what she was doing was less important.

I was working on my next talk and my doorbell rang. It was my new neighbor..the young man. He had found one of my windshield notes.  I had not seen them for a while. They moved boxes in on two weekends ago and I didn’t see them for the next two weeks. He rang my doorbell and when I answered it I could see he was very hot so I invited him in. I had noticed his grass was very high.

I had an ulterior motive for wanting to talk to him about his grass. I thought he might not have a mower and although my original ulterior motive was to make him a proposition. If he didn’t have a mower, I was going to offer to buy the gas and let him use my mower if he would mow my yard too. But he told me he had a mower. In fact, the reason I hadn’t seen them was that his wife had had their baby prematurely and was in the hospital at Joplin. The baby weighed 3 lbs, 4 oz. and was doing fine. It was up over 4 lbs now and was nursing with his wife. So my entire strategy changed.  I congratulated him and asked him if it was alright if I put them all three on the prayer list at church.  

Looking at this text through the modern, clock-oriented lifestyles that are more and more commonplace today, gathering as disciples can become routine, task-oriented, and time-limited. How often do we watch the clock, rushing through an agenda of business, pushing the discussions to a decision so we can move on to the next task? As we rush from one minute to the next, do we remember God’s role in all that we do? God is present in our business meetings, if we but pause to recognize the divine presence. Christ sits at the table with us during potluck,   if we would just relax and not worry so much about the decoration or the spilled milk. More of what the “church” is about takes place around the table than sitting in the pew—just look at the first-century church experience for that!

We need the Marthas. We need the Marys. We need the Kevins. We need the Garys. Sometimes we need to cut the grass, replace light bulbs, prepare meals, plan a Sunday school lesson, select a pastor and congregational leaders, or plan budgets. Sometimes we just need to listen  to sermons, pray, and read the scriptures.  And sometimes, most importantly, we need to be available for anyone who needs us.

Being and doing are essential in the lives of disciples. Preparing a meal and listening to the teachings of Jesus are the beginning of mission.