Sermon: When you're worried and distracted by many things (July 17, 2016)

Pentecost 9C

July 17, 2016

Luke 10:38-42

            I had the pleasure this week of spending six days at Lake Chautauqua Lutheran Center with 83 youth from western NY. Has anyone ever been there? It’s a beautiful and peaceful place, with the gorgeous lake as the daily backdrop. Of course “camp” for pastors is quite a bit different than camp for campers. The campers are scheduled from morning to night, with days full of learning, eating, activities, games, campfire – typical camp stuff. The pastors, or “the faculty,” as we’re called, are only responsible for leading the learning time in the morning, and planning and leading worship in the evening. The rest of the time, in theory, is free for us to use however we need or want. Many of us use this time to catch up on emails, write sermons, and catch up with each other about what is happening in our churches and our lives. I thought I would have lots of time – to catch up on reading, get some work done, and maybe even relax a bit. I optimistically brought a stack of books with me.

View of Lake Chautauqua from center of camp

            I was wrong. Despite having a fairly open schedule, I managed to keep very busy, with very little time to myself. How does that always happen? Do you notice that? That even when you have nothing to do, you end up having no time? I hear this a lot from recently retired people, when they say, “I don’t know how I ever had time to work!”

            Well, if you are anything like me in that way, then this story about Mary and Martha always bugs you a little bit. I suspect a lot of us relate more to Martha than to Mary – we bustle about, getting things done, taking care of all the chores and whatnot, keeping everyone’s schedules straight, and struggle to find time just to sit and listen to Jesus.

            Maybe this is even worse in an age of multi-tasking. Maybe this is a millennial thing, but I rarely find myself doing one thing at a time. I’m taking a walk and listening to a podcast, I’m watching TV or checking my email while I eat, I’m talking on the phone while I put away dishes, I start off pulling together the laundry, then notice some toys sitting out and put them away, then realize the living room really ought to be dusted, then oh, it’s lunchtime and I have to make some food… it’s a never-ending stream of busy-ness. Anyone else have this experience?

            But what really bugs me about this story is that, you know, those things really need to get done. How can Jesus tell Martha that Mary has chosen the better part? The family needs to get fed,

Martha and Mary, by He Qi

the chores need to get done, and, by the way, Martha was serving a very honored guest. Aren’t we supposed to extend hospitality, and serve Jesus? How can he rebuke that?

            Well, as is so often the case, this story is not a black and white “either/or” sort of thing. It’s more of a “both/and” sort of thing. Those things do need to get done, just as there is so much ministry that needs to be done in the world: so much hospitality to extend, and love to give, and service to offer. But a lot of times, we work on all of this before we have talked – and more importantly, listened – to God about it. We trust ourselves and our own good sense, doing and saying what we think is necessary in our work, our families, our churches, and the world.

            One of the conversations I had with colleagues this week during one of our down times was about the tragic events of the last two weeks, as well as the upcoming conventions and election and what they will bring. The question that kept arising out of our concerns was, “What can we do about this?!” It is the question on all of our hearts, and I can tell you, it is a question very heavy on the hearts of clergy these days. In my reading this week, I read another pastor’s story about this. After the shootings in Dallas, she emailed her colleagues and asked if they’d like to get together and talk about it. They did. The last person to arrive at the meeting was their colleague from the local Islamic Center. He hadn’t yet heard about the events in Dallas. As they recounted what happened, he listened carefully, then said, “Let’s go.” Where? they asked. He said, “Let’s go to the police station and listen to their stories. Let’s bring cookies and flowers.”

            What a Mary response from this faithful Muslim man! Let’s go and listen to the people who are really hurting right now. Let’s just go and show them that we care for them. What a way to seize that moment as an opportunity to choose the better part like Mary, instead of jumping immediately into Martha mode.

            Of course, it doesn’t take a tragedy to seize moments like that, moments God has given us not to do first, but to listen first. There are so many more in each day than we realize. This is something else I noticed at camp this week. The camp is “unplugged,” no devices, so whenever we were with campers, we used our phones only for taking pictures. That meant that when I had half an hour free between responsibilities, I couldn’t waste it away by browsing Facebook. Instead, I would read my Bible, or take a short walk, or just sit on the deck facing the lake and soak up the warm sun and the beautiful lake breeze.

            I notice it also when I’m with my 10-month-old. Grace would rather feed herself these days than be spoon-fed, so I usually put some food on her highchair tray and let her go at it. I can’t leave her alone – she might choke, or more likely, feed most of her breakfast to the dog. For the same reason, I can’t do anything else while she eats, like check my email. So you know what I do? I just sit there and watch her. At first, as a multi-tasker, I felt anxious about this, like I was wasting precious time. But then I realized: This isn’t a waste, it’s a gift. I have this gift every morning, where I just get to sit quietly, with my daughter, and enjoy her for 15 minutes.

            We have moments like this, gifts like this, every single day, but what I notice is that whenever I get one, I flit it away by doing something meaningless, or by filling up the time with other stuff, or just feel agitated about it. Jesus says to Martha, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things.” He might as well as be saying, “Johanna, Johanna, you are worried and distracted by

Martha and Mary, by an African artist

many things.” Whenever I am worried about something, that is when I seek distraction, something to take my mind off of what’s on my heart, something to will keep me from having to face my troubles. Maybe that is why, when I find myself waiting at a red light, I feel anxious, or when I am in line at Wegmans, I feel antsy to get moving, or when I’m waiting at the doctor’s office I feel annoyed that my time is being wasted. Maybe all those negative responses are actually my tumultuous, worried heart, not liking the possibility of having the time to face my worries, desperate for a distraction so I can avoid having to deal with what is heavy on my heart.

            Are you guilty of that, too? I think Jesus nails it when he says, “You are worried and distracted by many things,” because the two so often go hand-in-hand. We distract ourselves because if we don’t, we worry. When we are especially worried, we seek out distractions.

            But Jesus also says, “Mary has chosen the better part.” Mary, who puts aside distractions and simply sits to listen to Jesus. Mary, who may very well have her own worries on her heart, but instead of shoving them aside, brings them to the feet of Jesus. Mary, who understands that even and especially when our hearts are worried and distracted, listening to God must be the first step.

            “You are worried and distracted by many things. Mary has chosen the better part.” They are hard words for our troubled hearts to hear, but they are also life-giving ones, liberating ones – that Jesus would invite me to do this, despite my complaints that I don’t have the time. The thing is, we do have the time. God gives us moments each day when we could check in – they happen at red lights, when you’re early to a meeting, when you’re in line at Wegmans. We often flit them away by seeking distractions. What if instead of reaching for our ever-demanding smartphones, we pray? Instead of trying to fit in one more chore, we stand still and take a deep breath? Instead of making a mental to-do list, we make a list of things for which we are grateful?

            “Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.” May we see each of these moments God gives us throughout our day as invitations – invitations into a deeper relationship with God – and as opportunities to experience and live more deeply into the new life that God offers us through Christ.

Let us pray. Gracious and loving God, we are worried and distracted by many things. Help us to choose the better part, not by shoving our worries away and hiding them with distractions, but by bringing them to the feet of Jesus, and listening to his Word of life. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.