Wednesday, July 20, 2016

“Time for God…” Luke 10.38-42, Pentecost 9C, July ’16




1.                   Please pray with me.  Dear heavenly Father, we ask that this time of meditating on Your Word would be a blessing to us all.  Open our hearts Lord so that we may be able to understand the Scriptures and kneel before the feet of our Lord Jesus who teaches us the “mysteries of the faith.”  Fill our hearts with Your Spirit Lord and enable us to keep you first as Mary did.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.  As our prayer for this morning suggests we’re going to be focusing on the Gospel lesson for today in Luke 10:38-42.  We’re reminded in this lesson of the importance of setting aside our busy schedules to take time to learn from God in His Word.  So let’s dig a little deeper in what it means to choose the better thing.  That is, learning from our Lord Himself.  The message is entitled, “Time for God?”  Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2.                   I want you to imagine an archeological dig hundreds of years in the future. (This is your time to close your eyes in church, don’t worry I’m letting you do it). On each human skeleton—young and old alike—the diggers find a shackle on the left wrist. Some people's bonds are brilliant silver or gold.  Others appear to be leather or plastic. A few of these manacles are strangely ticking. The archeologists believe that these people were ruled by this little ticking object. Maybe they considered it a household god.  Well, these future archeologists wouldn't be far off. We Westerners, especially here in America, are constantly ruled by our watches.  By time itself. We have fifteen minutes to do one thing. Two hours to do another. We've only got five minutes to visit a friend or twenty to take for lunch. Our lives, as the poet T.S. Eliot once said are "measured out with coffee spoons." If we aren't careful, this constant worry about time can strangle our relationships and stifle our days. Time can become an idol.
3.                   In her new book, “Time Peace,” Ellen Vaughn offers sound biblical principles on how to think about time. She says, "Time is not our enemy when we’re friends with God.  Time is a resource to be used, like food or oxygen. We can keep it, rather than be kept by it."  (We’ll see this later in the story of Mary and Martha.)  Ellen reminds us that God gives us enough time each day to do His will. She reminds us of the example of Jesus, who, while he had an urgent message, didn’t seem hurried or stressed. While His disciples yelled at people to go away, Jesus wasn’t stingy with His time. He also didn't try to "do it all." He didn’t heal everyone. Didn’t preach everywhere. He took time away from the pressing crowds and He lived well and completely, all within the constraints of time.  As we see in Luke 10:38-42 Jesus was taking time to Himself in Bethany to be with His followers, specifically Mary and Martha.
4.                   A couple of weeks ago we read from the beginning of Luke 10 when Jesus was sending out the 72 to bring people into the Lord’s harvest field.  But, now in this same chapter the importance of “serving God and serving one’s neighbor has turned full circle.”  Now we see Mary and Martha in Bethany with Jesus.  But, instead of the importance of serving one’s neighbor, Jesus shows how vital it is to learn from Him and His Word as Mary does in the story.  As Americans we can easily see Mary’s sister Martha in all of us.  We’re obsessed with time and getting things done.  Maybe this is why Luke decided to put this story near the end of his 10th chapter.  While the beginning of Luke 10 emphasizes the “the love a person should have for one’s neighbor,” which is the 2nd table of the Law in the 10 commandments.  The end of Luke 10 emphasizes the 1st table of the Law, “that is the importance of showing our love for God and His Word.”
5.                   Luke 10:38-39 says, As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said.”  Here we see in Scripture that when Mary and Martha are spoken about, Martha usually takes the lead.  She’s the person with the Type A personality.  The leader between her and her sister.  Maybe you have someone in your family like Martha, always getting things done.  Directing people to their tasks.  Martha’s the one who’s hosting Jesus.  But, is she taking her time for God to sit as His feet as Mary’s doing here?  That’s the question we want to ask.  
6.                   In verse 39 we see that while Martha has extended a hearty welcome to Jesus, Mary’s sitting at Jesus’ feet learning from him.  Here she’s eagerly listening to the words of life that are issuing from the Savior’s lips.  For her all is well. In verse 40 we hear, “But Martha was becoming distracted about all that had to be done.”  Isn’t it easy to sympathize with Martha.  Mary had left her to do all the work.  Maybe you’ve felt this way in your own home.  You’re the only one getting the chores done.  Kids, maybe you’re the only one of your siblings making your bed and cleaning your room.  Husbands, maybe you feel you’re the only one who takes care of the yard.  Or maybe you feel as a woman that you’re not being appreciated for keeping the house clean or preparing wonderful meals for your family.  This is how Martha feels.  Martha is pulled in every direction.  She’s asking herself, “How will I be able to take care of the details of this meal?  The appetizers, the salad, meat, vegetables, relishes, rolls and dessert and arranging the guests around the table.”  Is there time for God in all this?
7.                   As Martha thinks on the enormity of the task she gets frustrated and jealous of her sister who appears to be doing nothing.  She continues in vs. 40 by asking, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work all by myself?  Tell her to take hold and help me.”  To many of us it sounds like Martha had every right to ask this question.  There was so much to be done.  So many things to do and Mary was just sitting there.  She was making a waste of time.  Yet, she was also, taking her time for God.  To sit at Jesus’ feet.  Martha feels that she has a good reason to be annoyed.  In her outburst she finds fault not only with Mary but also with Jesus for allowing Mary to just sit there idly.  Was it wrong for Mary to take time for God?  Let’s see what Jesus says.
8.                   In Luke 10:41-42 Jesus responds saying, “Martha, Martha, You are worried and upset about many things; but only one thing is necessary.  Mary has chosen that good portion, and it will not be taken away from her.”  When Jesus says, Martha, Martha it sounds like He’s disapproving of her.  To Jesus Martha was too inwardly worried and outwardly upset.  Jesus is saying, “Martha you’re doing too much, a simple meal would have sufficed.  Only one dish is needed.  Your sister Mary has found the more important thing.  That is to learn from me and the Word of God, which comes from my HHhhsdfdsfljkHeavenly Father.” 
9.                   This leaves us as a body of believers here at Christ and Calvary Lutheran to ask the question.  “Can there be anything greater than learning from God’s Word about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?”  In our Old Testament reading we learned that Abraham stopped everything that He was doing to serve the Lord and learn from Him when the two angels and the LORD Himself came to Him.  He wanted nothing more than to sit at the LORD’s feet and take time for God.  In Colossians the Apostle Paul reminds us the importance of teaching one another the “mysteries of Jesus Himself through the Word of God.”  This is what Jesus was teaching Mary.  He was teaching her the power of the Gospel along with the Law.  The very fact of why He came to this earth in the first place to suffer and die on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins.  The Law that shows us our sin and the Gospel which shows us our need for a Savior.  How easy is it in this world we live in to forget that fact.  The importance of taking time for God.
10.               But, how do we do that pastor?  You may ask.  We do this by meeting together on a regular basis to study God’s Word.  This coming September you will once again get opportunities to have your children attend Sunday School and also to attend Bible Class here at Christ and Calvary Lutheran with your fellow church members.  You may also want to take some time personally to study God’s Word on an individual level by reading from “Portals of Prayer,” they’re available for you to take home with you in the narthex of our church. Or, maybe even start up a Bible study group of your own to learn from God’s Word.  Ask me later and I’ll give you some suggestions on how to do it.  You may even want to take some time to go over God’s Word with your family and to learn from Jesus Himself the mysteries of our Christian faith.
11.               So did Martha really get it?  Did she understand how important it is to sit at our Master’s feet and learn from Him?  What does God’s Word have to say about this?  Well, I believe that Martha learned her lesson.  Service to God and one’s neighbor is important in this life.  But, it must be kept in tension with also learning from God through His Word.  The two must go together.  Both service to God by learning from Him and also service to one’s neighbor.  This isn’t an easy task to do.  In John’s Gospel we see that Martha knew that Jesus’ words of instruction had been spoken in love.  John 11:5 says “Jesus was holding in loving esteem Martha and her sister and Lazarus.”  In fact, two of the greatest professions of faith found in Scripture echoed from the lips of Martha.  At her brother Lazarus’ funeral Martha says in John 11: 21-22 "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." And in vs. 27 in John 11 she says, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who has to come into the world."  After that confession of faith Martha and her sister Mary witness an awesome act.  Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead.  Martha believed that Jesus is the resurrection and the life.  In his death on the cross and resurrection from the dead we do have life, life eternal in His name!  The Word of God does teach us! 
12.               So in the end, Martha did take some time for God.  She set aside her busy schedule and reflected on the importance of learning from our Savior Jesus.  Maybe she asked her sister Mary to study the Scriptures with her so she would not be doing it alone.  Maybe their brother Lazarus got in on it as well.  But, we realize that Martha did take some time for God.  May we also do the same with the Spirit’s help so that Jesus may be glorified and the message of His love for us may continue to dwell among us.  Like Jesus, we’re to seize our days for the kingdom, but not with anxiety. We trust God that the time we have to spend, if submitted to Him, is leaving a legacy which outlasts time itself.  May we take time for God to learn from Him in His Word.  Amen. 

“The Knowledge of God in Christ,” Colossians 1.1-14, Pentecost 8C, July ’16




1.                   Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  The message from God’s Word this morning comes from Colossians 1:1-14 and is entitled, “The Knowledge of God in Christ,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2.                   Gianna Jessen was born alive after a failed saline abortion. A nurse on duty called 911, and Gianna was taken to a hospital. She weighed only 2 pounds, and the abortionist had to sign her birth certificate.  At 17 months, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, resulting from oxygen starvation during the attempted abortion. Doctors said she would never be able to raise her head. But she proved them wrong. They said she would never be able to sit up, crawl, or walk, but today she does all that and more—competing in marathons and sharing her story of survival before the United States Congress and the British Parliament.  As a child,  Gianna was bullied in school and endured the taunts of classmates. When she was 16, a stranger told her that people with disabilities were a burden on society, but Gianna refused to believe it. Today, she speaks of her cerebral palsy as a gift, and she admits that she has more joy than she can express because of the obstacles God has enabled her to overcome.
3.                   Gianna’s story is truly an inspiring one for all of us.  The fact that God could use this young woman to show to the world that greatness isn’t found in how healthy our bodies are, but that God’s power is made manifest through human weakness.  Gianna’s story reminds us that life’s challenges can cause us to remember our inadequacies.  But, Paul reminds us here in Colossians that God alone qualifies us to enter eternal life and to meet the challenges of daily life.  When our instinct or false teachers tell us we must do something to be adequate, the voice of Jesus releases us to his finished work alone to save us from our sins and give us eternal life.  WHEN WE HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IN CHRIST, WE REALIZE THAT OUR ADEQUACY IS FROM HIM.
4.                   What was the occasion that Paul was writing to the Christian church at Colossae?  Well, Paul was writing because there was false teaching there. He shows that this false teaching lies in its inadequate view of the person and work of Jesus Christ. The false teachers in Colossae wouldn’t direct their hearers solely to Christ and his finished work of redemption as the basis of salvation. Instead, they directed their hearers to Christ and the works of the Law (JUST LIKE WE LEARNED IN PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIANS).  These people were insisting on circumcision, dietary restrictions, and observance of the Jewish festival calendar, among other things.
5.                   Paul spoke against this false teaching in Colossae with a high Christology, declaring that all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ, and that through Christ alone, Christians are already perfect (1:28) and reconciled to God (1:22). Not only were the works of the Law unnecessary additions to Christ’s work, but also they were totally ineffective in producing the good works that the Law requires (2:23). Only the risen Christ, who imparts spiritual life in Baptism (2:9–12), enables Christians to rise to newness of life and to do good works (3:1–17).
6.                   When we have the knowledge of God in Christ we realize that our adequacy is from Him.  Let’s look at what Paul says about that.  Colossians 1:9-10 says, 9And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”  Here we see from the Apostle Paul that the knowledge of God in Christ produces glorious effects in each person who has received Jesus as their Savior and Lord.  As soon as the knowledge of God in Christ is revealed to you that God has loved you from eternity and that He so loved you that He became a man and died on the cross for you.  When you come to know the love of God in Christ you love this good God in return.  You also have a holy fear of offending your gracious God and Father in heaven by any sin.  And you have a holy desire to live to please God in everything and to love your neighbor and do good to him.
7.                   Paul continues in Colossians 1:11 saying, “11May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.”  Here the apostle Paul gives us the second result of a living knowledge of God in Christ.  The might and patience for the glorious perseverance in the cross.  The person who hasn’t learned to know God as His Father in Christ will find it impossible to joyfully endure many sufferings and afflictions.  In our opening story we learned how Gianna Jessen had come to know from God how to endure her present sufferings and afflictions of having cerebral palsy.  She had come to realize that God wouldn’t let her fall.  Dear friends, when you have the knowledge of God in Christ you believe that God intends good for you and that your afflictions are fatherly disciplines rather than punishments.  These disciplines lead to salvation, heaven, blessedness and glory. 
8.                   Speaking about Godly discipline the author of Hebrews writes in chapter 12:3-6 & 11, 3Consider Christ who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.6For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives…11For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
9.                   Colossians 1:12-14 concludes in saying, 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”  Here we find the third effect of a living knowledge of God in Christ.  It’s a constant, fervent, thanks.  Praising and thanking God should be the most precious occupation of all people here on earth.  This is what distinguishes people from animals:  people demonstrate their enjoyment of the gifts of God by thanking the Giver, in contrast animals know nothing about the Giver.  As long as a person doesn’t know God as His Father, His heart is cold in praise and thanks.  In fact, no matter how much he already has, he remains without happiness and thinks there’s much more that he needs to acquire to attain that happiness.  But, when he discovers the source of true happiness, namely the knowledge of God in Christ, he finds himself so overwhelmed with the blessings of God that he must praise him even in the midst of poverty, shame, pain, sickness and death. 
10.               Dear friends when we have the knowledge of God in Christ our hearts can’t help but thank God for delivering us from the power of darkness.  We praise God that He has brought us into Christ’s kingdom of grace through the precious blood that He shed on the cross for our sins.  Amen.