BROADCASTS.com

Mother's Day 2022 - In this special Mother's Day message, Jesus reminds us not to get distracted from the most important thing - spending time with him. Encounters with Jesus4. One Thing You Need Dan Bidwell, Senior Pastor Luke 10:38-42 Sunday 8 May 2022 Happy Mothers day! I hope all the moms out there have been spoiled, with kisses and hugs and breakfast in bed, and maybe even a gift or two... I always have trouble choosing gifts, and so I love to read those lists where they take the 12 million or so products that are for sale on Amazon, and they choose the top 50. Actually the list I found had 51 51 heartfelt Mothers Day gifts your mom will actually love (CNN Underscored is my go-to!) Here are some of the best: - Lots of different jewelery, especially necklaces and pendants. Gentlemen, that could be a good clue for Christmas... - Apple Air Pods Pro - Coffee - Exercise wear - Kitchen gadgets And then we get to the other main theme in Mothers Day gifts... See if you can guess what it is from this list: - Pajamas - A special pillow - A lavender plant - A mulberry silk pillowcase - A sleep eye mask - A linen sheet set - A knitted velvet throw rug (Actually this one got my attention. It had a picture of a lady snoozing on the couch under the blanket like a big cable-knit. Looked really comfortable!) These gifts are all about REST! And thats because moms deserve some well-earned rest. A recent survey found that the average stay-at-home mom with kids in elementary school clocks in 98 hours a week, or 14 hours a day, with just 1.7hrs per day free time.1 Thats the equivalent of 2.5 full time jobs. No wonder young moms need a rest. Moms, you are amazing! 1 https://www.wellandgood.com/how-long-average-mom-works/1 And to the moms who have been through that season of life, and are now on the other side, Im sure you remember just what it is like. Thank you for supporting the younger moms who are here, even if its just a little word or a prayer, Im sure they appreciate it. Like I said before, one of the things I love about church family is the way that God gives us a new, extended family in Christ. Moms, and sisters, and aunties, and grandmothers, which also means that we become like sons and daughters to those who adopt us into their circle. And thats really special. (Men, youll have your turn on Fathers Day, but we appreciate you too!) But since were honoring moms today, I just wanted to say that Ive never tried the stay-at-home parent thing, and I have huge respect for people who manage whole households, (my wife especially). It is a never-ending job, and often a thankless task, one that can be all-consuming. If thats the season you find yourself in today, then Jesus has a special message for you, one that I hope will bring you some rest in the middle of the busyness. So why dont we pray, and ask Jesus to speak to us as we open the Bible? Our heavenly Father, thank you for this time to sit down and hear from you. Give us quiet in our hearts now, and peace, so that we can listen as Jesus speaks to us. My your words bring refreshment to us, in Jesus name we pray, Amen. Well, you have joined us today in the middle of our sermon series called Encounters with Jesus. It is all about people who met Jesus, and how they were changed by it. Our story today is about two sisters who had an encounter with Jesus sisters called Martha and Mary. The story takes place in Marthas home, when Jesus stopped there on his way to Jerusalem: (v38) 38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. (Luke 10:38) V38 tells us a little bit about culture in 1st century Israel. It was a cultural expectation for people to offer hospitality to travelers, even if they were complete strangers. One of our favorite TV shows is a series called Long Way Round. Its a documentary about two friends who ride their motorcycles from London to New York city by travelling all the way through Europe, dipping in and out of Mongolia and Russia before they cross to Alaska for the easy ride across the United States. (BTW they also did the Long Way Down where they ride from London to the southernmost tip of Africa, and The Long Way Up from the bottom of South America to LA...) One of the most interesting parts of the show is when Ewan and Charley find themselves invited into tents and homes of some of the poorest people in the world people who have a culture of opening their homes to travelers, even when they are complete strangers. Martha opens her home to Jesus and his companions. Traditionally that meant a whole set of expectations there were traditional greetings, ceremonial washing of the feet, providing a meal, 2 preparing a place for the guests to sleep. All the same things wed do if we knew someone was coming to stay for the weekend. Only these guests probably arrived unannounced... Martha had lots to do.But her sister, Mary, was more intent on listening to Jesus. (v39) 39 [Martha] had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lords feet listening to what he said. (Luke 10:39) This Mary is a bit of an enigma. We know Mary and Martha from Johns gospel. It was their brother, Lazarus, who was a friend of Jesus, and who died and Jesus brought him back to life after four days buried in a tomb. So its likely that Martha and Mary already knew Jesus before this visit. Its also likely that Mary was one of the women who was traveling with Jesus, one of the women who helped to pay for the journey and the disciples upkeep from her own means.2 Certainly in this chapter Mary is portrayed as a disciple of Jesus disciples sat at the feet of the teacher, listening and learning. Thats what we know about Mary. I said a moment ago shes a bit of an enigma. This Mary is one of several Marys who were in Jesus entourage at the time. Theres Mary Magdalene, who had seven demons cast out of her by Jesus. Then theres this Mary in our story who anoints Jesus with expensive perfume. Then theres another story of a woman anointing Jesus with expensive perfume, and she is a sinner. That has made many Christians think that perhaps this Mary is that sinful woman who was forgiven, and thats why she becomes a devoted follower of Jesus. People also speculate that this Mary is Mary Magdalene. Theyre all interesting theories, but the jurys still out on this one. If youre interested I can forward you some articles I read. What we do know is that the Mary we meet here is a devoted follower of Jesus. She sits at Jesus feet ready to learn. Not so Martha. (v40) 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him [Jesus] and asked, Lord, dont you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me! (Luke 10:40) I feel like Im treading into dangerous territory here because I know how much work it takes to run a household, and I am not a Martha by nature. Im perhaps more like Mary, if Mary sat at the feet of the television listening to what it says... Put yourself in Marthas shoes. Martha is getting the house ready, shes cooking a meal for Jesus and however many friends he brought with him. Twelve perhaps? They didnt have running water, or gas 2 Luke 8:2-3 3 stoves back then. No dishwashers, or washing machines. This work all had to be done by hand. Laboriously. Slowly. Even with modern amenities its still a huge amount of work that Martha had to contend with. And what is Mary doing? Shes in the other room, listening to Jesus. I suspect there are a lot of you who know what its like to be working away in the kitchen, or cleaning, or looking after the kids while someone else seems to be sitting doing nothing. We get Martha, dont we? She has a right to be frustrated. Lord, dont you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me! Lets press pause on the story for a moment. Remember that our series is called Encounters With Jesus. Its all about what happened when people met Jesus, and how it changed their lives. I wonder, if you had an encounter with Jesus, if you had the chance to meet Jesus, how would you see it unfolding? Would you want to run into Jesus in an elevator, like the way my wife met Ronald Reagan. Or would you want to meet Jesus at a fundraiser, where you maybe get to shake hands and get a photo opportunity. (Maybe hes signing copies of the New Testament ;-) Or perhaps it might be like when somebody famous is sitting at the next table to you at a restaurant. Is that how youd want to meet Jesus? I was thinking about how Martha might describe her meeting with Jesus? I imagine her conversation with a friend. Martha says, Oh yes, we hosted Jesus at our house. I cooked him my famous apple pie. The friend says, What was he like? What did he talk about? Well, he loved the apple pie. But to be honest, we didnt talk much. There was so much to do, and I was in the kitchen, and I was running around getting everything ready, and then I had to clean up. The friend looks puzzled. Hold on. Youre telling me you had Jesus in your house, this famous teacher sitting right at your dinner table, and you didnt even stop long enough to listen to him just for a minute? What were you thinking? PAUSEThe answer is, Martha wasnt thinking, not about Jesus anyway. She was thinking about everything that had to be done. V40 tells us she was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. I think many of us find ourselves in the exact same position as Martha. Distracted by all the things we have to do. Im in the middle of my working career right now, and there is always something else to be done. My daughter is in college, in her first year of Nursing School. She always has work that has to be 4 done, study, exams, work she does for church here. Some of you are working in incredibly demanding jobs right now, and there is always more to be done. And even those of you who have stopped working full-time, I know for some of you, your time is just as full as when you were working. There is always so much to do... But in the middle of all that busy-ness, in the middle of all the appointments and assignments and arrangements, in the middle of all of lifes complexities, what will you do when Jesus comes knocking on your door? Perhaps thats what hes doing today, this morning, right at this very moment. Jesus is here, and hes available, and he wants you to have an encounter with him. Not a handshake, not a photo opportunity. He wants a chance to sit down with you, and to hear from you. And he wants to speak words of guidance, and words of comfort, and words of forgiveness, words of transformation. Jesus wants you to have a lifechanging encounter with him today, and every day. Listen to what Jesus says to Martha: (v41) 41 Martha, Martha, the Lord answered, you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are neededor indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her. Jesus says that we can get so caught up in the details of life that we miss the most important one. There is only one thing that really matters, only one thing we really need in life. And that is what Mary discovered. Mary sat at Jesus feet, despite everything that needed to be done. She understood that the other stuff can wait. The washing will always be there. The next task for work will always be there. Whatever it is that is taking up your time and attention, whatever it is that is distracting you, it will always be there, waiting. But Jesus? He is here, right now. And he is speaking the same words to us that he spoke to Martha: You are so busy. You are juggling so many things. But there is only one thing that really matters, one thing that will truly make sense of life, one thing that will keep you grounded in the middle of the whirlwinds of life. Its me, says Jesus. Jesus himself knew what it was like to be busy. In the three years that he was on the road, preaching and teaching and healing, every day he had crowds following him, from morning to evening. People were always clamoring for his attention. (Young moms, you know that feeling, dont you!) But even Jesus knew that he needed that time alone every day, to sit at his fathers feet. And so he would go to a quiet place, usually very early in the morning, and pray. It was how Jesus reconnected with God. Its how he listened to God. Its how Jesus found rest. And when we make that same kind of time for Jesus, its how we will ultimately find our rest also. Jesus famously said: 5 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28) When we make time for Jesus, it means we are doing the one thing that will make sense of everything else in life. He is the one who will restore our sense of balance. He is the one who will restore our sense of peace. He is the one who will restore our sense of self. Only Jesus can give you the true rest you have been longing for. Hes here now, waiting for you to sit at his feet, wanting to speak words of peace and comfort and rest over you. And all you have to do is put down those other tasks, just for a moment, just for a time, just for long enough to hear him speak. Why dont we pray for the courage to do that now? 6 Watch at: https://youtu.be/e5ST0rCtiO0 File Downloads: https://dq5pwpg1q8ru0.cloudfront.net/2022/05/17/21/20/41/80caf11b-29d4-4f76-891e-a624c56b01a0/05.08.22%20%20Sunday%20Sermon%20Transcript.pdf