Sermon for July 21, 2013 Luke 10:38-42

Rev. George Miller
Luke 10:38-42
“Saved From Distractions”
July 21, 2013

(Sermon is given in character as a young boy. He enters in singing)

“We are marching in the light of God; we are marching in the light of God.

We are marching in the light of God; we are marching in the light of God.

Siyahamba, siyahamba OO! We are marching in the light of God!

Siyahamba, siyahamba OO! We are marching in the light of God!”

Hello! My name is Marty. I’m named after my father. Guess what his name is? He’s called Marty too!

My momma’s name is Martina, my brother’s name is Michael and my uncle’s name is Mark. That’s a whole lot of Ms in my family!

I’m excited about tomorrow. You wanna know why? It’s the first day of Vacation Bible School at Emmanuel United Church of Christ!

I can’t wait because I went last year and had the bestest time ever! Especially with my friends Noah and Abigail.

I’ve heard good things about this year. That Miss Joanne has put together a fun week of school. Miss Roxie has made another delicious menu. That Miss Millie has some great lessons planned. That Miss Shirley is going to have us make cool things like pine cones and tie-dye shirts.

We will have games and sit outside by the bonfire and even sing songs with instruments, like the one I just sanged.

I like church! I like school! I like going to Vacation Bible School because everyone is so nice and we do lots of fun stuff.

I like going to church and learning about Jesus how he loves me.

But you know what I don’t like? I don’t like going to church when it feels like a chore, like having to wash dishes or having to make my bed.

That’s how my Dad Marty can be at times. My Dad seems to get easily distracted by his many tasks. He’s the head of Diaconate. That’s a funny word. Daddy says it means “to serve.”

My Dad gets distracted by Diaconate work: getting stuff ready for worship, setting things up, calling people, making schedules, serving grape juice and crackers, going to meetings.

My Dad Marty is always busy. Going here, going there, doing this, doing that. He’s says it’s for the good of the church, but often times it seems to make him like one of the 7 Dwarves: either Sleepy or Grumpy.

Daddy often says he is pooped out by all his church tasks. But not my Uncle. Uncle Mark is my Daddy’s brother and he is soooo different.

Uncle Mark is coooool; chill. He also goes to church but unlike Daddy, he likes to take time before worship to sit and be still. He likes to listen to the organist play the prelude and take time to be quiet and to pray.

Uncle Mark doesn’t do nearly as much as Daddy does, but if someone asks him for help, he will. He says he likes to be “guided by the Spirit” when it comes to volunteering and offering to do diakonia.

My Daddy and uncle are very different, much like the sisters in today’s story. Their names are Martha and Mary. I like to call them the “M&M Sisters”!

Martha is said to be distracted by her many tasks. She’s like Daddy.

Mary is chill and likes to sit at the feet of Jesus, listening to what Jesus has to say. She’s like Uncle Mark.

Martha does not like this at all because she is so, so busy. I can understand because it’s not fair when one person does all the work and the other person does not help.

But do you know what I noticed in today’s story? Verse 20. It says “Martha was distracted by her many tasks.”

Her many tasks.

Did you see that nowhere is there any idea that Jesus or someone else told her what she had to do? Did you see any place where Jesus asked for something special to be done?

Martha is like my Daddy, running around, trying to do so many things to make so many people happy that she is making herself very unhappy and very mad.

Did she think she had to do soooo many things to make Jesus like her? Did she think that doing everything would make Jesus give her a gold star, like the kind we get at school?

Want to know what I believe? I believe what they teach us in Sunday School.

Want to hear it?

(Sings) “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong, they are weak but he is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so.”

Know what that means to me?

It means I don’t have to do tons and tons of things to make Jesus love me!

It means regardless if I clean up my room or not-Jesus loves me!

It means regardless if I get an A or a B on my homework-Jesus loves me!

It means regardless if I remember to wash behind my ears or not- Jesus loves me!

Jesus is my friend. He loves me no matter what.

And friends do like to help one another.

So I try to do what I can for Jesus, not because I want to earn extra gold stars or because I’m afraid he won’t love me, but because that’s what good friends do.

They help one another.

So maybe today’s story is a way to remind people like Martha and people like my Daddy that it is cool to do things for Jesus, but that we should do them because they make us happy, not because they are a chore to do or no one else will.

And maybe today’s story is reminding people like Martha and my Daddy that sometimes it is cool not to worry so much about committees or council meetings or chores.

That from time to time it is Ok to be like Mary and Uncle Mark and to sit, and be still, and listen and be quiet.

I think we can all learn, children and adults alike, that sometimes we got to relax and to trust that God will do what God says will be done, that when Jesus is present it is OK to stop and enjoy the moment, and that the Holy Spirit will lead us in what the tasks are that need to be done.

There are the tasks we do for God and there are tasks we are actually doing for ourselves. Can we tell the difference?

Like I said earlier, I cannot wait for Vacation Bible School to begin tomorrow. I know everyone has donated a lot of time and a lot of money to making it possible.

I hope that all of you have lots of fun and enjoy yourself knowing that what you are doing, you are doing for the Lord.

May Miss Joanne, Miss Roxie, Miss Millie, Miss Shirley, Miss Cindy, Miss Dee, Miss Nancy, Miss Judy, Mr. Jim and Pastor George have the bestest time evah!

And may everything you do for the church flourish and bring you joy.

Now, maybe you can help me sing as I say goodbye:

“We are marching in the light of God; we are marching in the light of God.

We are marching in the light of God; we are marching in the light of God.

Siyahamba, siyahamba OO! We are marching in the light of God!

Siyahamba, siyahamba OO! We are marching in the light of God!”

Amen and amen!