Sermon Archives

July 18, 2010
Pastor Dan Selbo

"Building Your Life Around Jesus"
Luke 10:38-42

            Dear Friends, greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus.

            It is good to be back with you (here today), after having been away for the past several weeks. I was here last weekend, leading worship, but it’s good to be back today here in the pulpit.

            As most of you know, I spent a good part of last month at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, working on the front-end of a three-year program of study in Biblical Preaching. It’s a good program they’ve put together (at Luther), designed as it is for pastors in fulltime ministry. I was honestly quite pleased to see the way it’s set up.

            There are ten of us in the program, (seven men and three women) with a number of denominations represented. There’s one from the Baptist church, another from the United Church of Christ, there’s an Anglican, one from Missouri Synod, another from the United Church in Canada, and five of us from the ELCA.

            And I was a real student while I was gone. (It was an adjustment, but you would have been proud of me.) I lived in a dorm room, ate in the cafeteria, carried a backpack, and spent a good amount of time in the library. While I was there, I took part in three one-week classes, began thinking about a first-year project and a third-year doctoral thesis, and I listened to (if you can believe it), over the course of the three weeks, 45 sermons (some of which were even good). And you thought you had it bad!

            During this first year, I have several projects I’ll be working on, all related to the normal preaching responsibilities I have. The first will be to form what is called a Parish Response Group, made up of 6-9 congregational members whose task it will be to meet with me before and after a couple of sermons each year, as well as at the end of each of the three years, to offer their response and critique. Over the next few weeks I’ll be putting that group together. If any of you would like to be a part of it, (I can’t guarantee anything), but let me know.

            The first class I had (last month) was led by Professor David Lose. (I don’t know if any of you would know that name or not?) David is Professor in Biblical Preaching (at the seminary). He has a heart not only for preaching, but for finding new ways to speak the message of Jesus to a world that is (increasingly becoming) more and more distanced from the church.

            David told us a story of an airline flight he took in which he was working on a project for one of his classes. He said the man who sat next to him asked him what he was doing. (And so he told him.) And then he asked (the man) if he had a church and if he ever went. And the man said he did (for a while), but he no longer does. And so he asked him why.

            Do you know what he said? He said, “After church one day, I sat down with my family and we made a list of all the things we like to do.” (He said) “We were getting so busy that we decided something had to give. So we sat down and made a list. And then we prioritized the things we liked the most. After an hour and a half (he said), we decided not to go to church. And since that day, (he said), we haven’t.”

            Professor Lose went on to talk about the changes that have taken place in our culture (over the last 50-60 years). He said we’ve moved from (what he called) an age of obligation to an age of discretion. In the 1940’s and 50’s and 60’s (he said), there was a sense of obligation toward the church. People went to church because you were supposed to go, because it was the right thing to do and everyone did. And most people, as a result, found themselves (in one way or another) building their lives around their relationship with God.

            But now we’ve moved (he said) in the 1980’s and 90’s and on into the 21^st century into an age of discretion. (It’s a different day today than it was then.) People see life today (not in terms of a whole), but in terms of its pieces. There’s work. There’s family. There’re friends. There’s entertainment and activity. And there’s even faith. But it’s all discretionary. It’s all a matter of choosing what you want, what fits, and what seems to make the most sense (for your life). And if it’s important, it stays. If it’s not, it goes. And so (in ninety minutes), without much further thought, that was the end, in this particular man’s life (and his family’s) of their relationship with the church.

            Now, the story we read today (from Luke’s gospel) is not about going to church or not, but about how to prioritize your life, what matters most in life. And it’s not just about what matters most, and how to set priorities, but about how to build your life, how to live your life, and how to build it and to live it (with all of its different pieces) in relationship to Jesus.

            You remember the story. It’s a story about two sisters, Mary and Martha. Now, both of (those sisters) loved Jesus. (There’s no question about that.) Both of them wanted to do what was right and what was best. But when it came time to do what was right and what was best, they each ended up doing something much different.

            Martha was the one (if you remember), when Jesus arrived at their home, who wanted everything to be just right. Fixing a meal, putting away the dishes. Luke doesn’t tell us exactly what Martha was doing. Nor does he tell us that what she was doing was wrong. What he does tell us is that she was “distracted” (and worried and upset) by many things.

            But Mary? Mary’s response was quite different. Rather than running around, trying to make things just right for Jesus, Mary forgot about everything else, sat quietly at her Lord’s feet, and listened as he taught.

            When confronted in the story (by Martha) with the fact that her sister was not helping with the things she thought had to be done, Jesus pointed to what Mary was doing as “The one thing that was needed…which shall not be taken from her.”

            “Building Your Life Around Jesus.” Let’s talk for a few moments about the response of those two sisters. You know, I’ve often thought, as I’ve read this story, (over the years) that it seems a bit unfair to Martha, like she’s getting the short end of the stick. (Don’t you think?) After all, if Jesus were coming to our house, (planning to have dinner with the Selbos’ tonight), coming to your house, I imagine you (and I) would be just as busy as Martha.

            I don’t know about you, but I’d go home after church and mow the lawn and trim the shrubs and sweep off the sidewalk. And I’d probably pick up something special for dinner (on the way home), no matter what the cost.

            And when Jesus showed up, I’d be right there at the door to welcome him in, ask him if he wanted something to drink. (And if he did, I’d get it.) And (my Mary) after vacuuming the house and putting away the dishes (and doing whatever else needed to be done), would probably be getting dinner ready and making sure that everything was just right (just like Martha). After all, how often does the Son of God show up in your house? And how often do you get a chance to serve the one who served you?

            As I’ve read this story, (over the years) I’ve often thought how it’s a bit unfair (to Martha). Especially because of how most of us would end up doing the same thing.

            But I’ve also thought that maybe Mary had it right? (Maybe Mary had it right?) After all, Jesus said that she was doing the one thing needed. She was sitting at his feet. She was listening to his every word. She wasn’t a hostess, but a student. She wasn’t a doer, but a disciple. She was like a sponge. She was taking it all in. And there wasn’t anything that would pull her away.

            And so, let me ask you a question. (We’re talking today about building our lives around Jesus.) And so, which one is it? Is it best to serve? Or is it best to listen? Is it best to be busy doing the work of the Lord? Or is it best to (put away the busyness) and sit quietly and listen to what he has to say?

            Hang onto those thoughts for a moment (before you answer) and think back (with me) to the story from last week. I won’t ask you to raise your hands (but if you were here last week), it was the story of the Good Samaritan. (You know the story.) The man was beat up on the side of the road. The priest and the Levite walked by. The Samaritan comes along and helps the man. Jesus says, “Now, which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The man said, “The one who had mercy on him.” (And what did Jesus say?) He said, “Go and do likewise.” (He said) “Go and be a neighbor to the one who is in need.”

            Now, as I think about this story (of Martha and Mary), it seems as though the importance of listening to Jesus (on the one hand) and serving Christ (on the other) are in opposition. And (at least), based upon the story, it seems as if (Jesus is telling us) that listening is more important than serving. But when you put the two stories together, (the one from last week) in which Jesus tells us to go and do, and the one from this week in which Jesus tells us to sit and to listen, maybe that’s not the point?

            (Remember the story?) Luke says that Martha was distracted by the preparations needing to be made. Jesus says, “You are worried and upset about many things.”

            Last weekend, as many of you know, a number of us returned from a week just over the border into Mexico where we spent time building homes and sharing (as best we could) the story of our faith. It was a good week. It was a challenging week. It was a week that reminded each of us that some of the best things in life are not things.

            One of the gifts of being in a situation like that (if even for only a week) was the gift not being distracted. No television, no cell phones, no computers (email). We had a job to do and we did it. We stayed focused on what we hoped to accomplish, and we came home with a sense that we had accomplished what we had set out to do.

Now, maybe this is a confession. Maybe it’s simply telling it like it is. But many weeks come and go in my life (I would imagine the same is true for you) without being able to say the same. The distractions we face in our culture are many. The list of things that stand in the way of what matters most in life goes on and on. And (the trouble is) that most of those things are good. And most of those things are worth doing. But they’re not the most important. And because they’re not the most important, they can easily distract from that which is.

            Today (in our worship) we’re recognizing the work of Stephen Ministry. As we’ve heard, it’s a caring ministry. It’s a sharing ministry. It’s a one-on-one support and encouragement and relationship between the one who offers the care and the one who (at a particular time in life) is on the receiving end.

            And it’s an important ministry. It’s one of the key ministries we offer here at the church. Since we began (about seven years ago), it’s a ministry that has touched and supported the lives of many who’ve been going through tough times.

            Now, would Jesus commend us in that ministry? Would he commend those involved in offering the care? Of course he would. It’s what he’s called us to do. It’s what he’s called us to be. To love others as we have been loved (by him) is one of foundational building blocks in the Christian life.

            But here’s how it works: as important as that ministry is, and as foundational (in the Christian life) as offering care to others might be, if it’s not done in relationship to Jesus, then it’s a distraction, it’s peripheral. And if it’s a distraction and peripheral, then it’s something (in life) that has to give.

            My friends, don’t miss the point. (Today’s story is simple.) It’s not a matter of serving instead of listening, or listening instead of serving. It’s a matter of going through life without being distracted, without losing sight of what life on this earth is all about.

            You tell me. What’s distracting you in your life? (That’s the question Jesus is asking.) What is it (in your life) that’s standing in the way of your relationship with Christ?

            Is it your work? If it is, then maybe it’s time to slow things down. Is it finding pleasure in life? Then maybe it’s time to take a step back and rethink what really matters (in life). Is it your friends? Is it your family? Is it your planning and preparing and getting ready (for whatever it is) the future might bring? Whatever it is, if it’s standing in the way of your relationship with Christ, then maybe it’s time it stops standing.

            “There’s a time for everything under heaven.” (That’s what the Bible tells us.) There’s a time for serving. There’s a time for listening. There’s a time for worship, a time for work. But it all finds its meaning in Jesus. It all finds its purpose in Christ.

            That was our second lesson this morning. Paul is talking about the supremacy of Jesus in all things – the supremacy of Jesus. (Do you remember what he says?) In his letter to the Colossians, (speaking about Jesus), he says, “He is the image of the invisible God. He is the firstborn over all creation. He created all things. He is before all things. And in him (he says) all things hold together.”

            Now, did you hear it? (That’s powerful stuff!) It said, “That one hour (each week) on Sunday morning finds its meaning in Jesus.” It said, “The things we do (here in the church) find their purpose in Christ.”

            No! That’s not what it said. (That’s not what it said at all.) It said “all things” hold together in Jesus. It said, “Everything in this world” (everything in your life) finds its (ultimate and lasting and eternal) meaning and purpose in Christ.

            The question is, are you building your life around Jesus, or are you building Jesus around your life? There’s a big difference (my friends) between the two. (And there’s an even bigger difference in the result.) Don’t let the distractions of life (get in the way) of the one thing that matters.

            One final thought (in closing). Remember (at the beginning), I told you about the man who sat down with his family, and in 90 minutes, set priorities for his life? (Do you know what?) That’s not a bad idea. Perhaps it would be a good exercise for all of us who have more distractions than we need in our relationship with Jesus. Amen.