Scripture: Luke 10:38-42

It happened last week. Safia, our six-year-old granddaughter, was registered for an overnight camp. It was an event that had been scheduled since last April. 

The scheduling itself had been an ordeal. We had to coordinate three adult calendars so Mom could accompany Safia to camp while Grandpa and I stayed at home to take care of one-year-old Jacob. That, of course, meant finding a Saturday where Micheal and I did not have conflicting events so at least one of us would be available at all times to cover child care!

Now, one would think after all that juggling and re-arranging, one of those three adults would have written the date on at least one of our three calendars. As the self-appointed family coordinator and scheduler of events, that “someone” is normally me. But, alas, this time I didn’t do it. I was going to. I really was! But life just kept getting in the way. Besides, I knew exactly which week-end they were supposed to be there! After all, that particular camp had been on the third week-end of July for years!

But not this year! It was purely by accident that last Wednesday I had to look something up on the camp schedule for someone else. It was also by accident that I turned the brochure over and discovered that Safia’s camp was in two days. The good news was that her mom’s schedule was still open. The bad news was that Micheal’s and mine weren’t. Except for a few hours Saturday afternoon, we were committed to being here. There was a meeting that morning and the youth fundraiser and concert that evening. None of it was an exciting prospect for an active one-year-old or the adults who had to chase him!

Isn’t it amazing the slip-ups that occur and the stress we endure all because we are so busy – so over-committed and distracted – that we don’t have time to sit down and think, much less relax and enjoy the events and the people around us? As much as we would like to think all of this is a result of living in the twenty-first century, God knew from the beginning of time this would happen. 

That is why, in the beginning, God both modeled and mandated the appropriate behavior that would allow for a cycle of work, worship, and leisure. And, yes, from almost the very beginning, we humans have had a way of . . . well . . . having our way!  It is as if we enjoy being stressed and distracted.

For example, when Jesus decided to drop in on Martha and her sister Mary, what was Martha’s first concern? In accordance with customs of that time, she headed straight for the kitchen! And, yes, she expected Mary to do the same. When she didn’t, Martha became angry. 

Now, one can almost imagine this older sister storming around the kitchen as she banged pots, slammed dishes and shot icy glances towards her obviously self-centered sister and oblivious guests. Finally her anger boiled over! She approached Jesus saying:  Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all the work myself.

Don’t you care! Friends, Mary wasn’t the only one who had fallen under the close scrutiny of the overly stressed Martha! Jesus, himself, was suddenly coming under fire, too. 

And, at that very moment, Jesus didn’t care! In place of apologizing or asking Mary to get up and help, he responded:  Martha, my dear friend, you’re worried and distracted by so many things. According to James Wallace, this is an important moment . . . in the story. (Jesus) is not going after Busy Martha, but Worried and Distracted Martha. He is speaking to his dear friend Martha, who has worked herself into a state of anxious distraction . . . She has focused her frustration not only on her sister but now also on her friend and guest, and lost sight of the one she significantly calls ‘Lord.’ Jesus is gently calling her to refocus. Hospitality is not primarily about the food; more important is the focus.

So, despite all of our assumptions to the contrary, if we examine this exchange between Martha and Jesus, what we discover is that our stress-filled lives are not the result of being over- committed.  They are, instead, the direct result of our being distracted from the one truly important thing in life.  

Christians, if we would only take the time to focus on the Lord, to give him some serious “prime time,” to take just a few moments every day to focus on him, the change in our lives would be dramatic. Yes, we would still be busy. Yes, our schedules would still be full and our “to do” lists would probably still remain partially undone. But by focusing on Christ – by looking for God in everything we do and every decision we make – we will remain focused on the truly important tasks and be willing to let go of the rest. With our eyes on Christ we will, paraphrasing the words of Bishop Scott Jones, learn to keep the main thing the main thing.

So, if you are feeling rushed and haggard; if even the simplest of tasks seems like too much; if you find yourself over-worked, over-extended, and over-anxious, then do exactly what has been asked of us from the very beginning. Spend some time just hanging out with God. Move from that place of being worried and distracted by many things to one where you can be in touch with the one thing needed – the good part that will not be taken away. It is in that place you will connect with the source of our being. It is there you find the wisdom to choose, the strength to follow through, and the peace to remain focused.

To God be the Glory.  Amen.