Pentecost 6 (July 20, 2025)

Undivided Attention – Part 6

“Undivided Devotion: One Thing Is Needed”

Luke 10:38–42

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

We’re now six weeks into our summer journey—Undivided Attention—a nine-part series calling us to live with hearts fully centered on Christ.

So far we’ve reflected on undivided peace, undivided testimony, undivided commitment, undivided mission, undivided loyalty… and today we focus on undivided devotion.

What does it mean to live with an undivided devotion toward God? In a world full of distractions competing for our attention, what does it mean to give Him not just a slice of our attention, but the center of our soul?

Let me begin with a question: When’s the last time you truly sat still? Think about it — can you recall?

No phone in your hand. No to-do list running in your head. No distractions. Just… present.

It’s not easy, is it? Even our quiet moments are often invaded by noise. Yet, in the story of Mary and Martha, we find a vivid illustration of what it means to prioritize stillness in the presence of Jesus—to give Him our undivided devotion by receiving what only He can give.

I. Sitting at the Feet of Jesus: Receiving, Not Doing

Luke sets the scene: Jesus enters a village, and Martha welcomes Him into her home.

She was doing the expected and respectable thing. Hosting the Lord. Showing hospitality.

But while Martha was preparing the meal, her sister Mary did something unexpected. She sat.

She placed herself at the Lord’s feet—not to study, but to receive.

This isn’t about academics. It’s about dependence. This isn’t curiosity— it’s hunger.

Mary comes as one who knows her need. She’s not coming to give something. She’s coming to be filled.

That’s the posture of real devotion: Not proving ourselves to Jesus, but opening ourselves to Him.

And that hunger for God—what does it look like?

For a young parent, it may be collapsing into the Word during nap-time, clinging to promises between diaper changes and dishes.

For a teenager, it might be bringing questions and insecurities to Jesus instead of to social media.

For someone in grief, hunger for God may sound like silence—and still sitting with the Word anyway, because there's nowhere else to go.

For someone nearing the end of life, it might be the deep sigh of a heart that says: "Speak, Lord. I’m listening. Again.”

Spiritual hunger isn’t always loud. It’s not always eloquent. But it’s always real. And Jesus honors it. He feeds it.

Meanwhile, Martha is overwhelmed.

She’s trying to serve Jesus, but she’s doing it without stopping to be served by Jesus.

And eventually the frustration boils over:

“Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me!”

That’s the voice of exhaustion. And honestly—it’s familiar.

It’s what our prayers can sound like when we’re juggling too much, feeling unseen, or just trying to hold everything together.

Jesus responds with gentleness: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about many things. But one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the better portion, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Martha was doing something good.

But, Mary was doing something better by sitting at the feet of Jesus. She chose not just a physical place, but a spiritual posture of receiving the deeper nourishment only He can provide.

And Jesus invites you to do the same.

Not because He’s against action, but because He knows: Only the one who first receives His grace can truly live with an undivided heart.

Jesus praises Mary because she has chosen the “better portion.”

II. The Better Portion: The Meal That Nourishes the Soul

That word—“portion”—is a rich one.

In biblical language, a portion is more than a serving—it’s an inheritance.

Think of it this way:

If someone gives you a family heirloom—something passed down through generations—it’s not just an object. It’s a gift of identity. It says: you belong.

That’s what Jesus is offering to Mary. The “Portion” Jesus offers is Himself.

He is the portion. He is the better meal. Not just for that evening, but for eternity.

And He’s offering the same to you.

There were two meals being served that night: Martha’s meal—from the kitchen. And Jesus’ meal—from His mouth.

Only one nourishes the soul. Only one cannot be taken away.

Mary chose it. Jesus praised it. And it is still offered today.

For young families, you might consider establishing a simple family rituals that centers on faith.

It might be as straightforward as gathering for a brief morning or evening prayer or spending 5-minutes to read the Portals of Prayer devotional together.

It doesn’t need to be elaborate, just consistent—a reminder that God's Word feeds us amidst life's busyness.

And all of this isn’t only about spiritual nutrition—it’s about grace.

So, let’s explore how this moment connects to the deeper rhythm of God’s service throughout Scripture.

III. The One Thing Needed: Jesus’ Gracious Service

This moment in Bethany follows closely after the parable of the Good Samaritan—a story that calls us to active service.

Yet here, through Mary and Martha's contrasting actions, Jesus underscores the necessity of first receiving before serving.

It is as though He gently shifts focus from 'Go and do likewise' to a place of preparation, saying:

Before you serve, be served.

Before you go, sit.

Before you give, receive.

This is a pattern we see throughout Scripture. And nowhere more tenderly than in Genesis 18, our OT reading.

The Lord Himself appears to Abraham and Sarah—under the oaks of Mamre. Not with a list of demands. Not asking anything from them.

But to speak a promise.

And that promise? It wasn’t new. It had been spoken years before.

But time had passed. Hope had thinned. Sarah had aged. And her womb remained empty.

When the Lord says again, “This time next year, you shall have a son,” Sarah laughs.

Not because it’s funny. But because it seems impossible.

It’s the laugh of someone who’s tired of disappointment.

The laugh of someone afraid to hope again.

The laugh that comes when your heart is still aching, even after years of faithfulness.

Can you relate?

Maybe you’ve been praying for healing that hasn’t come.

Maybe you’ve been waiting for reconciliation that still feels far off.

Maybe you wonder if God really sees you—or if you’ve somehow fallen off His radar.

Sarah’s laugh is not so far from our sighs and silent questions. And yet… God still speaks.

“Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

This isn’t a rebuke. It’s an invitation to trust again.

To believe that even in the silence, the delays, the weariness— God is still working. He is still serving. He is still promising.

That’s what Mary believed. That’s what Martha struggled to see. And that’s what we need to remember.

God is not waiting for your performance. He is offering His presence.

He comes into your tent. He sits in your living room. He speaks into your life. And He brings grace where you expected only emptiness.

That is the one thing needed.

Not our striving. Not our deserving. But His Word. His presence. His promise.

IV. God’s Service to Us

Your life is part of God's ongoing story of grace.

So what does it look like—today—to sit at Jesus’ feet?

It might mean:

Starting the day in Scripture before checking your phone

Taking 10 minutes of silent prayer before a busy shift

Opening a devotional at lunch instead of the news

Joining Bible study not to gain information, but to share in Christ

Try one this week. Just one.

Choose the better part.

As we strive for undivided devotion in our lives, let's remember that it's not about achieving a perfect spiritual life, but about being present with Jesus in the midst of imperfection. Family life, much like Mary and Martha’s story, can be messy and unpredictable. Yet, God meets us right there, using even our imperfect moments to draw us closer. So seek Christ, not with the pressure to have it all together, but with the openness to let Him be your guide and strength.

CONCLUSION: Come, Sit, and Be Filled

Dear friends, at the beginning of this message, we asked: What does it mean to live with undivided attention?

We live in a distracted world. We’re used to divided hearts, split schedules, scattered focus. We chase a hundred things that seem urgent— and miss the one thing that is essential.

But Jesus cuts through the noise. And He invites you to something better.

Not a heavier burden. Not another task.

But a place. At His feet. A place of stillness. A place of belonging. A place where undivided devotion is born— not from your discipline, but from His grace.

He offers you the better portion. Not just for Sunday. Not just when you’ve earned it. But every day, in every moment, in every season.

And it will never be taken away.

So come.

Take your seat. Lay down your distractions. Let Him serve you.

And when you rise from that place— Your heart will be whole. Your soul will be full. And your life will reflect the only thing that truly matters:

An undivided devotion to the One who first devoted Himself to you.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Prayers of the Church

P: Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.

Brief silence

P: Lord Jesus Christ, You call us not first to do, but to sit and receive. In a world of endless activity and constant distraction, teach us to choose the better portion. Renew Your Church, that in every congregation we may sit at Your feet, listen, be nourished by Your Word, and find rest in Your presence. C: Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

P: Lord of grace, like Mary, give us hearts that hunger for You. Where our souls are weary, grant us rest. Where our spirits are dry, pour out Your Spirit. Help us to center our lives not on what we do for You, but on what You have done—and continue to do—for us. C: Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

P: Merciful Lord, be near to all who are overwhelmed like Martha, who feel burdened and anxious about many things. Calm troubled minds, quiet busy hearts, and draw them near to You. Teach us all to serve from a place of being served by You first. C: Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

P: Compassionate Lord, we lift before You those in need of healing and hope. Be with the sick, the grieving, and the discouraged. Especially we name before You: Chad Hammer, undergoing a bone marrow transplant; Those unnamed individuals struggling with heart arrhythmia; Ordean and Diane, mourning the passing of Mary Ann; And all we name silently before You…

[Pause for silent prayer]

Comfort them with Your Word and presence, and give them the better portion that cannot be taken away—Your abiding love. C: Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

P: Gracious Lord, we give thanks for the life and faith of Mary Ann. We praise You for the comfort of the resurrection and the assurance that, in Christ, nothing—neither death nor life—can separate us from Your love. C: Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

P: Lord of all provision, we give You thanks and praise for Your faithfulness. We rejoice that our congregation’s youth returned safely from Estes Park, renewed in spirit. Let their devotion to You continue to grow and bear fruit in their lives. C: Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

P: Almighty God, as we come to the Table of Your Son, prepare us to receive not as those who deserve but as those who hunger and trust. Feed us with the true Bread from heaven—Jesus Christ, our Savior and our Portion. C: Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

P: Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. C: Amen.