Slow Down

Slow Down Luke 10:38-42 An Airbus 380 is a huge passenger plane that can travel great distances. One Saturday afternoon, it was on its way across the Atlantic. The Airbus was flying consistently at 500 mph at 30,000 when suddenly an F-16 fighter jet appears. The pilot of the fighter jet slows down, flies alongside the Airbus, and greets the pilot of the passenger plane by radio. He says, "Airbus 380, boring flight isn't it? Take care and watch this." He rolls his jet on its back, accelerates, breaks the sound barrier, rises rapidly to a dizzying height, only to swoop down almost to sea level in a breathtaking dive. He loops back next to the Airbus and asks, "Well, how was that?" The Airbus pilot answers, "Very impressive, but now watch this." The F-16 pilot watches the Airbus, but nothing happens. It continues to fly stubbornly straight and at the same seed. After 5 minutes, the Airbus pilot radioed back, "Well, what are you saying now?" The F-16 pilot was confused and asked, "What did you do?" The Airbus pilot laughed and said, "I got up, stretched my legs, walked to the back of the plane, went to the bathroom, got a cup of coffee and a snack." The moral of the story is: When you're young, speed and adrenaline seem to be great. But as you get older and wiser, comfort and peace are not to be despised either. This is called S.O.S.: Slower, Older, Smarter. With age there is wisdom. As Job 12:12 says, "Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days." But we all know that just because someone is advanced in age doesn't mean they are wise. Some people are street smart while others may be book smart, but neither is a help nor a benefit for eternity if you're not Christ smart. Being Christ smart means that you have slowed down enough to patiently listen to the Lord God. You don't have to be older because being slower and smarter means you've set your priorities from God's standpoint. Slowing down means not wishing the time away. It's not eagerly waiting for 2021 because whose to say next year will be any better than 2020. Slowing down is enjoying the moment and being thankful for every blessing. It's not getting all worked up over money, work, or politics (and so forth). It's not getting all tangled up in the affairs of life while conveniently pushing aside the One who gave you life and who is life Himself. As we'll see in today's Scripture, slowing down is living as a disciple rather than a busy-body. Verse 38 says, "As Jesus and His disciples were on their way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him." Jesus and His disciples "were on their way" to Jerusalem, where Jesus was about to be arrested and crucified. This village they found themselves in is called Bethany. It's right past the Mount of Olives, about 2 miles east of Jerusalem. Think of this: Jesus is traveling to Jerusalem for what we call Passion Week. No doubt Jesus had a lot on His mind, but He still holds true to what's important, making sure people hear His word. But Martha also has a lot on her mind. Like Martha, you may also have a lot on your mind. It's hard to keep things straight while distractions are everywhere. But here's Martha, the host. And her houseguest is the LORD Himself, the Great I Am! Martha is wanting to impress Jesus by having everything perfect because not long ago, Jesus raised her brother, Lazarus, from the dead. But Martha also has a sister, Mary. And verse 39 says that Mary was "sitting at the Lord's feet listening to what He said." Now, before we go any further, I want to mention that "sitting at the Lord's feet" is the proper place for a disciple because it shows submission to the teacher. Mary and Martha both loved Jesus, but Mary wanted to absorb everything Jesus had to say. In fact, every time we read about Mary, she's at Jesus' feet. In John 11:32, she fell at Jesus' feet. In John 12:3, she anointed Jesus' feet. In today's Scripture, she's listening at Jesus' feet. "But Martha" in verse 40, "was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made." Here's a good lesson in near and farsightedness. If you're nearsighted, you can't see far away, and if your farsighted, you can't see near. Martha was farsighted; she could only see what was right in front of her; work. On the other hand, Mary was nearsighted because she knew her time with Jesus would be seen in future service. Oh, how easy it is for us to be like Martha! To be so busy that we miss the nouns around us, people, places, and things. To work so hard thinking we're building up that spiritual bank account, not realizing that it's withdrawing our spiritual energy right out of us. You can beat upon a rock all day and night until your arms give out, but only Jesus can make water flow from it or turn that stone into bread! Martha "was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made," and we can fall into the same trap; Being so consumed with doing what we think we should do that we miss what God wants. For example, this election season has proved that. Who out there has spent more time preoccupied with politics, the news, or Facebook that you've neglected your time with God? Praying for our leaders and our country is important and commanded in Scripture, but not at the expense of being distracted like Martha that we continually walk right by the Savior. Living too fast and being distracted also leads to a blemished Christian witness. Do you know what is really disturbing and saddens my heart? Going watching TV or going on Facebook and seeing professing Christians make crude jokes about politicians. We're raised being taught not to make fun of others, but as adults, for some reason, it's ok. I don't get it! Politics and this nation are important, but don't forget that if you're a Christian, you're a citizen of a higher kingdom and "will have to give account on the day of judgement for every idle and careless word you speak," as Matthew 12:36 says. When you're distracted, like Martha, the thing that's distracting you becomes an idol. You worship it, honor it, devote time, or even money to it. You profess you're a Christian, but your witness says you're more like Martha than Mary. Instead of humbly slowing down listening to the Lord at His feet, you're on yours frantically obsessed with other things and end up using Christianity as a scapegoat. What do you think Jesus would say if He addressed your behavior right now? Well, He did for Martha because Martha just couldn't wait any longer. Martha got angry, and amid her distractions, verse 40 says, "She came to Him and asked, 'Lord, don't You care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!'" It's funny how fast Martha went from welcoming Jesus as her guest to blaming Him for not caring about her. Do you see the self-centeredness here? Jesus was HER houseguest. She wanted Jesus; she just wanted Jesus in HER OWN way. You can just hear Martha shout, "Jesus, if you really cared, stop talking, and do things my way!" It's the oldest sin in the Book because even Adam and Eve wanted things their way. Us humans want things our way. We want to be the boss and give the orders. We want Jesus to do what we want Him to do. We want to do our own thing. And when we want to serve Christ and His church, we tend to really upon ourselves. We want to use our own strength and knowledge to do things our way instead of first sitting at Jesus' feet to hear what He wants us to do. People are quick to make their idols the main thing and keep Jesus in their back pocket as an insurance card to pay for the things they can't afford. It reminds me of an Irishman who was visiting New York City and patiently waiting to cross a busy street. In the middle of the road was a traffic cop manning the crossing. After a few minutes, the cop yelled at those waiting to cross the road, "Okay pedestrians, Let's go!" But the Irishman kept standing, waiting, and grew more and more frustrated. After five minutes, he shouted to the cop, "Hey! The pedestrians crossed over - when's it time for the Catholics?!" Not slowing down and wanting things our way comes out many times in the form of anger and questions: When is it time for the United Methodist Church? When is it time for the Republicans or the Democrats? When is it time for me? Folks, when your service for God affects your relationship with God and your fellowship with other believers, there's a problem. In today's Scripture, Jesus reminds us of an OT teaching from Deuteronomy 8:3, "that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD." After Martha's outburst, Jesus calmly replies, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed - or indeed only one." These are timeless words of comfort for us today. Jesus knows "you are worried and upset about many things." You may be worried about Covid, your health, the health of your loved ones, your finances, your bills, the election. You fill in the blank. But then, like today, "few things are needed - or indeed only one," and that is slowing down to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Indeed, Jesus is the only One you'll need. Some people realize this; others don't. So slow down and pray for those who don't know they need Jesus as their Savior because they're too distracted with the world and witness to them! Jesus looked at Martha and said in verse 42, "Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." Remember, back then it was the role of women to serve men. But Jesus once again illustrates that men and women are both made in God's image and equal by showing us how service comes after listening. Everyone, male or female, young or old, are invited to sit at Jesus' feet. Jesus never said that service is unimportant or not needed. Jesus just said follow Me first. Listen to Me first, and I will enable and equip you for service. "Mary has chosen what is better," echoes the OT where one's greatest possession is a close relationship with God. Psalm 27:4 says, "One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek Him in His temple." Now that is slowing down! Have you ever asked the LORD that question? If not, do so, because Psalm 73:26 adds, "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." We "don't live by bread alone" because God is our "portion forever." Jesus said, "Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." Mary chose to submit herself to Christ. She gave her life to Christ as her Lord and Savior. Jesus' promise to her is also for us, that when you confess Christ as Savior and become His disciple, "It will not be taken away." Mary chose what matters most: a relationship. We, as followers of Christ, are to have a relationship with Him and with each other. Through thick and thin, the relationship is most important. And speed dating doesn't work. It's only slowing down and really getting to understand our Lord and each other that builds our strength and keeps our relationships strong. Martha had a lesson to learn, and so do we. But like with Martha, by the grace of God, Jesus slows down to teach, listen, and offer mercy. God wants you to serve Him, but not at the expense of your relationship with Him. So, if you've felt yourself growing colder toward God, if you've been working harder but praying less, then do a spiritual reassessment. Before I became a pastor, I was working at Sherwin Williams. They want to sell so much paint that their slogan is "Cover The Earth." Well, I covered the floor a few times, but never enough to "Cover The Earth." It wasn't my favorite job, but the one thing I really enjoyed was getting to talk with all the customers. And since I couldn't "Cover The Earth" with paint, I was determined to "Cover The Earth" with my Christian witness. One afternoon a customer and I were just making small talk when it was brought up that I was going to school to become a pastor. With this newfound knowledge, he began to describe to me his life before he met Christ. He said it was marked by "sin and selfishness. Then I met Jesus." I listened with interest to a list of changes he had made to his life and about all the good deeds he had done. But because everything he told me was about his busyness for God and not his fellowship with God, I wasn't surprised when he added, "Frankly, I thought I'd feel better about myself by now." I think Martha would have understood that stranger's observation. She invited Jesus into her home but not into her heart. Jesus was her guest, not her LORD. Having invited Jesus to be a guest at her home, she set about doing what she thought were the important things. But this meant she couldn't focus on Jesus. Martha was acting more like a fan of Jesus rather than a disciple. Because Mary wasn't helping, Martha felt justified asking Jesus to rebuke her. It's a mistake many of us make: We're so busy doing good that we don't spend time getting to know God better. My advice to this customer came from the core of Jesus' words to Martha in today's Scripture. I said to him: "Slow down and invest yourself in knowing God; let His Word reveal Himself to you." If we're too busy to spend time with God, we're simply too busy. Set priorities and "don't live by bread alone, but by every Word from the mouth of God." Remember to serve God with a servant's heart so your service to Christ won't degenerate into busywork, which is not being fully devoted to God. You don't have to fly around like that F-16 pilot trying to show off or cover lots of ground as fast as you can. Whether you're young or old, busywork is not full devotion to Christ. Choose Christ because "He will not be taken away from you," only you can take yourself away from Christ. As an old poem goes: Savior, let me walk beside Thee, Let me feel my hand in Thine; Let me know the joy of walking In Thy strength and not in mine. AMEN 2