Being before doing

Welcome

· Great to be back – Hope you enjoyed Tony, Annie and Carl

o We’re continuing our The Big Story series

o I’ve known for some time I wanted to preach on today’s story

o But this week has been a killer

o So I approach it today feeling ill equipped

o Which is actually a great place to start

o The impact of God’s word today should not rest on my shoulders

o ICED T

· So can we pray

· Personality types

o Those who are busy doing – Those who are present being

o Many of us are ‘do-ers’ – less are ‘be-ers’

o That means that being present with Jesus can be hard

o We can focus on doing for Jesus over being with Jesus

Continuing our big story series with one of my favourites

· Before I read the story I want to ask you a question

· What sort of person are you?

o I love personality types (MBTI, Love languages, Enneagram, etc)

o Some love/hate (and some haven’t a clue what I’m on about)

o Simplifying to two types:

§ Introvert or extrovert/ Big picture or details / Head or heart

· Today’s big story from Luke 10 contrasts two types of people – Mary and Martha

o Love this story - I preached from this story 15 years ago

o Do you remember it?

· We’re going to think about two types: Doing and Being

o Active or present? Doing stuff for them, or being with them?

o What sort are you mainly? (where does your steering drift towards?)

o My car a steering problem – it veers to the left

o And in my personality I know I have a steering problem towards doing

Luke 10:38-42

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. 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!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

The story

· Oh the irony

o Martha is the one getting dinner ready, looking after her guest

o Mary is sitting with Jesus listening to him. Mary gets the credit

· Picture of 2 types of people

o Martha (do-er) – active, getting stuff done, practical, logical etc

o Mary (be-er) – present, care free, listening, focused

What does being and doing look like?

· I remember a childhood like this

o You go talk to the guests while we make dinner

· Watch at the Christmas meal

o Not everyone is a busy do-er – some are more present ‘be-ers’

o Some are queuing in the kitchen to help out

o Some are obliviously totally focused on engaging with a conversation

o At the end they are like “how did that happen”

· This is like Mary and Martha

o And Martha (like me) gets the hump and wants to see some bums moving

o Helping with the washing up and preparation

o But Jesus says that Mary (the present be-er) chose the better path

This isn’t about your personality

· Despite my every day examples of relationships or the Christmas meal

o This isn’t about character types or being ‘your best self’ to succeed

o This won’t help you in the your workplace

o (visions of Chris at Bromley South Station)

· Jesus is saying this is what matters in relationship with him

o But starting with being present with Jesus isn’t where the world starts

o Get the Instagram image first and the likes will follow (and the big bucks)

o Fake it until you make it – you are what you earn / what you produce

o Look at lockdown…

§ Learn a new skill/instrument/language

§ Create an art project, write a book, launch a new business

o So much importance is placed on what you produce – results

· We have a society and culture that wants both

o But we also want presence/mindfulness, live in the here and now

§ Looking for peace – calm, tranquillity, to gaze at a sunset

§ And then create a great Instagram post about it

Some things to see in this story

Jesus loves both types

· He meets them where they are

o He relates to Mary and Martha – the do-er and the be-er

o He loves Martha – calls her name twice – “Beloved” (TPT)

o Tender and affectionate in his speech

· He’s not the one demanding they change

o We want others to be like us – “Lord tell her to help”

o “It won’t be taken from her”

o You can almost hear Mary – “slow down Martha”

· Change is really slow

o Despite this encounter after Lazarus is raised, they are the same

o John 12 – Martha prepping dinner, Mary anointing with perfume

But He wants us to be with him

· “I love both of you” – but you’re not the same / There is a better way

o Martha – all your doing… it brings anxiety, being troubled, frustration

· Mary – the better path…

o There is peace in the presence of Jesus

o There is comfort in his arms – encouragement in his teaching

· This ‘better way’ doesn’t mean everything is plain sailing

o When Lazarus is dead, both are impacted (John 11)

o Martha is angry with Jesus – she goes out to meet Jesus

o Mary is upset with Jesus – she’s inside crying

· Jesus’s contrast isn’t one of “this is the better type of person”

o This isn’t about the better life, the easier life, the more valued

o It is about this is a better way to be in relationship with Jesus

Being has to come before doing

· Karen and I spent 24 hours driving to Southampton to figure out:

· how to solve a sofa problem, loading up, driving back, re-arranging furniture

o if I didn’t want to listen, if I’m not present with her, what will she remember

o How many people have stories of distant parents

o No hugs, words of affection, time for them

o But money, gifts, acts – what do they really want?

· I have a friend (David C) who has done so much for me these past few weeks

o Garden, rubbish, moving a sofa at short notice

o But if he didn’t want to be with me, if he didn’t like my company

o He wouldn’t be a friend – he would be a helper

o (I would be his charity case – his good cause)

We often derive valued from doing

· My own personal learning of my worth

· God is more interested in who youare than what you do

· God is more interest in what he can do in you

o than what he can do through you

Jesus wants you to ‘be’ with him for your sake

· When we go on holiday we try to leave our problems, and our work behind

o We focus on enjoying a sunset, a beach, a cathedral, a place of interest, the company of friends, good food, building a sand castle

o We leave behind our work and our doing for a holiday

o Jesus says ‘take a holiday with me’ find that place and rest at my feet

o And if you find it hard to slow down on holiday don’t be surprised if you find it hard to slow down with Jesus

o But he’s still inviting you to spend time each day ‘not doing’ but being with him

· We can turn our time with Jesus into doing

o how many verses have I read – am I up to date with my bible plan?

o did I pray for all the needs?

o Jesus says sit at my feet and let me speak to you

· It’s the Jesus antidote to the stresses and worries

o your ‘to do’ list is never empty – what about your ‘to be’ list?

· Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30 ESV 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Getting practical

If you are a ‘be-er’

· You love spending time in Jesus’s presence/receiving from him/kneeling

o Please bear with us ‘do-er’s

· We struggle to just sit with Jesus – to know it’s not a waste of time

· Keep going – role model this – don’t change on our account – it’s the better way

If you are a ‘do-er’

· Then ‘do’ spending time with Jesus

o Realise that’s why Jesus said Mary had chosen the better option

o Stop, slow down, be present

o This is where worship, silence, meditating on God’s word and his character, gazing at nature helps – worshipping – not multitasking – but worshipping

o Listening – develop listening skills – try ‘not doing’ something

o Appreciate - my time on holiday appreciating the conversation

· How does a tree produce fruit – what does is have “to do”?

o Or does it have “to be” – in the sunlight, watered, receiving

For all of us

· We don’t get to rest on the ‘that’s just the way I am’ line

o ‘You do your Christianity in your way and I will do it mine

o Jesus calls the do-ers to slow down and spend time with him

o And he calls those who spend time with him to do (Go make disciples)

· One flows from the other but not other way around

o You don’t do Christian stuff until you are a Christian

o You are a Christian which leads to doing Christian stuff

o James’s verses on faith and works - James 2:18-20 (MSG)

18 I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, “Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I’ll handle the works department.”

Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.

19-20 Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That’s just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands?

This is the big story

· This big story of being and doing - the big story of works and grace

o There is a drive ‘to do’ – to earn our salvation, our relationship, our forgiveness, God’s favour

o But we aren’t called ‘to do Christianity’ but ‘to be Christians’

· This is about salvation – receiving by faith