Loving Family

FOCUS STATEMENT

So far, we’ve learned what it means to be loving friends for Jesus,

as well as what it means to build a loving community.

Today, Jesus is inviting us to appreciate the better parts of life when they are offered.

POINT OF RELATION

We are often pulled in so many directions.

We are busy in our communities,

with friends and sometimes when it comes to our families,

we are too distracted to spend quality time together.

This can happen to me very easily.

As a pastor, I could always find something pulling me away from my the things that matter most to me.

Every one wants a piece of my time and energy.

That is the reality of being the leader of any organization.

During any given week I have my regular work of

church and community meetings, worship planning,

lesson planning,

and sermon writing. On top of those things,

I am also involved in important committees at the district and conference levels.

I serve as the chair of the Skylands Committee on District Superintendency

as well as the vice chair of the Greater NJ Commission on Archives and History.

Some people think that my job only revolves around the local church...

Though I am technically appointed here by the Bishop…and therefore…

as an ordained elder, I am called to also be serving the church in a more broad manner.

This is not only the way it is and has to be,

It truly is the way it ought to be.

When I was serving in Supervised Ministry at my home church, Vernon UMC...

I worked all sorts of hours...

between hours put in at Seminary...

hours put in as a Youth Pastor...

And hours put in doing administrative work during the day at church.

On top of all of that, I worked as a substitute teacher

to help our family make end’s meet.

Needless to say, it was the start of ministry for me

and it truly gave me a taste of how busy I would be one day as a pastor.

I mean, I was SUPER BUSY...

LIKE FORGET MY KIDS BUSY...

Yes! You heard me right! FORGET MY KIDS BUSY!

You see, one evening I was at a super long meeting at church.

That day I had started out at school,

wound my way to church for their mid-week service...

and had a meeting following that.

I WAS TIRED…EXHAUSTED…COMPLETELY WIPED.

Ever been there?

Well, on top of being tired at a late meeting at church,

I also had my daughters with me because Bernadette was also working.

So, again…the meeting…it finally came to an end and I made sure I packed up, cleaned the meeting area up, turned off the lights…and locked the church up...

Got in my car…drove home…got inside...

[GASP]

OH…MY…GOD...

I was having my very own Kate McAllister moment...

You know the moment I am referring to…

Where in the movie Home Alone, Kate realized she left her son Kevin home alone!

Well, Katie and Lorien were not HOME ALONE…THEY WERE HOME OF WORSHIP ALONE...

I forgot my daughters.

Thankfully…Highland Lakes is a lot closer to Vernon than France is to Chicago…So I went back and got them…and they were fine...

But the terror I had realizing I left them in the nursery…coloring and whatnot...

But man was that scary. Not coool at all.

THINGS TO CONSIDER

We have all had moments of being distracted by our busyness and preoccupations.

As you can tell from my own personal story, even good things like church work can take us away from enjoying things we say we prioritize in life.

For instance, the time we’re too busy getting this ready or that ready to notice the new person standing alone...

Or there are those time that we realize we haven’t seen so-and-so at church for aeons…and you’re only just stopping to notice now...

These things aren’t intentional...

However, if we are are not careful…precious opportunities will pass us by as we work and work and work away.

WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYS

Needless to say...we can be easily distracted by obligations, expectations, and responsibilities

and we can miss opportunities to enjoy relationships and simply be in the moment.

We often especially miss out on opportunities to be with those closest to us

because we take for granted that our loved ones will always be there.

They simply form part of the background of our lives,

or we put off spending quality time with them until “everything else is done.”

AND FRIENDS…DUDES…DUDETTES…let’s be honest...

When is “everything else” ever over?

[PAUSE}

NEVER! Everything else is never over.

In Luke 10:38-42, Martha misses the opportunity to be with Jesus,

but she also misses the opportunity to be with Mary

and to enjoy what Jesus calls the “better part.”

It is not that what Martha has chosen to do is wrong or bad.

In fact, it is necessary work!

She feels so strongly about this…very, very strongly...to the point that she thinks Mary should be doing the same

Martha is focused on being productive…of serving and entertaining her guest…not to have the guest entertain her...

Like Martha, when we become distracted,

we take for granted that our way is the only way and can miss opportunities to connect with loved ones.

Within our families we all have roles.

In this scripture Martha’s role within her family is more activity-oriented;

she actively serves in the home and/or community.

Mary’s role is more contemplative, to have quiet time with Jesus.

By becoming overly focused on her role,

Martha has missed an opportunity to not only connect with Jesus, but also with her sister.

The point of this Scripture passage is not that we should be still and listen 100% of the time.

Rather, when we are willing to think critically about our roles,

we need not always get caught up in them.

We can be intentional about when it is important to prioritize other things,

particularly time with those closest to us.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU

This is an opportunity for us to look at what roles we have in our families and communities,

as well as to recognize the roles of others.

If we find ourselves distracted or dissatisfied,

maybe this is a chance to change the ways we usually interact with family.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR US

Sometimes we have opportunities to share in service,

but default to our usual roles.

How might we as a church family explore

how to better appreciate how others serve

be it through study

and contemplation,

hands-on mission,

leading worship,

taking care of the building, or whatever it is we do.

How can we join our gifts together to better serve Jesus?

How might we experiment with doing something outside of our ordinary roles

so we can experience Jesus more fully and in different ways?

Just recently, Kathleen and I switched roles and I was liturgist while she preached. It was AWESOME MAN!

What if we all worked together…learned to share....and functioned like a FAMILY?

A LOVING FAMILY is not just a family that serves, but one that shares in service, in fellowship, in being served, and in just about everything the family does.

Let us work toward drawing even closer as a family unit so that we can, together, transform this world for Jesus Christ! Amen?!?! Amen!