Perhaps
nowhere in scripture are we given such a clear and comprehensive summary of the
work of Jesus Christ than we are given in today’s epistle reading. To the question “ Who is Jesus?” Paul
gives the unequivocal answer: Jesus is the image of the invisible God. He is
the firstborn of all creation. He is the head of the body, which is the church.
He is the beginning, the firstborn of the dead. In Him all the fullness of God
was pleased to dwell. Through Jesus Christ, our sins have been forgiven.
Through Jesus Christ, we, who were once estranged, have been reconciled to God.
Through Jesus Christ, the Gospel, the good news, has been proclaimed to every
creature. Through Jesus Christ,
God has transformed our weeping into a joy and has promised us eternal life.
Jesus Christ is the foundation of our lives, and the hope upon which every hope
rests. We hear this truth
proclaimed to us each week though the Word. We taste this promise proclaimed to
us through the sacrament of Holy Communion. We read this promise spoken to us
in our devotional reading.
Yet still,
we are distracted—distracted by things which really ought not claim are
attention the way they do. Keeping the better part front and centre has never,
nor will it ever, be easy. The sinner within us is easily pulled off track and
distracted. The sinner is so easily pulled off track because the sinner wants
to be anywhere but on track, at least on the track of Jesus. The sinner has a
self interested agenda of self-fulfillment, and finding it his or her own way,
on his or her own terms. There are
all kinds of interesting philosophies out there which seem to hold promise, but
really, in the final analysis promise only to distract us from true promise of
the right path—the path of faith in Jesus Christ. There is a whole multitude of
people who once professed faith in Jesus Christ who have turned away to explore
other enticing options. Yes, there is a tremendous spiritual hunger in the
western world, and in this city. There
countless books bought and read concerning the latest New Age
philosophy. But underlying this
desire for deeper meaning is a predominant “anywhere but Jesus” attitude—at
least the Jesus of Christianity. Some of you who peruse the local coffee shops
along Dunbar may have noticed a poster advertising instructions in Gnosticism. It’s a heresy, and it’s
teachings are a vary serious distraction from the Gospel. But distractions
don’t have to be that serious to become a problem.
In today’s
gospel lesson we encounter the sisters Mary and Martha during a visit by Jesus.
Martha is very busy, very busy taking care of a lot of different things. In
fact, she is doing a lot of the work—in her mind all of the work. It is not difficult to picture her is it? Many
can relate to her experience, relate to those times when many guests were over,
and there just were not enough hands to do the work. Many can relate to those
times when a very important guest was over and things had to be just so, just
perfect—up to the standards of a modern Martha, Martha Stewart. How many times
have we sought to make everything perfect, just so that we look good in the
eyes of another—just so we can escape the bad ratings of judgmental people.
Just imagine how Martha felt with Jesus there. The son of God himself, was
sitting in her living room, and pleasing him must have seemed the most
important thing in the world. But
in her desire to make that perfect meal—to please Jesus—she actually
lost sight of him, was ignoring him, was shutting him out. Her agenda really wasn’t about pleasing Jesus at all. It was about looking good. She
lost sight of what true devotion to Jesus meant. How easy that is to do. How
easy is it to lose sight of Jesus. How easy it
is for a church which has pledged devotion to Jesus, to forget about the
mission of Jesus, and get caught up in a whole lot of detail and worry. So much
precious time has been taken up in the contemporary church by so much worry—so much distraction.
Last week,
this congregation lost one of its pillars Betty Gjertsen. Betty may be departed from our midst, but she
leaved behind a powerful witness, a witness of devotion, an understanding that Jesus is all we
need. Betty understood the better part, and the better part is the naked
promise of the empty cross, and the faith into which Christians are baptized.
The Gospel is God’s Word made Flesh, the Good News, which penetrates the dark
veil of past and contemporary reality. This better part speaks to you in the
here and now, just as it spoke to Mary two thousand years ago. The better part
makes everything right. No bad news can tear down this good news—the promise
made to us through Jesus Christ. So regardless of the difficulties and
challenges you may have faced, regardless of the tragedies which you may have
endured, and the obstacles which might be in front of you, the promise made to
you is everlasting, and cannot be revoked. So when the waters get rough, cling
to the promise, when the earth moves and shakes, grab hold of the promise. When the waters rise, hold
your head high and keep your eyes fixed, fixed on that empty cross which stands
in the distance. When we find ourselves distracted, we need to go back. We need
to repent, turn away from our
self-defined agendas, and fix our vision on Jesus—for it is only through him
that hope exists, and true love is made possible. Now, may the peace which
surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
