"A Lesson from Delilah and Jesus"

A sermon preached by the Rev. Christopher E. Yopp at Edgemont Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) based on Luke 10:38-42.

I guess I am going to have to stop listening to the radio so much. I mean this is the second sermon in less then a month in which I have drawn some inspiration from something I’ve heard on the radio. But perhaps, some of you are familiar with the syndicated radio personality, Delilah. Her show comes on weeknights on Q99. But, you know, I’ve learned that no matter what city or town you are in, no matter how far you are from home, if you turn on the radio at night, and scan through enough stations, you are bound to eventually hear that soothing voice of Delilah pouring from the radio’s speakers. Now, I want to be upfront with you right away, I am not a fan of Delilah’s show for several reasons. For starters, it has the tendency to be a little too sappy for me. And secondly, I refuse to take her relational and martial advice too seriously, because she is neither qualified nor is she in any position to give such advice.
But having set the record straight, I will say that I find her slogan, “Slow down and love someone” to be some good advice. In fact, that appears to be what Jesus is saying in our Gospel Lesson this morning, and, of course, that someone is himself.
While Labor Day is not a religious holiday but a national one, there are aspects of this holiday that could be classified as religious. It is a day in which we are mindful of our labors and we are called to take some time to rest from them. I think we all realize the significance of rest! Not only is it vital to our physical health and well-bring, but it is also important when it comes to our emotional and spiritual health and well-being. We all need rest! It’s like the man who said; "Labor Day! It certainly works for me!" Labor Day gives us the opportunity to reflect on work and rest, action and contemplation.
My favorite Labor Day quote is from our very own Jim Williams, which I’ve shared with you before, he once told me that "Labor Day is a day to labor and not to rest, hence its name." He then went on to say that "rest is reserved for the other 364 days of the year." And, you know, I like his philosophy. But I think we all realize the importance of rest. Work can be so demanding, so stressful, so exhausting and we all need time to be refreshed and renewed, recharged and rejuvenated.
There is within music symbols designated in the music to signal a rest. Those of you who are musicians, or musically inclined know what I’m talking about. The rest in music is a momentary pause, but it is part of the music, it is as important to music as the notes themselves. Without rest the music simply runs together and has no beauty or rhythm. John Ruskin writes; “There is no music in a ‘rest,’ but there is the making of music in it.” And certainly, this is true of the song of our lives.
I came across the Worker’s 23rd Psalm the other day as I was working on my sermon. Perhaps some of you can relate to this, it reads:

"The clock is my dictator, I shall not rest.
It makes me lie down only when exhausted.
It leads me into deep depression.
It hounds my soul.
It leads me in circles of frenzy, for activities sake.
Even though I run frantically from task to task,
I will never get it all done,
For my ideal is with me.
Deadlines and my need for approval, they drive me.
They demand performance from me, beyond the limits of my schedule.
They anoint my head with migraines,
My in-basket overflows.
Surely fatigue and time pressures shall follow me
All the days of my life.
And I will dwell in the bonds of frustration Forever!"

I think we can all relate to that Psalm. The Christian tradition has always valued both work and rest. In fact, both Judaism and Christianity have always placed a great emphasis on rest - on Sabbath. In the experience of Sabbath, we are refreshed and renewed; we "catch our breath," so to speak. Sabbath reminds us that the world does not revolve around us. Sabbath is a sign of our faith and trust in God’s providence. Sabbath is also a reminder of our limitations: we cannot do it all, we must rely upon the support and help of God and one another.
The theologian Karl Barth offered this commentary about work and rest, he writes: "If [humanity] has created neither heaven nor earth nor [themselves]; if they do not owe [their] existence to [themselves], but to the will and act of God who bestowed it on [them] without [their] slightest cooperation; if [their] ability to work is not [their] attainment, and therefore [their] own property, but a free gift; if [their] obligation to work is not [their] invitation but God’s commission, then [they] cannot and should not imagine that what is going to become of [them], [their] future and that of [their] fellow [brother or sister], lies solely in [their] power." Such is the reminder of Sabbath!
Our Gospel Lesson this morning is perhaps one of my favorite stories within the New Testament. It offers a wonderful example of the importance of work and rest. Mary and Martha were not twins, and yet we automatically think of them together - we have tendency to always associate them together. Much like Laurel and Hardy or Abbott and Costello. And perhaps, that’s the point of this story. You can’t have one without the other - one cannot exist without the other. Work cannot exist without rest and rest cannot exist without work! There must be a balance! And yet, we are so quick to take sides.
While we have tendency to take the side of Mary, we must never forget that Jesus does not deny the importance or the value of what Martha was doing. In fact, if it weren’t for Martha there would have been nothing to eat that day when Jesus visited the two sisters in Bethany.
I have always regretted all the controversy over Mary and Martha. Oftentimes, preachers and teachers will take sides on which one is more admirable - the spiritual type or the practical type. But can’t we all relate to Martha? She was so overwhelmed by the fact that Jesus was in her presence and she wanted everything to be immaculate - everything to be perfect and just right. But these two women both have wonderful qualities, and I thank God for the Marthas and Marys of this world - and especially in the church.
But to me, it seems that this story really deals with our priorities in life. What has our attention most of the time? Martha is so focused and fixated on doing her own goal. She is so busy being a gracious and polite hostess that she has little time to be with Christ. She is after all serving him! And certainly, we make take on this attitude. We may say that all that we have, all that we own - our time, our talents, our money, our resources, our lives, is God’s, but the question is, does God have our attention? We may be too busy sometimes, that we lose sight of the one it is we are working for.
Rabbi Mendal once wrote: "Whoever does not see God in every place does not see God in any place." And how true that is! And in Martha’s situation, her social priorities and customs kept her from focusing her attention on Jesus and his agenda for her life. You and I can lose sight of who we are and whose we are very easily. Sometimes those things in life, such as family, or career, or community, or service can choke out God’s life in us. As we make God and God’s presence in our lives our primary focus what we will find is, God is the key to everything. That is why I say, Labor Day isn’t just a national holiday, but a religious one as well. In this time we are encouraged and challenged with Mary and Martha, to take time to rest at the feet of Jesus, to listen to him, to focus on him and to get things in perspective and then we are called to go about our work in God’s household - never losing sight of our Blessed Savior. But isn’t this what we are reminded of each Sunday we gather for worship. Worship, much like Labor Day, gives us rest - spiritually rejuvenating us. Worship centers us. Worship help us to prioritize our lives. In worship we “seek first the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness” and everything else falls into its proper place.
In her book, Keeping the Sabbath Wholly, and may I remind you, "wholly" is spelled w-h-o-l-l-y, Marva J. Dawn makes the case as to why ceasing, resting, embracing and feasting are all essential and necessities. She states that it is in truly keeping the Sabbath - setting aside times of rest and renewal that we become not only "holy," h-o-l-y, but also "wholly," w-h-o-l-l-y. And certainly, Mary knew that and because of that she was made whole. Being in the presence of Christ - with her heart and mind fixed and focused on Jesus - resting at the feet of Jesus she was made (w)holy!
One of my favorite Psalms, is Psalm 46 and the words: "Be still and know that I am God." The Hebrew word here for "be still" is raphah, literally means "to cease" or "to let go". It is reminding us that we need "to slow down." And how difficult this can be, but how crucial it is. Both Luke and Psalmist would affirm: “Slow down and love… Christ.” For it is then that a true balance of Mary and Martha can be found in us. Amen.