Help! Life’s too busy

Help! Life’s too busy

Luke 10: 38 – 42 Sunday 15th May, 2011

Theme: Jesus wants us to rearrange our priorities involving Him in all the affairs of our life, drawing from His resources, living to please Him.

Key Text: “few things are needed—or indeed only one.”

Introduction We live in a world of noise, hurry and busy-­‐ness! We hear telling phrases from friends and colleagues like: “I’ve got to cut down!” “I’ve got too much going on in my life!” “I’m so weary that when I get home I have nothing more to give.” “I think I’m on the edge of burnout.”

Help! Life’s too busy We seem to be doing more and enjoying it less! The words of the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland seem to apply to many: “Now here, you see, it takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else you must run at least as twice as fast as that!” The problem is that some of us live such frenetic lives that the moment we stop -­‐we drop! The television is so easy to watch, so undemanding after a day of many demands and yet so unfulfilling, so impotent to refresh and inspire!

Stop the world, I want to get off! We try to be still and pray but our mind continues to buzz around. Like Martha we are concerned about so much and are worried and upset about many things – many of them legitimate. For many of us the great danger is not that we will renounce our faith. It is that we will become so distracted and rushed and preoccupied that we will settle for a mediocre version of it. We will just skim our lives instead of actually living them.

Beware ‘Hurry-­‐sickness’! Hurry and being busy lies behind much of the anger, frustration and stress of modern life. Hurry prevents us from receiving love from God and from giving it to his children. Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. Hurry can destroy our souls. Carl Jung: “Hurry is not of the Devil; it is the Devil” In our reading today Jesus tells us that only ONE THING is needed to overcome it all. Jesus assessment of Martha was “you are worried and upset about many things”

Honour Martha’s willingness to serve Martha was generous, a loving servant and, as we can see from the first verse of our reading, she was hospitable. She had great qualities and accompanying gifts. God applauds us when, like Him, we serve others sacrificially.