Stay Focused! – Sunday, July 17th, 2022 – Pastor Pressnell

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today is the Sixth Sunday of Pentecost. Today our readings continue to focus our attention on how to live our lives as Christ followers. How does the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus change us and transform the way we live our lives? That first Sunday we were together, we heard the Lord call us to proclaim peace and joy. Then last Sunday, the Lord called us to life love. And now today, the Lord is calling us as Christ followers to stay focused on the ministry entrusted to our care. In our Old Testament reading this morning, Abraham and Sarah receive God’s promise of a son – a promise they found so hard to keep in focus as they went about living their lives. And in our Epistle reading this morning Paul shares with us the constant focus of his ministry. And finally, in our Gospel reading this morning, Jesus reminds Martha – and us — where her focus really needs to be. So, beloved, let’s dig deeper.

Our Old Testament reading this morning is from Genesis, the 18th chapter. This story, I think, is one of the most interesting stories in the book of Genesis, if not the whole Old Testament. More is happening here than meets the eye. In fact, something incredibly profound is happening here. Chapter 18 begins with these simple words: “The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day.” And how does the Lord appear to Abraham? He comes in human form. He comes with two other heavenly beings, who are also in human form. “Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby.” This is just a foretaste of what is yet to come. In the fullness of time, the Lord will once more come in human form. He will be born of the Virgin Mary. He will take on our flesh and blood so that he can live the perfect life we can’t, die the death we deserve, and be raised to life so that we might have life with him now and for all eternity!

And how does Abraham respond to the Lord’s appearance? He responds with hospitality! “If I have found favor in your eyes, my Lord, do not pass your servant by. Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way – now that you have come to your servant.” And these three heavenly visitors indeed stay receive the gift of Abraham’s hospitality. By the way, it’s this story that leads the write of Hebrews to say to us: “Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” At any rate, the Lord and his heavenly companions have come to Abraham with a message – “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”

Now this promise of a son isn’t a new promise at all! In fact, it’s a promise at least 25 or 30 years old! The first time the Lord makes this promise to Abraham is in Genesis, chapter 12: “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing… all peoples on earth will be blessed through you!” But years go by. And still no child, let alone any inkling of becoming a great nation! A lot happens in Abraham and Sarah’s life – and given the passing of time, they sort of lose their focus on God’s promise. So, the Lord comes to Abraham again – this time in Genesis 15. We don’t know how long it’s been since chapter 12, but it’s been long enough for lots of stuff to have happened. But God once more renews his promise of a son: “Look up at the sky, Abraham, and count the stars – if indeed you can count them. So shall your offspring be!” But you can’t have a sky full of descendants when you don’t have even one child!

And time continues to just pass by. Abraham and Sarah get even older still. And their focus on God’s promise again seems to just fade away. In fact, after even more time passes, Sarah gets impatient. She’s tired of waiting for God to keep his promise. So, in Genesis 16, she takes matters into her own hands. She shifts her focus from God’s promise of a son to just having a son any way they can. She tells Abraham to have a child with Hagar, her slave. And so, he does. And the consequences of this lost focus, the consequences of not staying focused on God’s promise are huge. They’re just as bad as when Adam listened to Eve! Their lost focus continues to have repercussions even today in the all-too-frequent animosity between the descendants of Ishmael and the descendants of Isaac.

And once more, time continues to just pass by! And then the Lord appears again to Abraham in Genesis 17. Once more the Lord repeats the promise: “I have made you the Father of many nations…. You will have a son by Sarah.” Notice, beloved, the Lord uses the perfect tense here, not the future tense. From the Lord’s perspective, his promise is a done deal! If only Abraham and Sarah could see it this way! If only they could stay focused on God’s promise! But their focus is so far gone that when Abraham hears these words, he falls down on his face and laughs! Their focus is so far gone that Abraham actually tells God he wishes his son, Ishmael, could live under God’s blessing and be the fulfillment of God’s promise.

And once more, time continues to just pass by. Finally, we come to our reading today in Genesis, chapter 18. No, this promise of a son spoken here by the Lord and his two heavenly companions is not a new promise at all. Again, by this time, this promise of a son for Abraham and Sarah is at least 25 to 30 years old! Humanly speaking, who can blame Abraham and Sarah for losing their focus on God’s promise? Beloved, what kind of promise is harder to believe than a promise repeatedly not kept? And what kind of promise-maker is harder to believe than one who continually hasn’t kept his promise at all?

But God will indeed keep his promise! He always keeps his promises. The timing may not always be our timing, but it’s always in his perfect timing. So, when the Lord returns in just about a year’s time, they will indeed have a son of their own! So, don’t lose focus!

And that, my beloved, brings us to our Gospel reading this morning at the end of Luke, chapter 10. Luke begins the story this way: “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.” In our Old Testament reading this morning, Abraham shows hospitality to the Lord and his two heavenly companions. Now here, too, in our Gospel reading, Martha shows hospitality to Jesus and his disciples. Showing hospitality is indeed an important part of our lives as Christ followers!

Martha then busies herself in the kitchen, preparing a meal. Her sister, Mary, however, does something totally unexpected and out of the ordinary. In Jewish culture, Mary should have been in the kitchen with her sister. Instead, she does something only men were supposed to do. She seats herself at the feet of Jesus. She assumes the posture of a student learning at the feet of a rabbi. This just wasn’t something a woman was supposed to do! Anybody remember the Barbra Streisand movie “Yentl?”

At any rate, the moment comes when Martha is feeling rather frustrated. “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” Now some people hear this story and cheer Mary for inverting the traditional gender roles, for choosing to sit at Jesus’ feet instead of just working in the kitchen. Others, however, empathize with Martha’s feelings of being taken advantage of, of being left by Mary to do all the work herself. And Jesus’ response seems something less than empathetic toward Martha: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things, but few things are needed – indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Beloved, the problem with Martha isn’t her busy preparation of a meal. The problem isn’t her hospitality. Again, hospitality is indeed a valid and precious way to serve our neighbor. No, the problem isn’t Martha’s serving. Rather, it’s her worry and distraction. The Greek word Luke uses here for “distracted” carries the connotation of being pulled in lots of different directions. It’s Martha’s lost focus that’s the issue here! As Jesus lovingly reminds her, there’s just one thing needful! And that’s where her focus needs to be. Indeed, that’s where OUR focus needs to be as well! Beloved, the focus of hospitality is meant to be our guest – paying attention to our guest, making them feel welcome, making them feel at home, making them feel blessed, letting them know how blessed we are by their presence. But Mary’s worry and distraction – the fact that she feels pulled in lots of different directions – keeps her from being truly present with her guest, truly present with Jesus. And that’s what drives a wedge between her sister and herself!

Beloved, it’s all too easy for us to hear Jesus’ response to Martha as a rebuke. But in a very real way, it’s an invitation, not a rebuke! There’s only one thing needful – Jesus! So, cherish the grace-filled gift of being present with Jesus. Listen to him. Be blessed by him. Know that you are valued by him, not for what you do, but for who you are! You are a child of God! May that always be your focus, Martha! May that always be our focus, too!

And that, my beloved, brings us at last to our Epistle reading this morning in Paul’s letter to the Colossians, the first chapter. Here in this first chapter of Colossians, Paul describes very clearly the transformation God has worked in our lives through our Lord Jesus Christ. “Once you were alienated from God,” says Paul. “But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.” Notice, beloved, just how much you and I have been the focus of our Lord’s mission and ministry. He saw us when we were alienated from God. He saw us when we were separated from God. And with laser focus, he left heaven behind to do something about it. He reconciled us to himself through his physical body. With his physical body, he lived the perfect life we can’t. With his physical body, he died the death we deserve. With his physical body, he left the grave behind empty so that we, too, might leave our graves behind empty and spend eternity with him. Because of his life, death, and resurrection, we are holy in his sight. Because of his life, death, and resurrection, we are without blemish. We are perfect in his sight. There’s not even the tiniest hint of sin’s stain. And, beloved, because of his life, death, and resurrection, we are free from accusation. In the words of Paul to the Romans, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one!” Yes, beloved, because of Jesus, we are free from accusation!

Beloved, this is our reality – because of Jesus, we are holy, without blemish, and free from any and all accusation! This reality is the foundation and focus of our faith. In this reality, we stand firm. And because of this reality, we have hope – hope now and hope for all eternity! For Paul, this Gospel message proclaiming our reconciliation in Christ has been the focus of his ministry from the moment the Lord called him into this ministry. And beloved, hopefully this Gospel message is the focus of our ministry, too!

Notice how Paul looks at his ministry. Notice how willing he is to suffer, if necessary, for this ministry. Notice his heart’s desire to serve the body of Christ, the Church. “Now I rejoice,” says Paul, “in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in all its fullness – the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory!”

Proclaiming the mystery of God – that’s the focus of Paul’s ministry! Proclaiming what had been hidden for generations, but now is clearly revealed – that’s the focus of Paul’s ministry! Proclaiming the glorious riches that are ours through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus – that’s the focus of Paul’s ministry! Proclaiming “Christ in you, the hope of glory!” – that’s the focus of Paul’s ministry! And beloved, that’s the focus of our ministry, too! Again, in the words of Paul, “He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.”

Finally, beloved, notice the very last words of Paul in our reading this morning. Notice how these words underscore and confirm just how focused Paul is on this ministry of proclaiming “Christ in you, the hope of glory!” “To this end,” says Paul, “I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.” Beloved, may these words be our words as well! May we, too, stay ever so focused on the ministry entrusted to our care. May we, too, proclaim, day in and day out, “Christ in you, the hope of glory!” May we, too, say together, as God’s people called Christ the Vine, “To this end, we strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in us!” Amen? Amen!