Yogi and Hammerin Hank

First Lesson: Amos 8: 1-12
Responsive Reading: Psalm 52
Second Lesson: Colossians 1: 15-28
​Gospel Lesson: Luke 10: 38-42

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Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.  And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith…”-Hebrews 12:12.
 
Once upon a time in the former Soviet Union, there was a wave of thefts within the factories[1].  Guards were set outside all the factories to hopefully catch the thieves.
 
 Well, at a particular factory, there was a guard who knew all the workers well.  The first evening, the guard observed a man named Pyotr Petrovich pushing a wheelbarrow with a suspicious looking sack inside it. 
 
The guard says, “All right, Petrovich?” “What’s in the bag?”
 
 Petrovich declared, “Nothing but sawdust?”
 
The Guard assumes Petrovich to be trying to outsmart him, only to open the sack and see that he’s telling the truth.  Every night that week, Petrovich came out with his wheelbarrow, which the guard diligently inspected.  Finally, after several nights of examining the wheelbarrow, the guard gets really frustrated with Pyotr Petrovich.  
 
The guard finally says, ‘Petrovich, I know you, I’ve known your whole life.”  “Tell me, what exactly are you smuggling out of here.” And “I’ll let you go.”
 
 A huge smile comes over Pyotr Petrovich’s face as he declares: “Wheelbarrows, my friend.” Every night, I’ve smuggled out a new wheelbarrow, while you’ve been distracted by sawdust[2]”  
 
A couple of years back, I was having dinner at North Woods.  I observed a family sitting nearby.  Every member of the family had their cell-phones out.  No one at the table was even attempting to talk to each other throughout the meal.  The scene struck me, so I asked the waitress about it at the end of the meal.  To which she declared that such a scene was in no way unique among her customers.  
 
Now, my point is not that cell-phones or the internet are bad.  I can’t imagine putting a sermon together thirty years ago without having so much information at my fingertip.  I can’t help be struck when I go to Sporting Events whether they be high school or professional where people pay money to attend, and they still never put their phones away. 
 
Being easily distracted leads us into Our Gospel lesson for Today from Luke 10[3].  In our lesson, Jesus is visiting the home of two sisters Martha and Mary.
 
Let me describe the wo sisters for you a bit.  Martha was the older sister.  Martha was a doer.  Martha kept a neat and orderly house.  Martha heard that Jesus was coming to visit and was going to make sure that her honored house guest was treated how he should be[4].  So when Jesus arrives, Martha keeps working in the kitchen as hard as she could to make the night special for everyone gathering.
 
Mary was the younger sister.  Mary was a free spirit.  Some might even describe Mary as the absent-minded sister.  Mary was the one who just figured everything would magically come together in the end.  So Jesus arrives at her house. Mary just casually puts her feet up in the living room while Martha does everything she possibly can to get dinner ready.  Mary never thinks about asking Martha, “If she can help.”  Martha eventually gets quite mad witnessing what she thinks is nothing more than Mary being lazy. 
 
Martha finally declares to Jesus: “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me![5]”
 
When I was growing up, my mom would prepare dinner most nights.  If Mom said something was being served at 6:30, it was going to be served at 6:30.  The following was an expectation that everyone understood.
 
When my parents were busy, I would often have meals at my Grandma’s.  Dinner at Grandma’s was always an adventure waiting to happen.  She’d vow to cook “turkey” for dinner, you’d show up right at dinnertime,  there wouldn’t even be a turkey in the house.  Frozen pizza, Subway, Hardees, or Dairy Queen would then be the evening meal.  I’d always be excited to go to Grandma’s because I knew junk food would always make it’s way onto the menu. 
 
So every person in the world benefits from having Marthas in their life[6].  So when Martha starts complaining about Mary to Jesus, she had what appeared to be some valid points.  Martha as soon as she started complaining about Mary’s lack of help in the kitchen, figured that if Jesus was such a wise religious teacher than he would obviously side with her.  Only this doesn’t happen. 
 
Jesus answered Martha: “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her[7].”   
 
I imagine Martha got mad when Jesus started praising what appeared to be her irresponsible sister Mary.
 
So what point is Jesus trying to make?
 
Once upon a time, Saint Bernard was traveling with a poor, uneducated farmer who proclaimed: “I never get distracted when I pray[8].”  Saint Bernard couldn’t believe such a thing to possibly true.  So he proposed the following: ‘If you can say the Lord’s Prayer without being distracted, I’ll give you this mule on which I’m riding.’ But if you can’t do this, you must come with me and become a monk. 
 
The farmer agrees to the bet.  He begins praying: “Our Father, who are in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.” The farmer then pauses before asking Saint Bernard. “Does the mule come with the saddle and bridle also[9]?”
 
You see, Mary like the farmer appeared to be easily distracted sitting at Jesus’ feet without a care in the world, while Martha worked as hard as could be getting the house ready for dinner.
 
What Jesus is doing within the Gospel lesson is making a point about the nature of the Christian faith, how the Gospel is about receiving, rather than doing.  The following statement doesn’t mean that doing is unimportant.  If doing was unimportant, I would never have gotten a meal other than Oreo cookies and frozen pizza growing up[10].  Rather as Christian people, we can’t preoccupied with so many different things that we miss out on what’s truly important.
 
A number of years back-Richard Baxter declared[11]:
 
“Know Christ, and you will know enough.  Know how to get to heaven, and you will have knowledge enough.  Remember the one thing needed.  Other things may be desirable and interesting to understand, but this you must understand, or you are undone forever. If you had enough time, it might be interesting to learn everything in the whole Encyclopedia, but life is short, and we are dull; eternal things are necessary, and your souls are precious.”
 
Jesus is making the point that as Martha is preparing the evening meal, the most important thing is not preparing the finest meal for him possible, but instead receiving the living word of God standing in her presence. 
 
We, as Christian people just like Martha, tend to get easily distracted from these things.  In our lives, these distractions take many forms: careers, community events, self-improvement projects, home improvement projects, travel.  These can all be wonderful things on their own.   The problem with getting too busy is it’s easy just like Martha to get distracted as to how the most important gift of salvation comes into our life. 
 
What’s truly important? Let me close with one final story.  Yogi Berra was a well-known Baseball player for the New York Yankees[12].  Hank Aaron was a terrific power hitter for the Milwaukee Braves who would be the first player to hit more home runs than Babe Ruth.
 
The Yankees and Braves were meeting in the World Series to determine baseball’s  champion.  What made Yogi Berra most famous is that his mouth was always moving during baseball games.  Yogi hoped to encourage his teammates, and distract everyone he could on the Milwaukee Braves.  Hank Aaron wasn’t much of a talker, but Yogi tried to get a rise out of him on this day.
 
Yogi shouted out: “Henry, you’re holding the bat wrong? You need to hold it, so you read the trademark when you’re swinging[13].”
 
Hank Aaron ignored Yogi Berra; next pitch was thrown, Hank Aaron hits the ball into the left field bleachers for a home-run.   Hank Aaron then runs around the bases, touches home plate and says to Yogi Berra, “I didn’t come up here to read[14].”
 
The point that Jesus is making to Martha in our lesson is don’t get distracted by saw-dust, fancy saddles, cell-phones, or fine print on baseball bats.  Jesus is in our lives, in our worship, in our prayers, even when we happen to get a bit distracted ourselves.  Amen
 


[1]  Guinness, Os..   The Devil's Gauntlet: The Church and the Challenge of Society. Intervarsity Publishing. 1989.  Print. Found on Sermon Illustrations under Distraction on July, 3, 2019. 
[2] Guinness, Os..   The Devil's Gauntlet: The Church and the Challenge of Society. Intervarsity Publishing
[3] Luke 10:38-42.
[4] Markquardt, Ed. “Mary and Martha or Martha and Mary.” Sermons from Seattle. Pentecost 8C. Web. July.3.2019. 
[5] Luke 10:40. 
[6] Markquardt, Ed. “Mary and Martha or Martha and Mary.” Sermons from Seattle.
[7] Luke 10:41-42.
[8] Stier, Leon. “Too Many Distractions (part two).” Email Mediatations. 31.Oct.2014. Web. July.3.2019. 
[9] Stier, Leon. “Too Many Distractions (part two).” Email Mediatations.
[10] Hoezee, Scott. “Luke 10:38-42.” Center for Excellence in Preaching. Calvin Seminary. Grand Rapids, MI. 10.July.2016. Web. July.3.2019.
[11] Stier, Leon. “Too Many Distractions (part two).” Email Mediatations.
[12] Boice, James Montgomery. Nehemiah: Learning to Lead. Revell Publishing. 1990. Print. Pg.38. Found on Sermon Illustrations under Distraction on July, 3, 2019. 
[13] Boice, James Montgomery. Nehemiah: Learning to Lead. Revell Publishing.
[14] Boice, James Montgomery. Nehemiah: Learning to Lead. Revell Publishing.