High Expectations

This sermon takes the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42 and looks at why Martha was so busy and what was it that Jesus really wanted from her and us.

It's not my best but enjoy!


If you were going to have someone over for dinner, or have a party at your home, what would be on your to do list? Shopping, cooking, cleaning, sometimes cleaning rooms that you know your guest will not even go in, or making sure the baseboards are dust free and there are no cobwebs in the corners of the living room. We become like Martha and almost drive ourselves crazy with the long to do list when we welcome people into our homes. We occasionally get so caught up in getting the list done and making sure everything is perfect, that we don’t have time to sit and spend time with our guest, constantly worried that everyone has something to drink, that the temperature of the room is comfortable, that the food is not burning, that there is enough food set out. We get so worried that everyone else is having a good time, that often we ourselves are not able to have a good time and sometimes even make our guest less comfortable since it is obvious that we are not comfortable. In the act of extending hospitality we get worried about being perfect and distracted over the details that we end up not being very hospitable.

So now imagine that you are going to someone else’s house for dinner or for a party, what do you expect them to have done? Most of the time we just want to have a good time. We expect that food is edible and the place is clean enough that you aren’t disgusted. Most people do not check the baseboards and corners for dust and cobwebs. Most people are not expecting a 5 course meal with each course presented artistically and served at it pique temperature. Instead you expect to spend time with your host and fellow guest, to have delightful conversation, and relax.

Our expectations for ourselves are often higher than other’s expectations of us. Martha was so overwhelmed with being a good host to Jesus that she became worried and distracted and was not able to spend time with him. What she thought Jesus wanted of her in order to be a good host, doing all the housework, was not what Jesus actually wanted of her, to sit and listen.

And the same is true for us. We have these expectations in mind about what it means to be a good Christian – worshiping regularly, not sinning, giving money to the church and charities, volunteering our time. And those are all great things, but sometimes they get in the way of our faith. Sometimes we are too busy with that checklist that we aren’t able to truly listen to the word.

It happens all the time, Christians are too rushed to be in worship on time, or worried about saying the correct response, or adults are worried that their children remain quiet or one becomes distracted by making sure they remember to talk to so and so after worship about the committee meeting later in the week, Christians, including us (especially pastors) get so worried about being perfect and distracted by the details that we are not able to listen to God’s word, when that is what we are suppose to be doing.

In committee meetings we get bogged down with the details, with making sure that a program is the best use of our resources or that we are obeying all city ordinances and not breaking health code violations or OSHA laws that we aren’t able to do ministry. We get worried about being perfect and distracted by the details that we are not able to do God’s work, even when that is what we are suppose to be doing.

In evangelism efforts, we become worried about increase worship attendance often in order to meet the church’s budget. We get worried about being perfect and distracted by the details that we are not able to tell other’s about God’s grace, even when that is what we are suppose to be doing.

Our expectations for ourselves are high, or should I say what we think God expects of us are high expectations. In last week’s gospel when the lawyer asks what must he do to inherit eternal life he answers his own question by saying “to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength and all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Well that is an awfully big to do list. Those are expectations we are never going to meet; we will never live up to them, always falling short.

But maybe we are putting those expectations too high. Mary sat at Jesus feet and listened to him and probably even asked a few questions. Last week in the story that Jesus tell, the Good Samaritan takes care of a stranger. That is all Jesus wants, for us to take the time to listen to his word, for us to take the time to help out those in need. Put Jesus first, let everything else follow.

In commentaries and Sunday School lessons on today’s gospel, Martha often gets pictured as someone who always runs around and never stops to listen to Jesus and Mary gets classified as someone who never does housework and only spends her days listening to Jesus. But we can’t be that extreme and I’m sure Mary and Martha wasn’t that extreme. I’m sure Mary did housework when it was need, but she also knew when it was not needed, when the dishes and vacuuming and cleaning could wait to another time. Mary puts Jesus, and not housework first.

And by doing so Jesus will not be taken away from her. Because Mary put Jesus first, she will always have Jesus, even after his death, even when her brother Lazarus dies. She will have Jesus in her moments of doubt, she will have Jesus throughout her life.

And so too, when we put Jesus first, when we forget about the details, the distractions and give up our worries we will always have Jesus. When we take the time to truly listen to God’s word in worship, we will truly worship. When we take the time to truly do ministry, then God’s work will happen in this world. When we take the time to tell others about Jesus, others will hear about his love and grace in this world.

And when we do that Jesus will never be taken away from us. Jesus is with us when we worship, when we do ministry, when we tell others about him and once Jesus is with us, he will never depart us. He is with us in our moments of joy and happiness and our periods of sorrow and despair. He is with us when we have moments of complete faith and in our moments of doubts. Jesus is with us today and that can never be taken away from us, regardless of what we think he expects from us.