Luke 10:38-42 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
I’m sitting here in my home quietly sipping my coffee and enjoying the beautiful Christmas lights. You would think I didn’t have a care in the world, but inside this kinky hair covered head is a brain that is making a long list of things that I need to accomplish over the next few weeks. No, I’m not just scheduling out my day, I’m planning the next three weeks leading up to Christmas. I’ve finished my Christmas shopping, but I still have quite a few homemade gifts to complete. I need to clean the house today. I have some continuing education I need to finish for my second job. I want to organize my cabinets and clean out my refrigerator. Next weekend we will be busy making Christmas candy, and then our church is presenting “A Night in Bethlehem,” and we are providing the live animals and barnyard as the Bethlehem shepherds. I am very excited about recreating a night in Bethlehem for our community! And then begins the gift exchanges and parties. All of those things are fun and exciting. I’m not complaining, I’m just busily trying to plan out my busy schedule.
I love this time of year. I love that we are celebrating the birth of Christ! I wish we would continue the celebration all year long and not just in December. The thing we have to remember as we celebrate is that we are celebrating the birth of our Savior, and we must slow down and enjoy this season in our lives. We can’t get all caught up in the busyness of it all, and we can’t forget the true meaning. Our scripture today is quite familiar. Martha was very busy preparing her home for Jesus. She was extremely busy with the preparations. However, Mary paused. She sat at the feet of Jesus soaking in all of the words he was saying. She realized the significance of the moment, and she paused to enjoy the moment.
This my friends is exactly what we need to do right now. We have our jobs to do and chores to complete, but we can’t let the busyness of life get in the way of us enjoying the true meaning of Christmas. Let go of all of the worry and stress of the season, and slow down and smell the poinsettias. Stop and enjoy the beautiful lights. Drink hot cocoa, and watch a Christmas movie. Most importantly take some time to truly enjoy the season. Reflect on the glory of God and the birth of Christ. Rather than stress out with the busyness, take some time to truly enjoy Christmas. Study the Word. Read through the book of Luke. Share the love of Christ with everyone you meet. Christmas isn’t about the preparations, shopping, and all the gifts. Christmas is about THE GIFT. The Grinch figured it out when he shared, “Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, …perhaps… means a little bit more!”
Slow down, Martha! Take some time to be a Mary this Christmas season and all year long! Remember that we are celebrating the greatest gift ever given to this world! Focus on THE GIFT, not the gifts.
Inspirations from the Funny Farm 