If you would, turn with me to the 10^th chapter of Luke. We are going to start out around 38 and we are going to go through this. I am going to give you the truncated version. We are going to get right down to it. (NIV) 38. As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40. 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!" 41. "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42. but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." This is very interesting because as I read this I was looking through some of my things I was reading and I had a little piece I came across that I’d like to read to you here. Mammon outshouts God. You remember when Elijah heard that still small voice after the storm? It is hard to hear what God has put in your heart with mammon, or man, roaring. I write this on an island between Vancouver Island and the British Columbian mainland. Earlier in the day I walked along a forest trail and returned to my cabin along the shore line. The greenness of the water, the clatter of the stone shell under foot, and the natural sculpture of driftwood, it is a gallery of art. And I set on a shelf of sandstone that sloped down to the water. The sandstone, with its pits and ridges were where the water’s persistence had pried loose embedded stone, resembled a rough lizard hide hugely magnified. This is a place of good silence. There are sounds but they are woven into the texture of the air, earth and water. It is a place for listening. Walking home in early evening, I heard voices. They sounded near, but they weren’t. They came across a vast, expansive water swept effortlessly like heron skimming the water’s surface over the distance. The voices traveled that distance in tact, shades of inflections still in them. No echo blurring their edges, I heard every word. Simplicity is like a silence. It is a place for listening to a voice that otherwise we might never hear. And truly I think that is the way we get, isn’t it? We get so wrapped up in the things that we have to do. We get wrapped up in our jobs and in the things we have to do for our families. We get wrapped up in the things that come at us every day. We realize those things need to be taken care of. They do. I also read a story about a man who went to a Monastery and he noticed the brothers were working and toiling very hard. And this man said to one of the monks there, he said, "don’t toil for things of earth, have treasure in heaven. Build up treasure in heaven." And so the father, or the Abbey, who he was talking to said, "go ahead and give him a bible and put him in a cell so he can read because he is surely a man of God." So the brother was in there, he was in there reading the bible, and it came time to eat and he was hungry and nothing showed up. And so he went to the Father and he asked if the other brothers had eaten. And he says, yes. Why wasn’t food brought to me? And he says, "well, we know that you are a very spiritual man and you exist on the very food of the scripture". And the man realized then that it was very important to take care of those things. Those things need to be taken care of. And he asked for the Father’s forgiveness because he had neglected the physical needs. Jesus never neglected our physical needs because when there was need he fed five-thousand with a few fish and some loaves. But this was a time when Christ was moving towards Jerusalem. Moving towards a rendezvous with a couple pieces of rough wood and some nails where he would shed his blood for us on a cross and die for our sin. This was heavy upon him. And Mary could sense that. You know, there are different kinds of kindness. People tend to be kind to people in a way they think needs to be. Martha thought she was being kind. And she was, by in her own way, busting around and making a fancy meal for Jesus so he would be welcomed in their house. She thought this was the way to welcome him. But Mary on the other hand sat at Jesus’ feet and listened because she knew he had something he needed to get off his chest. Something he needed to talk about. Something that he needed. And this was her kindness to him. I think we need to realize that when we try to be kind to someone, we need to do it as Christ would have us do it. In other words, we need to be kind to that person in a way that ministers to them. Jesus didn’t need a sumptuous meal at that time. The simplest of fare would have done because his mind was on the cross. His mind was down the road where he would suffer and die. And Mary was sensitive to this to listen to him. And I encourage you, in the way of Christ, in your walk, in your contact with those you will meet this week, try to think about how to be kind to them in their way. Try to think about what their priorities are, and not yours. Think about what their cares are and not yours. Think about those things you can do to make their cares easy for them. I think that is very important in our walk with Christ in the way we contact with others, to realize that the example of Christ is to know what is in a man’s heart and then extend your kindness in that thing. You know, James has told us that faith without works is dead. So we need to take care of the works. We need to take care of the physical needs. But before we can do that our faith must be in Christ within us so we do those things out of His kindness and His kindness recognizes each person’s individual needs and cares. And when you meet someone this week, anyone you meet, realize that behind that person, behind whatever they say, behind whatever they do, is a person who needs your kindness. And they need it in a way that they can receive it. So we need to be like Martha. We need to take care of things. We need to be on a schedule. And we are not quite on that today. But those things need to be taken care of. But we also need to bring that care from the perspective of Martha where she sits at the feet of Jesus and listens to Him. The way we do that is right here. Take that time each day to listen to Him, to be with Him, so that you will be in tune to the things you need to do to be kind to others. And the kindest thing, brothers and sisters, that you can do for anyone is to show them Jesus Christ. Let us pray.

Father, we ask you for wisdom. We just ask that you would talk to us in those still quiet moments. Those times when the distractions are away from us. Those times when you can look into our soul and look into our heart and let us know that indeed we are loved so we can show others your love and kindness. Father, we pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.

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