Distracted by All the Preparations

“Jesus and his disciples...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 [Jesus] 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 only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.'" Luke 10:38-42

Tis the Season of Preparation... And we relate with Martha, don’t we? (I know I do.) She was busy making preparations. (Would you like to hear my list of Holiday Preparations? I'm guessing you have one that is somewhat similar.) She wanted only the best for her guests. And so do we! We want to make this coming Christmas, the celebration of The Birth of Christ, the best-one-ever for our loved ones. So, in these weeks of preparation - like Martha - we hurry about, allowing our hearts to become distracted by all the busyness.

I tell myself that my intentions are only the best. I attend the Advent services, the Christmas programs, the recitals. I decorate my home with reminders of the Savior's birth, cleaning and preparing for my guests. Even the gifts I give and the sentiment in the cards I send, share with each recipient the message that Jesus is the Reason for the Season. Yes, I definitely want Christ at the center of my preparations...there is just so much to do! And I let all these good things distract me! I get so busy and stressed by it all, that I find myself grumbling, as Martha did: “Lord, don’t You care that I have all these preparations to make for Your Birthday?!  Won’t anyone help me?  Why do others seem to have peace and calm as they prepare for You to come, while I am busy doing all the work?”  I become worried and upset - distracted, as Martha was, by all the preparations to be made.

Jesus did not scold Martha for what she was doing. After all, her preparations, too, were for the Lord. Instead, Jesus gently reminded her what was better. Jesus tenderly redirects us as He did Martha. The world around us is shouting, “Prepare!  Prepare to buy presents & shop-till-you-drop!  Prepare the cards, the candies, and the creche; prepare for the parties and the programs!  And you MUSN’T forget ANYTHING!” 

Meanwhile, the Lord whispers, “Prepare!” And we cry, “But, Lord, I HAVE been making all these preparations!”  “I know, my child... but have you forgotten to prepare your heart for me this Holy Season? You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Place me first in your days, and all else will fall into place.” (Hmmm…do you think, perhaps, if I put Him first, that some of those all-important, must-do preparations won’t seem so urgent anymore?) 

The Christ Child will come…whether the guests who come to my house see it cleaned and decorated or not. The Babe in the manger will arrive, whether my Christmas cards arrive on time or not. The Greatest Gift of all will be delivered to me and to my family on Christmas eve, whether the presents are delivered or not. Will I miss it? Will I miss savoring the celebration of His birth for all of my well-intentioned preparations that have become my distractions?

We long, like Mary, to sit quietly at our Savior’s feet, hanging on to His every word. Mary’s heart was not distracted that day, but fully devoted to Christ. We are told Advent is the season of preparation. What is TRUE Advent Preparation? It is a time to prepare our hearts for the coming Christ! We hear the call of John The Baptist to repent:  “Prepare the way for the Lord; make straight paths for Him!” (Matthew 3:3) 

As we prepare our hearts for the coming of the the long-awaited Messiah - Immanuel (God with us) - the Babe in the manger, we are also preparing for His triumphant return when He takes all believers HOME to be with Him in glory in the final resurrection!

How can we prepare? Much the way we would prepare our homes for an important guest. We would spare no effort to get everything in order for the occasion! For this most-important Guest, we reach into the furthest corners and bring out every bit of the dirt and filth - our sins. We cannot clean them on our own; by the Holy Spirit's leading, we lay them before our most-important Guest. We repent of our sins to the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ Himself, whose death and resurrection saved us from these sins; who lovingly chose us as His very own. He washes us clean. He then gently leads us to sit at His feet, to do the "one thing needed" during this busy season: spend time in His Word and in prayer. And as we do, He takes all of our worries, cares, and distractions, and replaces them with trust, peace, and devotion. 

I pray for each of you, during this Holy Season of Preparation, that your hearts would not be distracted, but devoted to our Lord and Savior. By His strength at work in you, may you keep Christ at the center of your heart and the center of your activities as you prepare for Christmas. Place Him first; sit at His feet. 

"She Has Been With Jesus!"

In your daily conversations and interactions with the world around you (your family, your neighbors, your co-workers, and more), is it evident that you have been with Jesus? Can others see that you are a follower of Christ? That you long to Live on the EDGE for Him?

As promised, I am sharing another small portion of the Keynote Address I presented before the LWML National Convention, “Being with Jesus ~ Living on the EDGE”. I pray that God touches you with this message and moves you a bit closer to the EDGE.

In the earliest days of the church following Pentecost – as recorded in Acts chapters 3 & 4 - the apostles Peter and John healed a crippled man in the name and in the power of Jesus Christ. Crowds gathered in amazement and Peter began to teach them. As a result, he and John were seized and jailed overnight, then brought before the priests, rulers, & teachers of the law the next day for questioning.



Peter proclaims Christ before his accusers!

 With great authority and boldness, Peter proclaimed salvation in Christ alone, and his accusers were astonished. They recognized Peter and John to be ordinary, unschooled men, and realized that these men had been with Jesus! Peter cried out against the Jewish leaders who now threatened to silence him and all the apostles by forbidding them to speak the name of Jesus. Filled with the power of the Spirit, Peter cried, “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:20 NKJV) This is the same Peter who had crumbled in fear on much earlier occasions, sinking amidst the wind and waves as he attempted to walk on water; denying Christ when confronted during His trial. Being with Jesus, Peter was changed. With the power of Christ now at work in him, Peter could not be silent, but boldly proclaimed salvation in Jesus’ name. Peter was prepared to give an answer before his critics and accusers, because he had been with Jesus.

The Holy Spirit later inspired the same Peter to write these words: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have…” (1 Peter 3:15 NIV) The Lord gives us the desire to grow in His Word. He prepares us for every challenge and fills us with courage. Being with Jesus, we are changed, too! He fuels us with words, abilities, and energy that are clearly not of our own. An unbelieving and critical world around us can see that we have been with Jesus! We cannot keep Him to ourselves but shout His praises to the world! He is in our hearts and on our lips. Like Peter, we are prepared; like Peter, we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard!

Perhaps we will not be persecuted for proclaiming Jesus, as the apostles were, and as millions of Christians around the world are persecuted today. We may, however, be mocked or made fun of, insulted or accused, criticized or cast out. Jesus foretold that His followers would be hated and hurt…and yes, even persecuted. But when this harsh world sees you and me in our formerly timid tootsies, now boldly proclaiming the name of Christ Jesus, courageously LIVING ON THE EDGE because we, too, have been filled with the power of the Spirit, they will be astonished! Perhaps they will even exclaim like Peter’s accusers, “She has been with Jesus!”