A Famine Not of Bread

"Jesus Wept" by James Tissot Click here to listen to this sermon. “I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die” (John 11:25). A smart man. A thirsty woman. A blind man. A grieving sister. Four different people in four different situations. Four people changed by an encounter with Jesus. They lived in places and times far from ours, but we have much in common with them. We are smart, but not nearly as smart as we think. So, as He did with Nicodemus, Jesus teaches us. We are thirsty, longing for something that will satisfy us. And Jesus, as He did with the Samaritan woman, gives us Living Water. We have blind spots which keep us from fully seeing God, ourselves, and others. As He did with the man born blind, Jesus opens our eyes. This week’s text invites us to walk alongside a grieving sister. There are many causes of grief. One of them is broken relationships. We w...

"Christ in the House of Martha and Mary" by Johannes Vermeer Click here to listen to this sermon. Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to His teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to Him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:38-42). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! You all know what it’s like when you’re expecting company. There’s usually a certain amount of preparation that is necessary—cooking, cleaning, bringing out the best dishes and silverware. We want to impress them. We want to m...

"The Resurrection of Jesus" by James I Tissot Click here to listen to this sermon. Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! The sisters were frantic when their brother Lazarus took ill. They realized that unless something was done soon, he would not live much longer. The prospect of losing their brother was painful and frightening. In fear and frustration, Martha and Mary did the right thing. They brought their need to Jesus. That is something for us to think about carefully. We, too, have urgent and frightening needs. It may be sickness and the threat of death, such as this family faced. It may be the loss of a job or a troubled marriage … a wayward child … loneliness … a pet sin or addiction that is controlling our lives. Wh...

Click here to listen to this sermon. But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41–42). Grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ! During their travels, Jesus and His disciples were often guests in the homes of people who accepted His message and supported His mission. In fact, when Jesus sent first the Twelve, and then the seventy-two into the towns of Judea, He instructed them to go without extra supplies. Those disciples were to depend on the hospitality of the townspeople. They were to stay with the people who welcomed them and eat in their homes. They were to heal the sick, and tell them the Good News, “The kingdom of God is near you.” Jesus didn’t force Himself on anyone. He went into the homes He was welcomed and invited, and taught His disciples to do the same. It didn’t matter who t...

Click here to listen to this sermon. The text for today is our Gospel, Luke 10:38-42, which has already been read. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! “Martha was distracted…”   Now there’s a phrase we can relate to.   Finally, here’s a person in the Bible we can really understand.   Martha is a woman after our own hearts.   Distracted… and there is much to be distracted about.   Jesus has come to her village.   She has “welcomed Him into her house.”   He is an honored guest and that means much preparation.   We don’t know how many have come with Jesus, but there could perhaps be dozens.   That takes a lot of food.   And in the days before carryout, refrigerators, or microwave ovens, that means first going to the market or garden to get fresh meat, fruit, and vegetables.   And then preparing everything from scratch, spending hours over a hot stove. Well, you get the idea.   There ar...