Brett Webb-Mitchell - "From 'Doing for' to 'Being With'" (July 19, 1998)

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-	The Gospel reading this morning	0:06
	is found in the Gospel according to St. Luke,	0:09
	chapter 10, verses 38 through 42.	0:13
	Now, as they went on their way,	0:19
	he entered a certain village	0:22
	where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.	0:24
	She had a sister named Mary	0:28
	who sat at the Lord's feet and listened	0:30
	to what he was saying	0:33
	but Martha was distracted by her many tasks	0:35
	so she came to Jesus	0:39
	and asked "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me	0:41
	"to do all the work by myself?	0:46
	"Tell her then to help me."	0:49
	But the Lord answered her,	0:53
	"Martha, Martha, you are worried	0:54
	"and distracted by many things.	0:59
	"There's need of only one thing,	1:02
	"Mary has chosen the better part	1:05
	"which will not be taken away from her."	1:08
	This is the word of the Lord.	1:12
-	Thanks be to God.	1:15
-	Let us pray,	1:17
	may the words of my mouth	1:21
	and the meditation of our hearts	1:23
	be acceptable unto you, oh Lord, amen.	1:26
	It is the middle of summer across this country again.	1:33
	We are surrounded by eye-catching images	1:38
	of either the recurring splash of splashing seas	1:41
	beating rhythmically against sandy shores	1:45
	while children run with laughter	1:48
	along a Carolina beach.	1:50
	Or there's the morning in America Vision	1:52
	of a couple awakening to the sun	1:56
	just rising over the Great Smoky Mountains,	1:58
	surrounded by birds chirping	2:01
	and cool creek water gurgling nearby,	2:04
	their most perfect tent.	2:07
	And amid these postcard images of American bliss,	2:10
	we are also well acquainted	2:14
	with the constant reminders of how precarious our life is	2:17
	with forest fires ravaging Florida,	2:21
	otherwise known the rest of the year as the Sunshine State.	2:24
	Then only a few hundred miles away,	2:28
	the rains which failed to stroke Florida	2:31
	are now destroying lives and property wantonly in Tennessee.	2:34
	Still further west, people suffer	2:39
	and die due to the scorching heat wave	2:41
	which arcs from Texas to California.	2:45
	In light of such crises,	2:49
	it is the response of many Americans,	2:51
	many Christians to reach deep down	2:54
	and find out what is commonly referred to	2:58
	as that can do spirit.	3:02
	There is no crisis too large,	3:05
	there is no catastrophe too great	3:08
	that we together as a nation can't lick it.	3:12
	When the going gets tough,	3:16
	we say the tough get going.	3:18
	And that becomes our nation's battle hymn for the summer.	3:22
	For example, when in Oregon last week,	3:26
	the media followed firefighter after firefighter taking off	3:29
	in their planes to battle the blazing fires in Florida	3:33
	and then with the ravaging floods in Tennessee,	3:38
	some North Carolinians were making plans	3:42
	to be of assistance in water-soaked areas	3:44
	in their neighbor state.	3:48
	Meanwhile truckloads of fans	3:50
	are being given out freely to people	3:52
	in the Dallas, Forth Worth area of Texas.	3:55
	We are a people who understand ourselves	3:58
	to be rescuers, who will do anything,	4:02
	go anywhere to help those in need.	4:06
	Doing something for others	4:10
	is what we do best.	4:13
	And herein often lies the problem.	4:18
	To what end or for what purpose	4:22
	do we do things for others?	4:26
	For many, the reason they help others in need	4:29
	of assistance is because they expect exactly	4:32
	the same from others	4:36
	when a crisis hits their own backyard.	4:38
	I mean, fair is fair.	4:41
	Some call it by the adage, I'll scratch your back	4:44
	if you scratch mine	4:49
	or others live life according to the secularized version	4:52
	of one of Jesus' great commandments	4:55
	which Americans now simply refer to as the golden rule.	4:58
	Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.	5:03
	According to this Americanized golden rule,	5:09
	one could interpret that the actions	5:12
	of the great and Good Samaritan,	5:14
	last week's lectionary reading,	5:16
	from the view that he only helped that poor man lying	5:18
	on the side of the road who was stripped,	5:21
	beaten and left half dead	5:24
	with the guarantee that the poor man,	5:27
	once rehabilitated, would be ready to do the same for him.	5:29
	All of life, you see, is determined	5:35
	on a strictly quid pro quo basis.	5:38
	So central is the golden rule in America	5:42
	that it is taught in all our elementary schools	5:45
	as a way of managing our children's behavior	5:48
	and is a central part of a code of ethics	5:52
	for many multinational corporations.	5:54
	And by practicing these words,	5:57
	America becomes a nation of doers for others	6:00
	with a quid pro quo caveat	6:04
	and we recite these words so often	6:08
	that soon they take on a life of their own.	6:10
	And the author of these words is soon forgotten.	6:14
	Or we misappropriate them to Benjamin Franklin	6:17
	or are sure that Abraham Lincoln	6:20
	must have mentioned them	6:22
	in the Gettysburg Address somewhere.	6:23
	It is reduced to a bumper sticker	6:27
	in some mall's car parking lot.	6:29
	Even in the church, some members, maybe even ourselves	6:33
	are also caught up in the practices	6:38
	of the golden rule, cheerful rescuer,	6:40
	forgetting to what end or for what purpose	6:43
	we are created for and whom we are called to serve.	6:47
	There are those caught up in the habit	6:52
	of constantly doing for others,	6:53
	who take no joy except in the activity	6:56
	and change for others.	6:59
	You can hear them as you sit,	7:01
	constantly worrying around your head or hovering above.	7:03
	Worrying if all is satisfactory.	7:08
	Whenever an occasion for doing something	7:11
	for others presents themselves,	7:13
	they are compelled to act.	7:14
	It is a habit that they cannot break.	7:16
	They cannot seem to help themselves.	7:19
	They are inexorably moved	7:23
	like the machine of which they are a part.	7:25
	To take them to task,	7:29
	to sit them down,	7:32
	to tell them take a load off your own feet,	7:33
	just be still or even worse,	7:36
	if we try to serve them,	7:39
	well, that is nigh to impossible.	7:42
	It is high treason	7:45
	for if such a person is not busy doing for others,	7:47
	she or he will no longer be in power.	7:51
	Such a rescuer in Christ's body is Jesus' friend Martha.	7:56
	Martha is the paradigmatic example	8:01
	of one who cannot help but do for others.	8:04
	In Luke 10, we are told that Jesus	8:08
	and the disciples are on a journey	8:10
	when they happen to stop by the home	8:13
	of Martha and Mary, Jesus's friends.	8:15
	Martha welcomes them into the home	8:20
	and instantly she begins to prepare a meal	8:21
	while Mary simply and quietly sits at Jesus' feet	8:24
	and listens to all that he is saying.	8:29
	What things Martha was doing we don't know	8:32
	except that she was so engaged	8:36
	in so many tasks, she didn't hear a living word	8:37
	of what the word of God was saying	8:40
	who was sitting in her very living room.	8:43
	She was too distracted to be with Jesus.	8:45
	We can almost envision the self-involved actions	8:51
	of Martha as she is busy trying to serve Jesus,	8:55
	practicing her own kind and brand of hospitality.	8:58
	Doing something for Jesus	9:02
	yet never asking Jesus what Jesus needs,	9:04
	what Jesus wants or what Jesus would like.	9:07
	She assumes that she knows best	9:10
	what Jesus would like.	9:14
	Well, based upon these unchecked assumptions,	9:16
	Martha works feverishly in the other room.	9:19
	She's left feeding the hoard of other disciples,	9:21
	she's banging pots and pans	9:24
	as loud as she possibly can	9:26
	yet never asking Jesus what would Jesus need?	9:28
	She's increasingly more disappointed,	9:32
	disturbed and aggravated with Jesus and Mary	9:34
	by every living second	9:39
	because Jesus is not there shouting out,	9:40
	"Thank you, Martha."	9:43
	And Mary, she's in the other room	9:45
	and she doesn't ask, "May I help?"	9:47
	Well, of course, Martha hasn't asked for any help	9:50
	because she is too busy rescuing the day for others	9:52
	so that in the end, they will think	9:56
	she hopes that Martha is the best host in the Earth.	9:58
	That Martha somehow will win the Miss Congeniality prize	10:01
	among the children of God.	10:07
	Martha is hoping that someday in your kitchen,	10:09
	you will have the household martyr in your closet.	10:12
	That Martha someday will be a beloved saint	10:17
	for every kitchen even before there are canonized saints	10:19
	in the church.	10:23
	Near burnout, when Martha's self-sacrificial patience	10:25
	runs its due course,	10:29
	she explodes all over Jesus and Mary.	10:31
	"Lord, do you not care that my sister	10:35
	"has left me to do all the work by myself?	10:38
	"Tell her, Jesus, tell her to come into the kitchen	10:41
	"and help me."	10:44
	Talk about your sibling rivalry	10:45
	and appealing to parental authorities.	10:48
	Martha doesn't even talk directly to Mary	10:51
	but tries to get Jesus to do her bidding.	10:54
	Well, conniving Martha then waits	10:58
	in hope of payback time.	11:00
	She assumes that her arrogant attitude	11:02
	will bring forth the quid pro quo she's been so waiting for	11:04
	and so carefully manipulated.	11:08
	She eagerly waits now	11:10
	for Jesus to reprove, if not scold and berate Mary.	11:12
	"Perhaps," she thinks, "Mary will become an example	11:16
	"of how not to be a follower of Jesus."	11:19
	Surprisingly, Martha's distraction	11:24
	is gently reproved by Jesus	11:27
	while instead Mary's attention is clearly approved.	11:30
	"Martha, Martha, you are worried	11:35
	"and distracted by many things.	11:40
	"There is need of only one thing.	11:43
	"Mary has chosen the better part	11:46
	"which will not be taken away from her," says Jesus.	11:49
	What was Mary doing which was so threatening to Martha?	11:55
	Mary simply practiced the gesture	11:59
	of being with Jesus.	12:02
	Mary simply practiced a ministry of being with,	12:05
	with her mind, soul and body,	12:09
	Mary was listening to and hearing every word	12:11
	that Jesus said, watching every wink of an eye,	12:14
	sensing the slightest move of a finger,	12:18
	hand or arm in a comforting pose.	12:21
	In such rapt attention, Mary became one with Jesus.	12:25
	Mary seemed to intuit the magnificent guest before her	12:30
	which Paul later describes in his letter	12:34
	to the Colossians,	12:36
	Mary knew that she was in the company	12:38
	of the invisible God,	12:40
	the firstborn of all creation,	12:42
	the one in whom all things in heaven and on Earth	12:45
	were created, things visible and invisible,	12:49
	whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers,	12:52
	all things were created through him and for him.	12:56
	Playing counterpart to Mary's busyness	13:00
	of trying to do for others for the sake of merely doing,	13:03
	Mary is first and foremost being with Jesus.	13:07
	Becoming part of the firstborn of creation.	13:11
	From there, she will go out to live	13:15
	and act in the world,	13:17
	assisting others out of the deep knowing	13:19
	of who she is.	13:22
	A disciple of Jesus Christ.	13:25
	As Christians, we need to understand	13:29
	that Jesus isn't saying that it is fine	13:31
	if some are going to be like Mary	13:34
	and the others are going to be like Martha.	13:36
	Jesus isn't saying that the world	13:39
	is equally divided between type A	13:41
	and type B personality characteristics.	13:44
	Nor is Jesus saying that Mary and Martha	13:48
	are two extreme points on a single spectrum.	13:50
	What Jesus is saying is even more disturbing	13:54
	and more profound for us Christians.	13:57
	We are to be like the good soil from the parable	13:59
	of the sower and the seed.	14:02
	We are to practice the gesture of first hearing the word	14:05
	of God, holding it fast within our hearts	14:09
	in an honest and good heart	14:13
	for with patient endurance	14:16
	we are told it will bear much fruit.	14:17
	Or listen to what Jesus said to his followers	14:21
	after being told that his mother	14:23
	and brothers are wanting to see him	14:25
	and are standing outside the crowd as he is preaching.	14:27
	Jesus says this,	14:31
	"My mother and my brother are those	14:33
	"who hear the word of God and then do it."	14:35
	Jesus, God's word instructs us	14:40
	to first be with him,	14:43
	listening and hearing him,	14:46
	receiving him into our lives	14:48
	and then to go out into the world	14:50
	as a member of the body of Christ to serve others.	14:53
	Jesus' message is radical for us Christians today living	14:58
	in the frenetic American puttering machine	15:01
	in which doing, producing, performing,	15:04
	getting results, making changes for the sake	15:08
	of making a change	15:10
	is alone the measure of our worth.	15:11
	Yet such making action without right direction leads us	15:15
	to be more like Martha	15:18
	who couldn't hear the word of God	15:20
	for she was too busy for the sake of being busy.	15:22
	She was busy doing things for others	15:26
	before hearing why she is serving others	15:28
	or in whose name she is serving	15:31
	or what the other person really needs.	15:33
	Sadly for many of us,	15:38
	myself included, who like to see change	15:40
	and make things happen	15:43
	for the sake of happening,	15:45
	it is often easier for us to identify with Martha	15:46
	who almost missed Jesus	15:51
	even though he was in her home	15:52
	than to identify and be like Mary.	15:55
	Those who constantly teach me to be more like Mary	15:59
	are those whom the world calls disabled.	16:02
	For example, when living in a large community,	16:06
	a Christian community for adults	16:09
	with developmental disabilities,	16:11
	I almost won the record for losing the most number	16:14
	of community members	16:17
	when simply out on a walk.	16:18
	I would be in almost a trance thinking	16:20
	about my agenda, what I wanted to get done	16:23
	before the day was over	16:26
	and I would either walk too fast	16:29
	for the member with a disability	16:31
	or walk away from them totally	16:33
	without remembering who I was walking with.	16:35
	Suddenly, I would hear from the back,	16:39
	"Brett, slow down!	16:42
	"You're walking too fast."	16:44
	Or I would realize how silent it had suddenly become	16:46
	only to turn around and see	16:51
	that I had left the community behind a block or two	16:52
	or they had taken a turn somewhere	16:56
	and I didn't know where the heck they were.	16:57
	Today, our first and leading task	17:00
	is to be with Jesus.	17:05
	The one who alone remembers for us who we are.	17:08
	It is Christ's spirit,	17:13
	present in the lives of others	17:15
	who gather us together in his name	17:17
	and because this is true, we are to be like Mary.	17:21
	Remember, Mary was not passively limp	17:25
	but was fully concentrating with every inch	17:28
	and bone and sinew of her body,	17:31
	listening and drawing in	17:33
	and drinking in Jesus.	17:35
	And what makes it even more fascinating	17:37
	for us to be like Mary is that we too	17:39
	are to intentionally focus on Jesus's presence,	17:41
	now present in the lives of others,	17:45
	allowing no one and nothing else	17:48
	to distract us from him who is the head	17:50
	of the body.	17:53
	In the lives of other people,	17:55
	especially in the lives of those who are suffering,	17:57
	we must be capable to recognize the suffering,	18:00
	the living Christ	18:04
	for we are all dependent upon the loving presence of Jesus	18:06
	who suffered and died for the salvation of the world.	18:11
	Being with Jesus who is in our sisters'	18:16
	and brothers' lives, holding fast to the word	18:20
	of God with an honest and good heart	18:23
	is a practiced gesture	18:26
	yet once we practice this gesture	18:28
	of being present with others in Christ,	18:30
	now knowing to what end we are to serve others	18:33
	in the name of the risen Christ,	18:37
	we may now go out into the world	18:40
	and we go into the world with the strength	18:42
	of God's spirit, giving ourselves for others,	18:45
	not in our name	18:48
	but in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.	18:50
	So it is in the name of Jesus we Christians	18:54
	may join others in fighting	18:56
	the destructive fires in Florida.	18:58
	It is in the name of Jesus that we will care	19:00
	for those who are living in flood-ravaged areas of Tennessee	19:03
	and it is in the name of Jesus	19:06
	that we will serve those	19:08
	who are in dire need of fans in the Texas area.	19:10
	This morning before we go out to do for others,	19:15
	we begin this morning by coming	19:19
	to this mysterious banquet feast,	19:21
	with the good company of the saints,	19:25
	gathering again around this bread and cup,	19:27
	prepared for all of us,	19:31
	for all generations of Christians	19:33
	who desire to be with Jesus.	19:35
	We are here not because of what we've done,	19:40
	instead we are here because of what Jesus did,	19:45
	is doing, and will always do for us	19:50
	and one day with us.	19:54
	Jesus, who is our Emmanuel, God with us,	19:57
	promises to be with us always	20:02
	in the power of God's word	20:05
	and Holy Spirit.	20:07
	And so before we leave this place	20:10
	to serve others in the name of Jesus Christ,	20:13
	let us first come and like Mary,	20:17
	be with Jesus in this meal.	20:22
	In the name of the Father, the Son	20:26
	and the Holy Ghost.	20:29
	Amen.	20:31
-	The Lord be with you.	20:50
-	And also with you.	20:52
-	Let us pray.	20:54
	Oh God, our creator and maker of all,	21:00
	we come before you making known	21:04
	to you our petitions of prayer.	21:07
	Be present in this hour	21:10
	to hear us, comfort us	21:13
	and to stir us to new faithfulness	21:16
	in order that we remember ourselves	21:19
	as your servants called to be with others.	21:22
	Hear us as we pray.	21:27
	Lord, in your mercy.	21:30
-	Hear our prayer.	21:32
-	Lord Christ, we hear your message through scripture	21:35
	and the preached word calling us	21:41
	to sit at your feet and simply be with you.	21:44
	We long for the blessing of such peacefulness.	21:50
	Yet we confess that too often we are persuaded	21:53
	by the world to do all things but sit quietly	21:58
	in your presence.	22:01
	How easily we trust in our own inventions	22:04
	and in institutional knowledge	22:08
	which hold hostage our souls.	22:11
	While we are born for labor,	22:15
	we know not when to cease.	22:17
	Teach us, Lord Christ,	22:21
	in order that we would know when to lay down our pretenses	22:24
	and false pride and take a seat at your feet.	22:28
	Lord, in your mercy.	22:34
-	Hear our prayer.	22:37
-	We thank you for your willingness never	22:40
	to leave our side, even unto death.	22:42
	Your faithfulness in whose presence we are humbled.	22:46
	We thank you for sending servants into your world	22:51
	to teach us by grace and example.	22:54
	And for people who love us and pray for us	22:59
	and for our well-being.	23:02
	Lord, in your mercy.	23:05
-	Hear our prayer.	23:07
-	There are many, oh God	23:10
	for whom there thought of a new day brings little relief,	23:12
	those for whom the challenges	23:18
	of living seem too tall and difficult.	23:19
	To the bodies, minds and souls	23:25
	of these unfortunate ones,	23:28
	bring your healing power.	23:30
	Lord, in your mercy.	23:34
-	Hear our prayer.	23:37
-	We ask you, oh God, to remember your church	23:39
	and all who work for peace	23:43
	in these troubling times.	23:47
	Fashion in us the desire to work	23:49
	and build according to your will.	23:52
	May we bring forth a new faithfulness	23:56
	as the fruit of Christ's suffering death on the cross.	23:59
	Lord, in your mercy.	24:04
-	Hear our prayer.	24:06
-	On this day when we participate	24:10
	in the banquet set before us,	24:12
	may we eat and drink with the knowledge	24:14
	that though we are not worthy to receive you,	24:17
	that by your grace, we are welcomed and expected	24:20
	and that your abiding love never fails.	24:26

Item Info

Title:

Brett Webb-Mitchell - "From 'Doing for' to 'Being With'" (July 19, 1998)

Description:

Sermon start time: 01:17. Sermon end time: 20:31.
Though Americans are often committed to helping others, we often lose sight of why and for whom we help. Mary's focus on Jesus provides us with a reminder of the ultimate goal of our humanitarian service. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: "Jesus' message is radical for us Christians today living in the frenetic American puttering machine, in which doing, producing, performing, getting results, making changes for the sake of making a change, is alone the measure of our worth. Yet such making action without right direction leads us to be more like Martha, who couldn't hear the word of God, for she was too busy for the sake of being busy."

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4mw28v59

Date:

July 19, 1998

Speaker:

Webb-Mitchell, Brett

Liturgical Calendar:

Ordinary Time

Biblical Book:

Luke

Chapter and Verse:

Luke 10:38-42

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 CS-0915
ref9979_4fa
uachapelsermaud
duke:321048
dcrau001559
ark:/87924/r4mw28v59
74efae39-d6d0-485d-8536-b1d1a30441c4

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Duke Chapel Recordings

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Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

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English

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United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

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The Duke University Chapel Recordings were transferred to the Duke University Archives beginning in 1970.

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Limited Re-Use

CC BY-NC 4.0

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This recording may contain 3rd party materials, such as music or readings that are therefore not covered by the Creative Commons license indicated here. For more information see https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/research/citations-and-permissions.

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Brett Webb-Mitchell - "From 'Doing for' to 'Being With'" (July 19, 1998)

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