“You Have Only Just Begun”

            This Sunday, November 24th, I’m returning to the pulpit at Christ United Methodist Church after a two-week study leave.  My return occurs on a very special Sunday.  At several families’ request, we have had an intensive confirmation class this fall, and this Sunday is “Confirmation Sunday” for the youth who’ve taken part in this class.

            On Confirmation Sunday’s, I usually try to focus on a scriptural passage that will provide helpful advice for the confirmands, as they take their vows of full church membership.  For this Confirmation Sunday, I have chosen the story of Mary and Martha in the Gospel of Luke:

“Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”  ~ Luke 10:38-42

             In the story, Mary and Martha model two completely different responses to the unexpected visit of their friend, Jesus, and his entourage.  Martha focuses on being a gracious and generous host.  We can imagine Martha scurrying around, picking up things as Jesus and his entourage entered her home.  Next, she would have hurried to get water for them to bathe their feet, washing off the dirt from walking along the dusty road.  Then, she would have hastened to prepare food and drink for all of her unexpected guests.  Martha wanted to be a great host, generously welcoming Jesus and his followers, and making them very comfortable.  By being a gracious host, Martha intended to show Jesus how much she loved and cared for him as a family friend.

By contrast, Mary, her sister, dropped everything, sat down in front of Jesus (most likely taking the spot of a disciple) and listened to Jesus’ teaching with rapt attention, drinking in every word which he spoke. 

As time passed that evening, some sibling tension emerged on Martha’s part.  This tension kept building and building, until eventually she could take it no longer and so she said to Jesus, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.”  On the surface, this seems like a fair request.  Afterall, Martha had been doing all of the work, hosting this large,  unexpected group.

However, Jesus’ response was completely unexpected, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”  In other words, Jesus challenged Martha’s priorities.  Martha thought that the best way to be a good and gracious host to Jesus was to focus on all of the details of welcoming her guests, making them comfortable, and providing generous food and drink.  Yet, Mary’s devotion to Jesus’ teaching was a much higher expression of her love for him.  That is to say, devotion to the teachings of Christ is the best expression of our love for God.

Over the course of my ministry, I have taught many confirmation classes and confirmed many youth into full church membership.  I’ve always felt a little ambivalent about the way in which we organize and conduct confirmation classes in most mainline Protestant churches.  My ambivalence arises because we put so much emphasis on learning more and more and more about the Christian faith and what it means to belong to the church.

It is not wrong to push confirmation students to learn as much as they can about the scriptures and Christian discipleship.  But, sometimes I worry that we unwittingly convey to students and their families that they are going to learn all that they need to know about being a Christian through their confirmation class.  Actually, nothing could be further from the truth.

Christian discipleship is always a progressive learning process.  God seeks to enter into a relationship with each of our confirmands that will last a lifetime—and beyond.  Christian discipleship is not a set body of knowledge to be mastered.  No, instead, discipleship is a “lifestyle,” in the sense of a set of values, commitments, wisdom, and practices which we pursue in relationality with God.  Our expectation should be that we will grow in our discipleship and that we will grow in our relationship with God.  In Christian discipleship, we never reach an endpoint. We are always finding new ways to grow, especially in our love.

Confirmation class should provide the confirmands with the background and tools to begin God’s intention that we grow throughout our lives.  Thus, Confirmation Sunday’s are never endings, but rather beginnings.  Thus, the title of this proclamation to the confirmands (and everyone else), “You have only just begun.”

When we think about confirmation from this angle; when we think of confirmation as a beginning, then it seems to me that the story of Martha and Mary offers an important illustration and reminder.  Living in the twenty-first century, with its many responsibilities, obligations, diversions, and distractions, we frequently find ourselves in those “Martha-Mary decision moments.”  Do we love Jesus more by working frantically to be a good and generous host—the course chosen by Martha?  Or, do we love Jesus more by studying his teachings and following in his footsteps—the course chosen by Mary? 

                There will always be houses to clean, food to prepare, dishes to wash, laundry to do, homework to complete, work and jobs, movies to watch, ballgames to watch, concerts to attend, and much, much more.  This was Martha’s way and all of these activities are good and necessary in proportion for a happy and fulfilling life.  Yet, Mary’s path is even more important—to seek God and grow in our relationship with the Divine.  My hope and my prayer for the confirmands, as well as for myself and Christ United Methodist Church is that along with Mary, we will prioritize loving Jesus by studying his teachings and following in his footsteps. 

                If you live in the Lincoln, Nebraska area and do not have a place of worship, then I invite you to come and join us at Christ United Methodist Church this Sunday, November 24th.

                 Christ UMC is located at 4530 “A” Street.  We have three worship services on Sunday mornings at 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00.  This weekend, the 8:30 service, held in our Sanctuary, will be led by Josh Seifert, our student intern.  The title of his Proclamation is “Discerning our Faith.”  The 9:45 “Gathering,” which is a more informal service held in our Family Life Center (gym), and the 11:00 traditional service held in our Sanctuary, will be the confirmation services.   You are welcome at any of the three services. 

Come, join us.  Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.