November 02, 2025
• Rev. Mindie Moore
Stewardship 2025: Mine!
Week 2: My Time
Luke 10:38-42
Today we’re continuing our Stewardship series called “Mine!” And today we’re focusing on a resource that we all have...but it’s a bit of a unique one. It’s not something we can see, or hold, or spend. But it does drive almost every part of our lives. Today, we’re talking about time.
Now there are ALL kinds of different ways to view your time. And I think you can tell a lot about a person’s relationship with time if you look at their planner. You can really tell a lot about a person’s relationship with time if they do not have a planner to look at! When I was the Pastor of Adult Discipleship here at St. Luke’s, before Midtown, I worked really closely with Heidi Schopmeyer, our small group coordinator. And the contrast in our planners was so funny to me. I asked Heidi to send me a picture of hers, so I could share it with you:
(SLIDE) Isn't this like a work of art? It’s beautiful, artistic, it’s got the details but it also has all these abstract. And she even made the picture look lovely and relaxing. Heidi is someone who I think has this very kind and welcoming presence and just...is where she is.
(SLIDE) Now, here is MY planner. It is less beautiful than that! It’s a list, it’s blocks, it’s try not to forget anything, go, go, go. I very much view my time as this scarce and fleeting resource, and I think that shows up in the way I chart out my days.
And whether you're more like Heidi or more like me, no matter WHAT your relationship to your time looks like, today I want us to all keep these two questions in front of us (SLIDE):
· How do we view our time?
· How will we use our time?
Today we’re looking at the story of two sisters, named Mary and Martha, who were on very opposite ends of the spectrum of how they viewed their time. Their planners would have looked very different! And those differences cause this very public conflict that they have when Jesus and his disciples are visiting them in their home.
Now I have to tell you, for the longest time, like literally until I was 35 years old...I DEEPLY resented this story and the ways it had been presenting in church settings. Because I had always heard this story, and maybe you have too, presenting Martha as the bad guy. That the way she was wired was wrong and even sinful. I mean, there were studies and books on “being a Mary in a Martha world” and how Martha was just this terrible busy lady who needed to sit down and be more spiritual.
As someone who does not naturally sit down and be more spiritual, this felt really hard in my soul. And if you heard this read today and thought, ok, here’s THAT sermon again, I want you to know that that’s not where we’re going today. Because the more I studied this, and even preached on it in the past, I kept finding more and more compassion from Jesus directed at Martha in this story. And that it’s less about Mary vs. Martha and more about developing a deeper understanding of how time works through God’s lens...and how we can find joy and meaning and purpose in the WAYS we spend our time.
A little context about Jesus’ relationship to this family is that they were very close. But they also didn’t see each other THAT frequently. When I read about this visit, what comes to mind is that it was probably like when your cousin who lives a state away comes to visit. It’s not a stranger, there’s a level of comfort, AND you still put the clothes away and cleaned the baseboards.
So Martha wants to be a good host here, because she cares about Jesus and his friends feeling welcome and comfortable. And in the Scripture, this is described as being MARTHA’S HOUSE. Not Martha and Mary, and their brother Lazarus isn’t mentioned as part of it either. And so Martha is really the responsible party in this story. When Jesus says to her, “Martha, you’re worried about so many things”...that makes a lot of sense. I know what it’s like when the list of things you have do is long and when you feel like time is tight and that feeling of stress starts to rise. AND I also know, it’s in those moments, when we’re doing really important things and they start to pile up...that that’s when our ability to be present, to be the truest version of ourselves, can start to get lost in the middle of all the “to do’s.”
Sometimes we have so much to do, so many GOOD things to do, that we can lose sight of the meaning behind all those things. I think church people can fall into this trap in a really unique way too. We sign up for the committees, we lead the Bible study, we host the group, we donate our weekends, we do a lot of good and important things! As the pastor of a church that thrives because of our amazing and generous volunteers, I LOVE that we do those things! AND. It’s important that we stay aware. It’s important that we check in on ourselves and our souls. Because the truth is that sometimes, and sometimes without even realizing it, (SLIDE) We can get so busy doing things FOR God that we miss the presence OF God in our midst.
There’s a concept in certain circles of Christianity known as “thin places.” And this refers to physical places or moments of time where the separation of heaven and earth feels especially thin. These are opportunities to experience God’s presence in a way that is completely unique. When we're in a thin place, time starts to feel unhurried, it’s hyper present...it’s connected to God in a way that is hard to articulate but if you’ve experienced this then you KNOW it. There’s a feel about it. It’s a sacred thing that can happen anywhere.
In this story of Jesus’ visit to Martha and Mary, I think we’re witnessing a thin place unfold. To have this up close and personal time with Jesus, to hear him teach, not in a giant crowd but in a living room...there’s something incredibly sacred about that. It’s special and it’s fleeting...it’s the presence of God in their midst!
What I think Jesus is speaking to Martha in this moment is...Martha--you are doing so much with your time. You’re creating this beautiful, welcoming space. But you’re missing the holy moment that’s right in front of you. Instead of joy and gratitude and presence, you’re starting to build resentment that’s getting in the way of your relationships with these people. You’re missing the people in front of you and the movement of the Spirit, even as you do so many good and right things. Take a deep breath, look around, and let yourself experience this time with me in a different way.
Because making space like that, slowing down, paying attention, it doesn’t get in the way of the good that we can do. It doesn’t waste our time. I think it actually makes our time more fruitful because it helps us UNDERSTAND those things in a different, deeper way. Look at Jesus’ life...he was DOING things constantly. But he also had this really unique way of letting his activity be a prayer. Of seeing people who everyone else seemed to miss. Of being in the action but never being in a hurry. Of serving people...and always making sure to SEE them too.
I don't know about you, but I think it is so much easier to SERVE someone, to DO good things for a person, then to let myself SEE the person in front of me. I really learned this about myself while I was doing a ministry internship in Chicago right after college. My boss, Tim, told me that on Fridays, we were going to regularly serve at a drop-in day shelter that operated in a neighborhood with many unhoused people. This was a pretty familiar environment for me during that time of my life—I served a lot of meals, did a lot of intakes, no big deal.
But when we got there, he informed me that we wouldn’t be doing anything “task” related. That every Friday, we would spend two hours just hanging out with the people using the day center. We might play a board game, we might just chat. But this would be regular, unstructured time just to be present.
Honestly...I did not like it! Give me a job, I will do it, I will be the most extraverted meal-server or clothes sorter, a door greeter, NO problem. But give me an unstructured expanse of time where we just “exist”...I didn't know what to do with myself! It was really uncomfortable to stop being busy and just be present. And I’m not sure I ever did it that well, but I do know I learned so much—about how God shows up, about what it means to be and not necessarily do...about what matters most.
When I picture Jesus talking to Martha, I almost can imagine him being like, “Martha, come close! Don’t miss what’s happening!” Like so eager for her to know that there’s more than her to do’s. That the essential thing UNDER that list is about being present with people and God. And that no matter HOW we’re wired, no matter HOW comfortable or uncomfortable that might make us, that God’s presence is for ALL of us. And the way we use our time can be a faithful response to that presence.
As we think about this conversation in the framework of Stewardship, it’s a good reminder of the why and the reason behind giving. And one area of stewardship at St. Luke’s that you may not know a lot about is our legacy giving ministry. Rev. David Heetland helps lead this ministry and a team of volunteers who help people direct their gifts towards ministry in their wills. And what’s really amazing about this ministry and this type of giving is that it helps our resources become timeless. It creates those thin places where God can move in ways that might take us by surprise and creates a legacy beyond what we might imagine.
One of the volunteer leaders on this team is Denny Jones. We’re going to hear his perspective on this type of giving in just a moment, but before we do, here’s something I want you to know—as part of his serving role, Denny doesn’t just help people decide where to leave legacy gifts, he also helps ministries at St. Luke’s benefit from what has been given. And Denny is one of the people who I met with when we applied for a grant for our new patio space here at Midtown. He’s one of the people who heard the vision behind what that could be, who prayed for this congregation as we’re growing, and who is using his time and his resources to support what God is doing in this place. So here’s Denny’s story:
(SHOW VIDEO, 3:00)
I really like how Denny asked the question of “what matters most?” to us. Because I think that’s the heart of Jesus’ conversation with Martha in this story. He absolutely does not want her to miss what matters most. Not because she’s doing it wrong, not because he doesn’t appreciate her welcoming home. But because Jesus doesn’t want her to live her life in a way that misses the goodness and the blessing that’s happening around her. The other stuff? That’s GOOD...but there’s something more that deserves her attention. There are deeper ways to direct her TIME and her PRESENCE. And those things are going to outlast this visit. Those things are going to shape relationships and legacy. Those are the things that matter the most.
Since it’s All Saints Day, I want to end by telling you about a funeral I recently did. It was for Cathy Thomas’ husband Floyd Thomas (SLIDE). I didn’t know Floyd, but I got to hear so many stories about him from Cathy and their daughter Cass as we planned the service. And TIME and PRESENCE were a major theme of the things they told me. Floyd was incredibly generous and consistent with his time, and especially his investment in his relationships. For DECADES he had a monthly standing meal with people he had worked with at Allison Transmission and another standing meal date with people he had grown up with. And that time...it created a lasting legacy. Because when I got to the funeral home to do this service, there was no where to park. Floyd died at 83 years old and the room was PACKED. Full of people who he had invested time in, who had shared thin places together, who had been impacted by someone who understood what mattered most...and who lived his life, and used his time, guided by that understanding.
I’m always so grateful to get to be part of a funeral like this. Because sometimes I think that I am so similar to Martha, and I need that gentle nudge to notice what is the most important thing and recalibrate how I’m experiencing my life. I need that reminder that our lives are fleeting, this time goes fast, and that it is worth it to pay attention. To take a deep breath and SEE, really see, Jesus in the people around us and in the places where we are. To remember that no matter what I do, Jesus is already up to something...and sometimes the best thing I can do is slow down, and notice, and just soak it in.
And I’m so grateful for the rhythm of Communion that we get to share as a community, because it reminds us of these same things.
(Transition to Communion)
Benediction:
Maya Angelou — 'I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.'
Martha was being invited to know that what would be remembered wouldn’t be the clean house, the good food, but it would be the way people felt in that space. How do people feel when they encounter us? Do they find someone who sees them and is settled on the most important things?