For Sept 27

Sermon Notes: At The Master’s Feet

Intro: Nonverbal communications are what we say by what is seen rather than heard. People can say much, before even speaking a word, or even as they’re speaking, by what others see, or believe they see. Facial expressions may indicate how we’re being perceived. A smile may indicate a welcoming, or happiness about our presence. Yet something in a smile may indicate a lack of sincerity. A yawn may tell a speaker that the listener is not receptive to what we are saying, or that it’s getting late. How you dress may unintentionally communicate how important you feel, or feel others are. Eye contact in the western culture conveys honesty and a confidence in what’s being said. Eye contact can show strength and command respect. Avoiding eye contact can display shame, or a lack of confidence. However, in the Native American culture, the opposite is true. Making eye contact with anyone considered your elder would show disrespect.

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I. Postures With God

A. Posture can also be a nonverbal communication, as we’ll talk about this morning. Although God sees our hearts more than our physical posture, posture may well reflect our attitudes that do come from our hearts. For example, we might feel the proper prayer posture is to sit with folded hands, and our eyes looking down as a sign of humility, and closed to shut out any distractions around us. It’s a comfortable position, sometimes too comfortable and we may drift off. But it’s not a recommended posture if praying while driving. Some pray standing, with arms stretched upward and outward, looking to heaven, expressing openness to God by their confident posture. It’s not a comfortable position, not conducive to prolonged prayer times. It may be perceived by others as showmanship more than sincerity. This was a common practice of the Pharisees during Jesus’ earthly ministry who wanted to be seen as righteous, but were more likely seen as self-righteous hypocrites. Jesus tells us we should go in a closet, unseen, undistracted, to pray. There, Jesus sees our hearts rather than outward postures.

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II. Luke 10:38-42

A. In our Gospel lesson, Jesus had come to the home of two sisters, Martha and Mary. Within this setting, there are a number of nonverbal communications being expressed. First of all, Jewish hospitality for a visitor was shown by washing their feet and serving a meal.. When angelic visitors come to visit him, Abraham has a full meal prepared for them before they express their business. Meals were not served around a table, but rather informally, reclining against cushions in an open area. People talked business and news during the Jewish meal.

B. Even though it would seem likely that Jesus, Mary, Martha, and their brother Lazarus, had been friends even before Jesus began His ministry,  when Jesus and his disciples come to Martha and Mary’s home for a visit, they were welcomed with a meal being prepared.  

C. The first posture we would expect to see in that setting would be that of a servant, or the hostess, preparing the meal for their guest of honor. Martha,

probably the older sister, is disciplined, and appears as the practical one. Even Martha’s name meant ‘lady’ or ‘mistress’, the head of the household. Martha is often seen as an iconic symbol of active service in the Christian faith.

D. Jesus and the disciples assume a posture of welcomed guests. Quite possibly, water or wine is served with fruits while the main courses were being prepared. As the guest of honor, Jesus assumes the posture of, a teacher, a role He very often assumed. A speaker as well as a very intuitive listener. Martha begins to prepare the meal, which she seems to be very used to doing. But the demands of preparing an elaborate meal would take her away from hearing Jesus spea. Mary, the younger sister, however, chooses to sit at Jesus’ feet, a posture of humble attentiveness to what Jesus was saying, wanting to be close so as to hear His every word. She is the iconic symbol of a contemplative and worship approach to faith.

E. But this wasn’t Martha’s expected posture for Mary. Martha’s strong concern for service had resulted in her becoming anxious and resentful toward her sister, and she wants Jesus to reinforce the expected servant posture of her sister. Expressing her resentment, she asks Jesus, “don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?”       

 F. Jesus may have appreciated Martha’s posture of openness to Him, and her confidence that He would resolve the issue. But seeing beyond a mere household matter, Jesus knew Martha’s heart. Jesus tenderly corrects her. “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed – or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken from her.”  Telling her that just a simple meal was necessary, and commends Mary’s posture as the better one. How often have we heard Jesus talk about spiritual food that Mary was receiving being far more important and lasting than Martha’s concerns about physical food. Jesus even referred to Himself as the Bread of Life, and the Living Water.

G. Mary’s listening posture can even be seen in the Feeding of the Five Thousand. Like Mary, the crowd had come to hear Jesus teach and had been focused on Jesus. There was no Martha preparing a meal. But, nearing the end of His teaching, Martha’s posture might be seen as the concern turned the crowd’s physical hunger.  A boy with 5 barley loaves, more like dinner rolls, and two fish - hardly enough to feed the crow - at least offers them. Just as Jesus had told Martha, they were the few things needed, indeed the only things needed to feed all of them, as Jesus turns those one things into enough to feed the crowd, with twelve baskets left over.

H. Jesus was the Bread of Life, and that’s what He was offering as the one thing needed. Mary had chosen her posture at the feet of Jesus to receive His teaching, and Jesus assured that it would not be taken from her. The spiritual meal that she and the crowd received, served at the feet of Jesus, would last, while any physical hunger would return.

I. Later, Jesus returns to their home when Lazarus had been dead for four days. Both sisters were somewhat angry that Jesus had not come sooner, believing He could have prevented their brother’s death. But in her deep grief, Mary falls at Jesus’ feet, this time searching for answers. Although Jesus had come to resurrect Lazarus, a preview of His own Resurrection, He looks down, moved by her posture of deep grief, and weeps for her. Even as the Son in human form, Jesus sees the humble, broken one at His feet, and has compassion.

J. We might recall the posture of the man formerly possessed by a legion of demons. He had had the uncontrolled posture of a possessed madman living among the tombs, harming himself. But after Jesus cast out the man’s demons, the villagers returned to find the man peaceful, calm, humble... seated at the feet of Jesus, listening to the teaching of His healer. A posture transformed by Jesus.

 

III. Ruth 3:1-10

A. In our OT lesson from Ruth we see a different posturing. Ruth has come to Israel with her mother-in-law, Naomi, a Jewish widow hoping to purchase back the land in Israel that had been sold by her late husband. Land in the Promised Land, Israel, had been given by covenant, an irrevocable trust, to each tribe, clan, and family as a permanent possession  Even though owners could sell their land to someone else, they retained the right to redeem it, or purchase it back from a buyer at the same purchase price. Since widows had no legal rights, Naomi’s late husband’s land would have to be redeemed by a close male relative. For Naomi, that close relative, a kinsman redeemer would be Boaz, a God fearing, generous bachelor. In this unfolding story, Boaz is seen as a type of Christ, a righteous man becoming a redeemer.

B. Naomi plans a nonverbal means of asking Boaz to be the redeemer she needed through Ruth, a Moabite and the widow of Naomi’s late son, whom Boaz had taken a special interest in. Although not a Jew, Jewish law required a close kinsman to have a child with the widow of the deceased to carry on the deceased’s name and land, so Ruth would be part of that redemptive work. After the days’ work, Boaz would be sleeping under a blanket on the thresholding floor each night during the harvest season to protect his grain. During the night, Ruth was to lay at his feet, uncovering them. Doing as she was instructed, Boaz, is awakened with cold feet, and surprised seeing Ruth laying at his feet. Such an act might have been interpreted as submission for sexual activity, which, by extending his blanket over her would have been acceptance. But when Boaz asks what Ruth wants, Ruth asks him to be their kinsman redeemer. Boaz then extends his blanket over her, as agreement to her request.

C. Like Mary, humbling herself at the feet of Jesus, Ruth had humbled herself, posturing at Boaz’ feet as submissive, hoping for Boaz’ acceptance. And, by extending his blanket over her, he had also placed Ruth under the blessing of Israel’s covenant God, recognizing that the Lord had guided her to that place, and had preserved her through her difficult times. He had shown his willingness to be a redeemer, to her as a Gentile, as well as for Naomi, as a Jew.

D. It was also significant that the Gentile Ruth had made her request at the feet of the Jewish Boaz. Gentiles were considered outside of God’s salvation. But when Boaz accepted Ruth’s request, he had extended his blanket to cover her, symbolic of becoming her redeemer, just as Jesus extended His salvation to cover all people from the Cross, assuming the role as our Redeemer. And by His Resurrection, he had completed his role as the Redeemer.

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IV. Applications

A. These lessons of postures certainly apply to all of us today. We express our faith attitudes in our postures before our Lord. In a posture of worship, we invited our God, our Almighty King to be present in our lives, to come and reign over us in our Opening Hymn. In a posture of prayer, we acknowledged, by Our Call to Prayer, ‘Surely the Presence of the Lord is in this place’. In this church building, and in our church family. Our posture during those songs is determined by whether we sing the words as a mere participant in the service, or putting sincere meaning in the words as acts of worship.

B. To emulate Mary’s posture, as we proceed to the Scripture reading and the Morning message, we wouldn’t have to be literally seated at Jesus’ feet. Rather, as humble, attentive listeners for the words of Christ and the moving of the Holy Spirit. We wouldn’0t want to emulate Martha’s posture of being present, but mentally focused on other activities within or outside the church, that would interfere with our hearing Him.

C. There are important parallels throughout the week as well. We wouldn’t be expected to sacrifice all our daily and weekly activities to, figuratively speaking, ‘sit at Jesus feet. But neither would we be expected to replace any time of sitting at Jesus feet by our daily/weekly activities.  We might start each day as if at Jesus’ feet, humbly and attentively with devotional Scripture readings, and a dedicated time and place for prayer. Listening, as well as speaking to Him, letting the Holy Spirit guide us. The more often we practice this presence with Jesus, the more effective and fulfilling it becomes. We might continue with our figurative posture of sitting at His feet by making time throughout  the week to study His Word in group Bible studies or in private study time.

D. On the other hand, we probably know quite a few Marthas in this world, and within churches. Good people, very busy people, serving others, but not making time to listen to Jesus speaking to them. So involved in good works, they find it difficult to come to church to hear Him as He speaks to us. Perhaps annoyed by petty things, they miss the significance of meaningful things. Too busy to see what’s in front of them.

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Conclusion: But, who benefits by sitting at the feet of Jesus? Does Jesus need our praise and worship? Or do we need Him to feed our hungering and thirsting souls, and by such humble, receptive postures, prepared to receive our Bread of Life? So, we must maintain a continuing awareness of Christ’s presence in our lives. Bowing before Him and remaining humble at his feet. There, like Mary, we hear Him. And there, like Ruth, He extends His redeeming blanket over us, Jews and Gentiles. Amen