Text Messages

Text Messages focus on the backstory of the upcoming text for this Sunday’s sermon. Provided by our pastors, these messages will give some background on that section of scripture text and give a few hints about where the sermon might be going. We hope you find these Text Messages helpful!

Sunday, July 20, 2025

MESSAGE SERIES:
“Alive Together: Living Our Vision”

MESSAGE THEME:
“Known and Challenged: Sitting at the Feet of Jesus”

TEXT(S):
Luke 10:38–42

Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at Jesus’ 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, but few things are needed—indeed only one. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

REFLECTION:
From Pastor Chris Enstad

We get to be a fly on the wall as the Gospel text brings us into the home of Mary and Martha, two sisters who respond differently to Jesus’ presence. Martha is bustling with activity; Mary sits at Jesus’ feet, listening. Both expressions of faith are valid, but Jesus gently affirms Mary’s choice to be still and receive.

In a culture—and a church—that often rewards busyness, this story invites us to pause. Before doing for Jesus, we are called to be with Jesus. As we move into a new era of ministry together, Bethlehem is confronting a new landscape of how faith fits into the priorities of busy people—the marketplace of choices for how to spend time and find community has exploded.

It is tempting to try harder, run faster, and talk louder to push back against these forces of change and instability. This story invites us to sit and listen. This is hard work, but it is work that will form the foundation of how Bethlehem discovers how God is calling us to be church in this time and these places. 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

• What keeps you from sitting at the feet of Jesus?
• In what ways does your service reflect anxiety rather than faith?
• Where might God be calling you to choose “the better part” this week?

PRAYER:
Gracious God, in the midst of all we carry and all we try to do, quiet our hearts. Help us not to measure our worth by what we produce but to find our identity in your presence. Teach us to listen before we act, to rest before we run, and to trust that your love sustains us through it all. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.