Young at Heart Message

Did you know that I used to be a magician?

At least, people thought I was a magician.

When I trained dogs professionally, people expected me to be able to wave my magic wand and fix their dog immediately.
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If someone was having a hard time getting their dog to stop jumping, they wanted me to tell them the ONE thing that, without fail, would work to get their dog to stop jumping in one session.
 
What’s more, people didn’t want to do any work with their dogs, either.
 
For example, if I got hired to do private training for someone whose dog was getting into the garbage or counter surfing regularly, people wanted me to fix their dog.
 
They didn’t like that my response was they needed to change their dog’s environment. Remove the temptation of the garbage or the food on the counters, and your dog will stop getting into those things.
 
But, at the end of the day, people just didn’t want to be inconvenienced.
 
They wanted me to come in with my magic wand, wave it, say “bibbity bobbity boo,” and voila! They would have a perfect dog.
 
I recently started volunteering at a local animal rescue.
 
In conversation with the person who was showing me the ropes, she said the biggest challenge they have in adopting out puppies is that people expect them to be potty trained.
 
I experienced the same thing as a trainer. People wanted a perfectly house trained 12-week-old puppy.
 
A being that has been in this world for 3 months is not going to be potty trained, period. We wouldn’t expect this of a 3-month-old baby, either.
 
No magic wand in the world will change that.
 
We have become a society of “quick fixes” and instant gratification. If it takes much work, many people don’t even want to try.
 
I imagine that other professionals experience this same mindset:
 
·       Personal trainers: people want to workout once or twice and have a perfectly toned and muscular body.
·       Doctors/weight loss specialists: people want to eat right for a week and see instant results. When they don’t, they will often give up and say it’s not working.
·       Teachers/coaches: Even I experience this! I want to learn French TODAY. Not in 10 years of practice and language immersion!
 
Believe me, if I had a magic wand that could bring instant results and immediately fix a dog’s problems, I would be rich.
 
And, of course we know that TV, movies, and media don’t help matters.
 
“Lose weight fast with this one weird trick!”
 
“How to have a perfect dog in three simple steps.”
 
“Build muscle with this no-hassle, 30-minute workout plan!”
 
No wonder we want professionals with magic wands.
 
We’ve been led to believe that they exist.
 
So, the last thing people wanted to hear me say was that dog training would be a process, there was no quick fix no matter what the TV personalities will lead you to believe, and you (the owner) have to put some skin in the game.
 
I had many a client do one or two training sessions and call it quits when I didn’t pull the wand out.
 
In these situations, what professionals can offer are tools.
 
Personal trainers, dog trainers, and even doctors and other helping professions can provide tools to help people do what they need or want to do.
 
But those tools don’t include magic wands. If you want to see results, you need to use the tools and do the work.
 
And, once you know how, it’s your job to go and do.
 
The Message
 
And this is what our scripture reading for today is getting at.
 
“You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him… You know your way around the faith. Now do what you’ve been taught. School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it!”
 
In other words, no one is going to do it for you. There’s no magic wand. You have the tools you need to live out your faith, so hop to it!
 
This is just like when I would go to a client’s house and tell them to put their garbage somewhere that their dog can’t get it and clear the food off the counters to stop them from counter surfing.
 
The client has the tools they need. Now they need to do it.
 
This scripture is telling us the same thing with regard to faith. We have the tools we need – we’ve been given our instruction. The only thing left to do is use it.
 
The scripture goes on to say that we should “watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double talk… They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything.”
 
Does that sound familiar?
 
Sounds like many a conversation with family or friends who disagree on politics, doesn’t it?
 
We live in a world of endless arguments that never amount to anything.
 
It’s interesting that even 2000 years ago, people were wrestling with the same issues.
 
The reading I chose today was from The Message version of the Bible, which is admittedly put into very contemporary language, so it reads as though someone wrote it yesterday.
 
But that doesn’t change the essence of what the author is saying. They also expected quick fixes and knew that arguing didn’t really amount to anything in the end.
 
The author goes on to say, “you don’t need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. His power extends over everything.”
 
Followed by, “entering into this fullness is not something you figure out or achieve… No, you’re already in – insiders.”
 
This is another way of saying you already have the tools, so if you’re looking for something more, there isn’t anything more. Christ is it.
 
We live in a world where we are bombarded by powers that feel out of our control, so even though we have the tool we need, we are still tempted to seek out ideologies, political parties, or the powers of wealth, control, or progress.
 
But these things are not grounded in Christ.
 
It is easy for us to buy into new ideas or systems of belief that are flashy, trendy, or appear to offer quick and easy solutions.
 
This passage recognizes how easy it is for us to fall into these traps. It isn’t reprimanding us per se.
 
Instead, the passage is an invitation to “go back to basics,” remembering that Christ has already died for us, destroying the power of sin.
 
It is a reminder that we already have the tools we need, so seeking out quick fixes isn’t necessary.
 
And I know that often this doesn’t feel helpful.
 
In these days of political division, social upheaval, economic uncertainty, communal instability, and ecological degradation, we may, like the Colossian community, find ourselves tempted to buy into the promises of flashy ideologies, self-help theories, or quick solutions.
 
We may believe that what we have is not enough to respond to the rising pressures of the time.
 
But the invitation extended by the author of Colossians is to resist such temptation and engage such chaotic times by remembering the power of our baptism.
 
We are invited to lean into the faith that was gifted and taught to us by our ancestors, and ground ourselves in Christ. We are already insiders.
 
As our passage states, “When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything.”
 
Rather than looking elsewhere, bring Christ deeper into your life. Lift your worries, your fears, your anxieties, and your insecurities to him. Let him hold them for you, and allow him to take the weight off your shoulders.
 
Do what is in your own control, and then lift the rest to Jesus.
 
As you leave here today, remember that no matter how badly we want there to be, there are no quick fixes.
 
But there is the assurance that we can rest in Christ’s fullness.
 
May you choose to rest in Christ’s abundance each and every day. Amen.
 
Let us pray:

Gracious and loving God, when we forget that Christ is all we need, guide us back to him. Help us remember that seeking out quick fixes and instant gratification is often not the answer. Help us to surrender our burdens to Christ. Remind us that Christ died so that we could live. Help us to start living out our faith in Christ. With gratitude and love, we pray. Amen.

Young at Heart Message
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You may have noticed that the slide background for today’s service seems… perhaps a bit odd.

Or, maybe you didn’t take a hard look at it. If not, it’s an image of a woman facing a dragon, holding a small jar of holy water and a cross.

Let’s look at the image again and explore our curiosity about it a bit, because it is a rather curious image for a church service.
 
I’m excited to talk about this image today because in doing so, I get to tell you a Medieval Legend involving courage, excitement, and, best of all…
 
Dragon slaying!
 
And, if you’re thinking, “what on earth is she talking about?,” you’re about to find out.
 
As I was researching today’s scripture passage and trying to figure out exactly what I wanted to preach on, I came across this legend. Once I found it, I realized I can’t not share it!
 
Before I do, I find these types of stories fascinating, especially as they relate to scripture.
 
There is, of course, value in scripture, but there is also tremendous value in legends, both for humanity and in terms of academic study.
 
So, here is the legend I want to share with you, paraphrased in my own words based on a Christianity Today article by Kristen Padilla because I couldn’t find the original legend, only stories about the original legend.
 
This legend arose late in the 12th century in Tarascon in France.
 
The legend says that after Jesus’ death and resurrection, many of his followers were persecuted.
 
Several followers were placed in a boat in the Mediterranean without oars or sails.
 
Somehow – miraculously – they did not die at sea but instead landed on the shore of France at Marseille.
 
As they travelled north along the Rhône, three baptized siblings (two females and a male) who were in the boat began evangelizing and converting people to faith in Jesus.
 
One of the female siblings was “highly eloquent and clear in speech,” an interesting thing to note of a female in this time period.
 
Eventually, the siblings came to the region of Aix, where they learned of a great dragon – half beast and half fish – living in the woods across the river between Avignon and Arles.
 
The dragon, which had horns and wings and breathed fire, was born of two beasts: Leviathon (as found in Isaiah 27:1 and Job 41:1) and Bonasus (a mythical medieval animal).
 
This dragon hid in the river, drowning ships that passed by.
 
The people of Tarascon implored the “highly eloquent” sister to get rid of the beast, which no man had yet been able to defeat.
 
When she found the dragon, it was in the process of eating a man.
 
She took her opportunity to throw holy water at it, and she held up a wooden cross, freezing the dragon in place.
 
She then tied it with her belt and gave it over to the townspeople, who slayed it with spears and stones.
 
After the dragon was defeated, the woman took up residence in Tarascon, where she was “occupied in prayers and fasting” – praying 100 times daily and eating only once per day.
 
She went on to establish a convent and built a church in honour of the Virgin Mary.
 
In the legend, this woman is like John the Baptist: walking around barefoot while wearing sheepskin, a turban of camelhair on her head, and a belt of horsehair tied in knots around her waist.
 
The woman also ministered through preaching and healing, including raising back to life a young man who had drowned trying to cross the river to hear her preach.
 
This only bolstered her fame in the region.
 
When she placed her hand on people, they received the Holy Spirit, according to the legend, and when she placed her hand on the sick, they were healed.
 
She also cast out demons and turned water to wine.
 
So, who was this woman in the legend?
 
She was none other than Martha, sister of Mary and Lazarus, and they were indeed the three siblings cast out into the boat with no sails or oars.
 
But Martha is the one that this legend truly holds up as courageous, steadfast, faithful, pious, and holy.
 
Yes, the same Martha that we heard Jesus gently “scold,” if you will, in today’s scripture passage.
 
The Message
 
Why is this story so fascinating to me?
 
Well, first of all, it’s an unusual story for the time period because it elevated a woman and gave her traits that typically were only attributed to men.
 
But, it’s also fascinating because it takes characters we see and are familiar with in the Bible and moves them into other myths or legends which can tell us something about them that we may not get out of the limited Biblical context we see them in usually.
 
It also can be telling to analyze non-canonical stories, legends, and myths that never made it into the Bible, but that were clearly circulating throughout the time period.
 
Today’s scripture is likely very well-known. How many of you relate to this story of two sisters – one of whom is “doing all the work” while the other is simply sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening to him?
 
And, how many have learned that Martha is being scolded for prioritizing “doing” things, while Mary gets a pat on the back for sitting?
 
Yeah, that’s what I had always been taught, and it’s often what I read in this passage too.
 
It’s easy for us to relate to that because we all have likely experienced something similar, at work or at home, or both.
 
We feel like we are working extra hard, and someone else is doing the bare minimum, or nothing at all!
 
So, we create a relatable story out of this passage.
 
But I’ve come to learn that, like many stories about Jesus, there are many layers to this story, and we can’t always take it at face value.
 
Much like our dragon story, Martha is clearly wired for what I will call “faith in action.” She subdues dragons, preaches, converts people to faith in Jesus, heals, cares for people, etc.
 
She is a lot like Jesus in this way, so I would find it hard to believe that Jesus would scold or chastise her for being a “doer.”
 
Wherever Martha and Mary appear in legend or in scripture, Martha acts and Mary studies.
 
Martha represents an active faith, and Mary represents a contemplative faith.
 
And, there is nothing inherently wrong with either of these. Jesus himself exhibits both throughout his life.
 
And, we need both types of people in this world.
 
I am naturally a doer – I prefer “active faith.”
 
It is hard for me to slow down and I have to work really hard at “contemplative faith.”
 
On the other hand, I encounter people who are more natural at contemplative faith.
 
I am sure many of you experience this as well.
 
Some people are good at both “active faith” and “contemplative faith.” But, the point is, we need both types of people in this world.
 
The world needs the courage and action of Martha, and the peace and contemplation of Mary.
 
And contrary to popular belief, Jesus wasn’t elevating one type over the other.
 
Yes, I know it sounds like that’s exactly what Jesus was doing, and that’s because that’s what we’ve been taught for most of our lives.
 
This is what we read from the scripture:
 
Martha was worried about all that had to be done. Finally, she went to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn't it bother you that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me!”
 
The Lord answered, “Martha, Martha! You are worried and upset about so many things, but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is best, and it will not be taken away from her.”
 
Immediately we assume that Jesus means that sitting and listening is the best action here.
 
Jesus says it, so it must be what he means!
 
However, what he says right before that line is this:
 
You are worried and upset about so many things, but only one thing is necessary.
 
Jesus is not saying that what either sister has done is bad - Martha serving and Mary contemplating/listening.
 
They have both been good and faithful.
 
Jesus’ concern is that Martha is distracted by many things – in particular, she’s distracted by expressing her displeasure of what her sister is doing (and the fact that her sister isn’t helping).
 
As I said earlier, this is totally relatable! We all feel this from time to time!
 
When she turns to Jesus to essentially throw her sister under the bus, in the hopes that Jesus would take her “side,” she gets a somewhat rude (though gentle) awakening.
 
What she is asking Jesus to do is to choose between two *good* behaviours – and of course, she wants Jesus to tell Mary to help her, thus allowing her to feel justified that what she is doing is more important and/or better than what Mary is doing.
 
But Jesus flips the script on her by telling her that she’s worried about the wrong things.
 
The problem was not that Martha was serving and Jesus somehow thinks that’s bad.
 
The problem is that she was focused on the fact that her sister wasn’t helping.
 
Martha was focused on the actions of her sister and her perceived shortcomings, as opposed to focusing on her own relationship with Jesus.
 
In the words of Jesus from Matthew 7:3, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”
 
It is Martha’s misorientation, not her service or her hospitality, that leads to Jesus’ gentle rebuke.
 
Mary has chosen God as her portion, and that will never be taken away.  
 
Thus, this story serves as a powerful example for us still today.
 
It is equally as possible for us to do right and good things, yet still be distracted by the wrong things.
 
We can, and often do, focus more on the perceived shortcomings of the people around us rather than our own relationship with Jesus (or our own shortcomings, whatever they may be).
 
Sometimes we slay dragons. Sometimes we start monasteries. Sometimes we sit at Jesus’ feet and listen, enjoying the contemplative life.
 
The important work, though, is our focus on Jesus and letting the main thing be the main thing.
 
So, may we be less concerned with the specks of dust in our neighbour’s eyes, and more concerned with the planks in our own eye.
 
May we slay dragons if that is our inclination or call, and may we love and support those who are not dragon-slayers, but whose gifts lend themselves better to contemplation.
 
And, in all things, may we turn toward Jesus, letting the main thing truly be the main thing.
 
Amen.
 
Let us pray:
 
God of compassion, if we are called to slay dragons, help us do so in a way that keeps us safe and honours the people who are called to a different life. And, if we are called to a life of contemplation, help us to open our hearts to Your love as we also honour those who are called to a different life. Help us all to know that whatever we are called to do and however we are called to serve, we do it in your name and with your blessing and grace. In your holy name we pray. Amen.

Works Cited:
​Padilla, Kristen. “Martha: Busy Hostess or Dragon Slayer?” Christianity Today, December 31, 2021. https://www.christianitytoday.com/2021/09/padilla-martha-busy-hostess-theologian-dragon-slayer/. 

Wyant, Jennifer S. “Commentary on Luke 10:38-42.” Working Preacher from Luther Seminary, June 8, 2025. https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-16-3/commentary-on-luke-1038-42-6.