Dead Man’s Curve (Luke 10:25-37)

 When Ginger, Ethan and I moved to Bloomington from southern California 2½ years ago, we more or less followed the historic route 66; and we stopped at a number of Route 66 tourist spots along the way. 

You’ve probably heard that, this year, Route 66 is celebrating its 100th year. There are celebrations planned in nearly every Route 66 town.

Route 66 was established in 1926. By 1938, the entire stretch was fully paved. 

Over the years, sections of Route 66 were realigned or rerouted. Often this was done in the interest of safety. 

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One such place is the section in nearby Towanda called “Dead Man’s Curve.” 

Right there where the curve was, there was a house, and the owners kept having to replace their porch because cars travelling too fast would approach that curve and run off the road, hitting their porch and destroying it. 

Then one day a semi ran off the road and knocked the whole house off its foundation. The house was removed after that.

In 1954, Route 66 through Towanda was re-routed, and drivers no longer had to travel through Dead Man’s Curve. The new road was safer, kept more people alive, kept them from destroying houses, and allowed more people to arrive at their destination.

Because what is the point of a road if it does not help people to arrive, safely, at their destination? What is the point if it doesn’t help them safely get to where they want to go?

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The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was about 18 miles long, which one could do, on foot, in a day. It was mostly downhill, since Jerusalem sits at 2,500 feet elevation, while Jericho sits below sea level.

Some of you have been there, so you know better than I.

As you descend into Jericho, the terrain gets hotter, drier, and more barren. The road meanders through canyons and ravines; in some places, it is quite narrow, wedged in between a cliff rising up on one side, and dropping off dangerously on the other.

A first-century Dead Man’s Curve.

Jews who lived in Jericho often travelled up the road to Jerusalem, especially for holy days and festivals. Then, after the holy days, they travelled back.

They had to be on the lookout for robbers, who took advantage of the terrain, and often hid in the ravines or behind rocks to attack unsuspecting travelers. 

Many of these robbers were Samaritans. A Samaritan wouldn’t think twice about robbing a Jew. The animosity between these two groups knew no bounds.

It was always safer to travel in a group, for this and other reasons. Remember at Easter, the story of the two disciples traveling to Emmaus? And how Jesus came up to them, (yet they did not know it was Jesus) and asked to join them? They were not surprised that an apparent stranger asked to journey with them, and in fact, they probably welcomed the extra company, since there is safety in numbers.

But the man in the parable that is our story for today… is traveling down to Jericho by himself. 

And, at Dead Man’s Curve, is attacked by robbers, who strip him, beat him, and take off.

And they leave him there, on that narrow road, exposed to the harsh desert sun, with no food, no water, no shelter; bleeding, bruised, naked, and not far from death.

The vultures are already circling.

I’m not sure what this man’s purpose was for traveling to Jericho. Perhaps he had been to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage, there for one of the holy days, and was returning home. As we’ll see shortly, there does seem to be other religious-types traveling the road that day… although why they didn’t all meet up, and travel together, I don’t know.

Whatever his purpose was for traveling that day, the road he traveled on did not bring him safely to his destination. He did not make it safely to Jericho. He did not reach his goal.

We are all on a journey. We are all traveling to some destination.

Some are on a journey toward prosperity. Some are on a journey toward healing. Some are on a journey toward security in their life.

Those who are graduating have successfully completed one stage of their journey… but the journey continues…

And we all want to reach our destination safely. We all want to achieve what it is we’ve set out to achieve. 

As a society, we build roads to help people reach their destination. I’m speaking metaphorically here.

Education is a road to the future, for example. 

We’re all looking for a road, a path, that will lead us to our future. And as a society, we try to make those roads safe and accessible. If there are any dangers or roadblocks, we try to remove them. Or, at least, we should.

Yet many dangers and roadblocks remain.

Racism places roadblocks in the paths of many. 

This past week, we’ve seen in a few states, congressional districts redrawn, in an attempt to disenfranchise people of color. It’s scary how fast some states have been to redraw those lines, and exclude Black people, especially, from having representation in government.

In the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) we recognize that racism is a sin, and we are committed to ridding both our church and our nation of racism.

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A letter to the church from our General Minister, Terri Hord Owens, and the members of our church’s Reconciliation Ministry Commission—dated May 8—reaffirms our denomination’s stand against racism.

The letter notes that free and fair access to voting, and fair representation, are currently under threat.

The letter points out that the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, were signed by President Lyndon B Johnson, a lifelong member of the Disciples of Christ.

The letter also points out that, in 1982, the Voting Rights Act was extended by President Ronald Reagan, who grew up a Disciple (and who attended Eureka College, which is affiliated with our denomination)

The letter then states that “We are the church of Lyndon Johnson and Ronald Reagan, Barton Stone and Alexander Campbell, leaders that were committed to creating religious and social systems that broke down barriers … even as they lived out their faith and political commitments in different ways.”

I think another way to say this is that we are committed to making the roads we travel safer… for everyone… so that everyone has a fair chance of making it to their destination safely.

This work is so important today. 

Once upon a time, it was robbers hiding in the rocks on the way to Jericho that presented a danger.

Once upon a time, it was a sharp curve on route 66 that presented a danger.

Both of these things kept people from safely reaching their destination.

But today we are called to make the journey safer in other ways… and one way is by continuing the work to be a pro-reconciliation, anti-racism denomination.

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In my previous congregation, there was one lady who said once in a group conversation that she didn’t think racism wasn’t a problem anymore; and she didn’t understand why people kept bringing it up.

And maybe she saw that her congregation, as small as it was, was incredibly diverse, with members who were Black, white, Mexican, and Asian, including immigrants from Pakistan, Burma, Cambodia, and Samoa. 

That diversity was something we rightfully celebrated. And maybe she looked at that, and thought, racism must no longer exist.

But maybe she hadn’t ever really talked to those members about their experiences, and how their experiences might not be the same as hers, and the additional roadblocks and dangers they face as they journey through life.

In a different congregation, even earlier in my ministry, Ginger and I once took a group of youth from the church on a camping trip. We had a reservation at a privately owned campground near Santa Cruz, California, and we pulled in at dusk. Our reservation was for a specific campsite, so I drove around very slowly, looking through the almost-darkness to figure out which campsite was ours.

When I found it, I parked the car, and went to check in with the campground manager.

Before I got to his office, he storms out toward me and starts berating me. He said to me: “This is a family campground. We have families with children here. We don’t need you coming in here, driving around like crazy.” 

His anger made no sense to me. Confused and upset, I walked back to our campsite. The youth could see that I was upset, so I explained to them what happened.

The kids just shook their heads. I expected them to be as shocked as I was, but they just shrugged their shoulders, as if the manager’s behavior was to be expected.

I looked at the kids I had brought: they were a diverse group. one was Black. One was white. One was Asian… And, looking at the expressions on their faces, I finally got it. I finally understood.

I realized: it wasn’t my driving that upset the manager. It was who I brought with me.

And for those kids, this is how the world works for them. They’re used to it, and were not surprised by it. This is what they experience every day.

But for a white person like me, it was a whole new experience.

They are used to roadblocks, barriers, and dangers in their path. They are used to not being able to safely reach their destination, and having to find an alternate route, or turn back.

Our call, as followers of Jesus, is to be the good neighbor who helps make the journey safer, by removing the roadblocks and the dangers, not just for ourselves, but for everyone. 

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Something like racism is at play in our scripture today. Those listening to Jesus tell this story knew that robbers lurked along the Jericho trail. And they knew—or assumed—that most of those robbers were Samaritans. 

Because that’s just how Samaritans are.

But then, in the story, some good, righteous, religious folks come traveling down that road… and when they see the beaten, left-for-dead traveler, they pass by on the other side of the road… which took some effort on their part, since the road really wasn’t very wide. They would have had to hug the cliff, or scamper down below, to pass by without coming near the injured man.

But then a third traveler comes along… and he’s a Samaritan. 

Come back to finish the job, no doubt, or to see if there was anything of value left on the victim that the first group of robbers might have missed, that he could take for himself. 

But no; this Samaritan… this Samaritan… offers aid to the wounded traveler. This Samaritan is the only one who actually worked to make this road a little safer, a little less dangerous. The only one who actually helped the beaten man make it to his destination.

By making this character in the story a Samaritan, Jesus challenges all the racial and prejudicial assumptions of his day.

If we want to faithfully follow Jesus, that is work that we should be doing as well. We need to challenge all the racial and prejudicial assumptions of our day.

In a sermon he preached in 1967, Martin Luther King, Jr. asked what systems are in place today that leave people beaten and battered? He asked, How do we transform the road, making it safer?

On another occasion, King said to a friend of his: “I think the Good Samaritan is a great individual….but I don’t want to be a Good Samaritan… I am tired of picking up people along the Jericho Road. I am tired of seeing people battered and bruised and bloody, injured and jumped on, along the Jericho Roads of life. This road is dangerous. I don’t want to pick up anyone else, along this Jericho Road; I want to fix… the Jericho Road. I want to pave the Jericho Road, add street lights to the Jericho Road; make the Jericho Road safe [for] everybody….”

The prophet Isaiah once said: “make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” As people of God, we are called to do the same, by making those highways straight, safe, and accessible for all of God’s people.

A Sign of Hope and Love (Luke 10:25-37)

 ⬛ I’ve been working with other religious leaders in town to plan the upcoming multi-faith Thanksgiving worship, which will be held on Sunday, November 23 at 3pm at the Y. 

Like last year, we will provide the opportunity for those who attend to contribute to an offering that will be given to a local non-profit, as a way of expressing gratitude through action.

My part in this year’s Thanksgiving worship will be to introduce the offering, and to extend the invitation to give.

⬛ I don’t mind talking about money, and inviting people to give… as long as what that money is going toward is something worthwhile, something I truly believe in… something that changes people’s lives for the better.

I know that I myself—like many of you—am always trying to discern how best to use my money. I’ve mentioned before how I define money as life energy; we give up our life energy in exchange for a salary—so that money is our life energy converted into dollars.

And since it is our life energy, it makes sense that we want the use of our money to mean something.

I do not want to waste my money on things that do not contribute to my joy and wellbeing, or to the joy and wellbeing of my family, or to the joy and wellbeing of my community or world.

So if I’m going to invite people to give money to a cause, I’m going to make sure that the cause is, in fact, something that contributes positively to the joy and wellbeing of people.

⬛ So when I talk about stewardship in the church, it’s important for me to emphasize that stewardship is more than keeping the doors open and the lights on. I’ve heard stewardship statements like that too many times, emphasizing that just maintaining the property—keeping the doors open and the lights on—is an end in and of itself. 

The property, the building… are tools that help us carry out our ministry; tools that help us do what’s really important, which is bringing wholeness to this fragmented world, and changing lives by sharing with people in word and in action the limitless love of God.

Last week’s stewardship moment was given by Jaci, and she talked about the ministry of our congregation, and also the ministry that takes place at Camp Walter Scott. 

Camp Walter Scott (just to be clear) is our camp. It’s not just a camp we send kids to. It’s our camp. We at First Christian Church own and operate Camp Walter Scott, in partnership with the other congregations of the Illinois/Wisconsin region. 

And I think we all see in Jaci, and in everyone else who grew up going to church camp, the life-changing impact that our camping ministry has. It is hard to overstate how significant this is. As Jaci said, it helped make her who she is today. 

And I know kids whose very lives have been saved by camp. If it weren’t for the love and affirmation they received at church camp, they very well might not have made it to adulthood.

That is something worth talking about when we talk about stewardship.

Jaci also mentioned that, for her, the church is not just a building, but a home.

First Christian Church is a home. Camp Walter Scott is a home. Both, in the very best sense of the word home.

And home is so much more than just a building. It’s so much more than just open doors and lights that are on.

And that is what stewardship is all about. It is making sure that the opportunity to experience home, and all that a home should be… to experience affirmation, to experience God’s limitless, life-changing love, is available to present and future generations.

⬛ And there are so many other ways that we do this. Last Tuesday I had lunch with our Fibers of Love group—and, yes, I call them “our” Fibers of Love group—and those ladies expressed to me their thanks and gratitude that we have provided them a home, a place where they feel welcome, and affirmed, and where they can carry out their important, life-changing ministry, bringing wholeness to our world in a way that is uniquely theirs.

⬛ For the past month we’ve been hearing about the Helping Shelf, and the lives that are changed through that part of our ministry. And in our encounters with some of those who visit the Helping Shelf, we realize that it’s not just about the food or clothing or hygiene supplies; it’s about people coming and feeling noticed, that they aren’t forgotten, that maybe there is still some love for them in this world. They may even think of First Christian Church as a home, even though their only experience of church is through the Helping Shelf. That, too, is life-changing.

And I could say the same thing for the other ministries and organizations and events we support and partner with through our ReachOut team, or through our Open and Affirming team, or through our team that provides funeral meals.

Ministry is so much more than a building. Ministry is so much more than “keeping doors open and the lights on.”

And because of this, I have probably not given church buildings the credit they deserve. I may have downplayed the importance of buildings and property a little too much. Hearing too many stewardship moments that focused solely on keeping the doors open and the lights on, I have probably taken that pendulum and swung it too far in the other direction.

I was made aware of this when I was reading through our stewardship theme material.

⬛ In the stewardship material there is an article about a large, old church which wasn’t named, but which I recognized, because it was in downtown Long Beach, California, and I had been there multiple times for community meetings, interfaith events, pride events, and even a stage production of Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame, where Ethan worked backstage handling props for the actors.

That congregation was founded by the Bixby family—Long Beach’s version of William T. Major and his family—and that church’s sanctuary (the one they still use today) was built back in 1914.

The sanctuary holds over 1,000 people. It has survived multiple earthquakes. And, at 111 years old, it requires a lot of ongoing maintenance.

The article in the stewardship material was written by a former pastor of that congregation. I recognized her name, which is how I knew what congregation it was referring to. 

In the article she talks about the many blessings of that building, and the incredible amount of time and energy it takes to maintain it. 

And then she said that she and that congregation were like innkeepers for God. 

That’s how they saw themselves. Innkeepers for God.

She wrote that “We had the blessings of many assets, including high public regard. When the wider community considers your congregation a gem, you are a lucky church. And…you are also an innkeeper.”

The innkeeper she’s referring to is the innkeeper in the story of the Good Samaritan.

⬛ In the story of the Good Samaritan, the Samaritan shows compassion and mercy to a poor injured man by taking him to an inn, and giving the innkeeper money, to house him and care for him.

And the innkeeper, we assume, does just that. He uses that money to provide a place for the poor injured man to rest and receive the healing he needs. 

The injured man’s healing was made possible not only by the Samaritan, and not only by the innkeeper, but also by the inn itself, the shelter that provided him a safe space to recover from his wounds. 

Without the inn, the poor injured man would not have found shelter. Without money to run and maintain the inn, there would not have been a place for him to rest and find healing. And without money to buy food for him, and to clean his room, pay the staff, and keep the inn open, the inn would not have been there when the injured man needed it.

The inn itself became a vessel of empathy and mercy. 

I had never thought of the role that the inn itself played in this story. Yet for this injured man, it was essential that there be an inn—a place with the doors open and the lamps lit—where he could rest and recover, and be restored back to health.

⬛ Our church is more than just a building.

But the building itself is a sign of hope and love, and don’t you know, hope and love are what the world so desperately needs these days…

This building is a sign of hope to people in our community.

This building is a sign of stability.

This building is a sign of community revitalization.

A neighbor walking by sees this building, sees it being cared for, and feels just a tiny smidgen of God’s love because of that… and if seeing this church in their neighborhood makes them feel that God is near, that God hasn’t given up on them quite yet…

THAT is ministry. That is gospel. That is life.

For people who enter our building to attend a community event… one of the theater groups, or the bridge club, or fibers of love…the building itself speaks of God’s love, God’s affirmation, God’s welcome.

So much gospel is shared, so much good news, so much love, so much hope… just because we are able to keep the doors open and the lights on… just because we plant flowers in the spring and have lights illuminating the rose window on cold dark winter nights. Taking care of this building is a sign of our love for God, but it is also a sign of our love and God’s love for our community; a sign of love for our neighbors.

Yes, it costs a lot of money to maintain a building like this… and the costs keep going up as the building ages. Maybe one day, we will leave this building. We’ve moved into a new building four times before in our congregation’s 188-year history, so doing so wouldn’t be anything new.

But this is the building we have today. 

And it is, as I said, a blessing to so many in our community and beyond.

So stewardship does, I guess, also include keeping the doors open and the lights on… and the roof repaired…and the floors replaced…and the heat running…

Because all these things help make this building a home… an inn… a place where people can know God and God’s love; a place where people can experience God’s love and God’s healing in so many life-changing ways.

The innkeeper took care of the inn. The innkeeper used the money he received to maintain the inn, so that it would be there for those who need it. 

We are the innkeeper, charged with maintaining a place of refuge, rest, and healing, for all who need it.

And we are also the Samaritan, showing our love for our neighbor by tending to the wounded, and providing the funds needed so that they have a place to find the healing and wholeness they need.

Linked Through Acceptance (Luke 10: 38-42)

 Sermon: “Linked Through Acceptance”

Show of hands: who identifies more with Martha, always working, staying on top of chores, and maybe even feeling resentment towards those who don’t do their share?

And who identifies more with Mary, willing to set aside the chores, for now at least, to be present to what’s happening in the moment?

There’s probably a little of both Martha and Mary in each of us. I know that, for me, in one moment, I can easily ignore those dirty dishes in the sink, letting them sit while I engage in some other, more enticing activity; but when I do get up and start doing chores, I can also easily feel resentment toward those others who are not presently doing their chores…

Which, I guess, makes me a bit of a hypocrite…

And because I have experienced that resentment, I tend to empathize with Martha when hearing this story.

Because, after all, there is work to be done! And Martha and Mary are the hosts of this gathering, so it’s their job to do the work, to complete the chores!

And I feel bad for Martha, doing the work, expecting some praise or at least sympathy; I don’t think she expected that mild reprimand from Jesus. 

But because I do identify with Martha, it’s hard for me to hear Jesus’ words. I want him to praise hard-working Martha, just like I want to be praised and recognized for the times I work hard; but instead, Jesus commends Mary, the one who isn’t helping with the chores, the one who is just sitting…

I look at Mary, and I make the assumption that she was sitting for no other reason than that she just didn’t want to do the chores. She didn’t feel like helping. Because of laziness, perhaps, or selfishness, or maybe obstinance…

And as a result, she wasn’t fulfilling her role as host. She wasn’t practicing good hospitality. She wasn’t doing what she was supposed to be doing.

That’s how things seemed to Martha… and that’s certainly how I’ve tended to read this story over the years.

But the more times that I revisit this story, the more times I hear it, the more I question these assumptions. Was Mary really being lazy? Was she really just trying to find a way to get out of doing her chores (like a spoiled child)? Was she really being a bad, inhospitable host?

The way Jesus responds to Martha makes me question the assumptions I’ve been making about Mary. (Jesus is always making me question my assumptions. If you ask me, it’s his most annoying trait…)

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Here at First Christian Church, there are a lot of roles that need to be filled, and a lot of chores that need to be done. Fortunately, we have a lot of Marthas willing to take on those roles… I don’t know what we’d do, without them all…

Because in our church, we need people to be greeters, elders, deacons, junior deacons, musicians, singers, team coordinators, small group leaders, food preparers, budget preparers, board members, trustees, check signers, technology gurus, cleaners, fix-it people, children’s ministry leaders, info desk hosts, and so much more… and so many of you have said yes to one or more of these roles…

Without you, this church wouldn’t function. We’d fall apart. So the last thing I want to do is preach a sermon that would discourage any of you from doing the work that we all depend on!

Jesus’s own ministry, likewise, depended on some hard-working people to make things happen; people willing to get the chores done.

 I read something this week by Nadia Bolz-Weber that reminded me that, when Jesus traveled, it wasn’t just him; there was a whole entourage, a whole group of people who traveled with him. 

He had his disciples—the twelve disciples we’re familiar with, but others as well, men and women… And when they all arrived in a new place, someone would have to make arrangements for lodging, and for meals, and for other needs that Jesus and his disciples might have.

In other words, there was work, and chores, to be done, and arrangements to be made…

When Jesus and his disciples arrived in Bethany, the home of Mary and Martha became their headquarters…

Which means that Mary and Martha were called upon to be hosts, and to show hospitality… and hospitality, of course, involves work, and chores.

And Martha was busy doing all those chores, doing all that work, being a good host.

So why did Jesus say that Mary had chosen the better part? Why did he praise her for not working, and encourage Martha to follow Mary’s example, instead of the other way around?

It’s because Jesus understood that there is a time for work and chores; and there’s a time for setting work and chores aside. Jesus wasn’t saying that work and chores should never be done. There’s a time and place for everything. 

So if you were planning to use Jesus to get out of doing your chores—sorry, it’s not that simple… 

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It’s not the work that is bad, the tasks, the chores; but it’s when we let that work and those tasks keep us from being “present” to those who are our guests; being “present” to Jesus in our lives; being “present” to the ones we are called to show hospitality to.

I’ve seen people who, when guests are over, are too busy fixing meals and setting the table and then cleaning up the table and doing the dishes and wiping down the counters and putting everything away, right away… that they never actually spend time being present with their guests; and their guests end up feeling less welcome, and feeling like they’re in the way, even though the task-doers are working extra hard trying to make them feel welcome.

And I once heard that a good way to show hospitality is not to do the dishes and do all the cleaning right away, by yourself, trying too hard to be the perfect host; but, if there is a task that needs to be done, to invite your guest to join you. “Hey, would you mind drying while I wash the dishes?” This gets the task done, but it also allows you to actually spend time with your guest, enjoying conversation with them; and because you give them the opportunity to help, it makes them feel useful and not a burden…

And you can be present with one another while you both stand at the sink, doing the dishes, together…

In the church, we try so hard to show hospitality and welcome to guests and those who have recently started attending. What if we invited them to join us in some task…Maybe not the first time they are here, but soon after…

I’m not saying we should give every first-time visitor a mop and direct them to the restroom…

But maybe there is some task that would help them feel included, more welcome, and maybe less of a burden…

“Hey, I know you’re new here, but do you want to help me hand out these bulletins?” 

Or, if you’re having a good conversation with someone after worship, say, “I’d love to continue chatting with you, but I need to collect the used communion cups; want to join me?”

This is something we do at church camp.  At Camp Walter Scott, campers are invited to help with some of the tasks and chores at camp. Simple things, like sweeping, wiping down tables before and after meals, emptying wastebaskets, etc. 

Does this keep them from being present? No. If a group of them were sent to the kitchen to prepare meals while the rest of camp gathered for stories or discussion, or even some fun, all-camp activity, then that would keep them from being present. It would keep them from the one main thing, the better part. It would separate them from the whole reason they are at camp in the first place. Just like Martha insisting that Mary leave Jesus to do chores would separate her from Jesus, the whole reason they were doing all this work in the first place.

I’ve heard that some schools in Japan include some time in the day for students to do some cleaning. Each day, students sweep, empty the trash, and wipe down desks. 

At all the schools I substitute taught at, a janitor comes in after the students leave, and the janitor does these tasks. Most times, the students never see the janitor.

And in many of the classrooms I’ve taught in, many students take very little ownership for the cleanliness of the classroom. At the end of the period, the floor is littered with papers, the desks are a mess, and the students don’t really care, because they know that, tomorrow, somehow, it will all magically be cleaned up.

And before I sound too judgmental, I am aware that I often have the same attitude, if I’m walking in the park, or a parking lot, and I see some trash on the ground… well, it’s not my responsibility…

And yet, it is. I live on this planet, and shouldn’t I share in its care and cleanup?

I didn’t hear Martha invite anyone to help her with the chores. Maybe because she actually knew, deep down, that it wasn’t the right time for that. Jesus was teaching; it was time to listen, to be present. Perhaps after, when he was done teaching, would be the time for chores. And maybe Jesus would even help out, if asked.

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In what ways do you welcome Jesus? Are there times when you need to step away from your distractions, in order to be present with Jesus, and make him feel welcome in your life?

There is a connection here to Mother’s Day: As children get older and become adults, if you ask their mothers what they want for Mother’s Day, more than anything, nearly all mothers will say they just want their children to spend some time with them… Come visit, if they no longer live at home…just be present…

(Dads want the same thing…)

And children want that, too. A parent, a grown-up who loves them, who is present with them, and in that presence, accepts, welcomes, embraces, and affirms them.

Isn’t that the one thing, the better part, that Jesus was talking about?

It’s so hard for us to be present in this day and age. One of the things we’ll do at camp is find ways to be present with and to one another. 

We’ll also find ways to be present with God, and present with creation. We’ll notice what’s right in front of us and all around us: the trees, the birds… the cicadas…

We’ll train our minds to not be too distracted to notice these things in our midst.

Because Christ is present in our midst. The Spirit is present. The kingdom is present.

In our midst. Within us and among us.

But if we are too distracted, we will fail to notice. And we will have missed the one main thing, and we will have failed to have chosen the better part.

There is a time for tasks and chores. But there is also a time to be present. When the time comes for tasks and chores, do the tasks and chores. But when the time comes to be present… be present.