Welcome to this week’s online youth lesson. Catch up with previous online lessons by clicking here.
We will start with the brand new song by Zach Williams, “Turn it Over.”
Please keep the family of Trina Eia after her earthly death earlier this week. Shane and their four kids and the extended family are grieving while celebrating the fact that she is in Heaven with no more pain or suffering. We will talk more about her a little bit later.
Pastor Paul and his family continue to pick up the pieces since the death of Sally to pancreatic cancer. Please keep them in prayer as next steps are developed and that God speaks through this situation to highlight what is best for the family, our church and the nearby communities.
Please keep Beth Freed, Blake Walter and their entire family in prayer after some positive COVID tests.
Our yard sale is coming up on Saturday, and there is much work to be done both in setting up beforehand and tearing down afterward — but we should also be praying for the time in between where we get to share God’s light to the local community. This is a great opportunity for us to impact local families, and we pray that we don’t get so wrapped up in the preparation or the tear-down to lose sight of the impact we can have during the day Saturday.
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Trina Eia and her unshakeable focus on God through a several-year battle with cancer has provided a powerful testimony on a number of occasions for our youth group. She shared in person back in August of 2019 to the youth group and the extended church family, not just her story, but also sharing a number of the songs that she had leaned on for strength and inspiration.
God rewarded her for her devotion to Him during the stormy stretches by helping her beat numerous timelines and deadline by doctors and other medical staff. He gave her one of the most precious gifts He could provide: time. Time with her children, her husband and others she cared about. He gave her time to spread her personal story, glorifying Him each step of the way. He gave her another Christmas and Easter season with the family and provided an opportunity for her to share her story one more time via the following YouTube video message shortly before she passed away:
Before reading on, take some time to watch her testimony story and notice how real she is with her situation and her devotion to God through it all.
We have spent quite a bit of time talking about her example of staying focused on God through the extreme trials in life. Today, let’s look at her story through a different lens … the story of Martha and Mary shared in Luke 10:38-42 (NKJV):
Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
For comparison’s sake, here is the same set of verses from the NIV version:
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “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 away from her.”
And yet another comparison, the same verses in The Message translation:
As they continued their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home. She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word he said. But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. “Master, don’t you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand.” The Master said, “Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it — it’s the main course, and won’t be taken from her.”
The dynamic between Martha and Mary is interesting in these verses, and the mental picture of the situation is one many of us can relate to. A special guest s coming over to the house, so everyone is in a frantic state to get ready, to make sure the house is in top order and that all the meal preparations and other needs are handled.
That frantic pace of preparation many times will carry over to the gathering itself. A birthday slumber party, a big family holiday meal, a large family reunion, etc. As fun as those experiences can be, many times we can be exhausted afterward and miss out on some of the joy of just being there, soaking up the moment in the presence of the people we love and respect the most.
Can you imagine how much more amplified that feeling would be in the shoes of someone like Trina Eia as she did her best with the time God gave her to get as much organized and prepared for the time she would no longer be with her family? I personally can’t even imagine the internal struggle and balancing act she must have endured, deciding how much time to spend on preparations for what may come while carving out valuable time to be with her family and with God through each step of the process.
Back in October, I had the pleasure of interviewing Trina about the upcoming holiday season for an article for a local magazine. Family members and close friends had organized a special early Christmas surprise for her and the family (in which our youth group got to play a small part in) because doctors were certain she wouldn’t survive until Christmas Day (God, obviously had a different timeline in mind). Of course, Trina was so incredibly appreciative of the gesture and the valuable time she had with her family. Within the interview, I asked her for advice for other families who typically feel overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of preparing for the holidays. She shared, at the time:
“Sometimes, we get so overwhelmed with what we have to do during the holidays. Instead of enjoying it all, we stress over it. I have learned that I would rather have less and enjoy family time instead. For so many years, I thought I had to have things a certain way.
“Now, I feel like that is not as important, and it is more about enjoying time with the people I care about, blessing others and going beyond the food and the gifts. That all has its place, but now, I don’t get stressed. The relationship is more important than the gift.”
That’s the same sentiment that Jesus must have been trying to convey to Martha, and it is one we should take to heart in every aspect of our lives.
With that being said, there is an important aspect of what Martha was trying to provide. According to scripture, she was the one who invited Jesus into the home. Without her efforts, Mary may never have had the opportunity to listen to Jesus’ stories. And, the Bible shares numerous stories and lessons on the importance of working hard, being diligent in our preparations for the future and putting effort into the things that really matter.
But, there is also value in making sure we don’t deprive ourselves of the importance of being in God’s presence and enjoying the blessings he has given us here on earth while we have the chance. Playing an extra board game as a family, watching a movie together, sharing devotions and honoring God via humble service together and with the church/youth group. Mindfully stopping in the midst of a busy, stressful day to have some uninterrupted time alone with God.
Personally, as we enter the final stretch of our annual benefit yard sale preparations, this is a message I find very important … that, as the prayer request above suggests, outside of the busy preparation, set up and tear-down cleanup of the event, that we take the time to really value our opportunity to serve God to those from our local communities.
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In the midst of pulling together content for this week’s lesson, the following debut music video from new 19-year-old contemporary Christian musician Anne Wilson popped up in my feed unexpectedly. Considering this week’s news of Trina and the other recent tragedies connected to our church, this music video was especially powerful to me (John) … and I pray it moves you as well:
