Tip of My Iceberg

It was “Drive Your Tractor To Church Day” up in Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania.

We’ve never experienced that in Florida. Here in Orlando, I don’t see that many tractors, period. My son and his family own a winery in the south-central part of the state, where they and those owning much larger farms require tractors to handle the work of planting, harvesting, weeding, hauling, and all the other duties that a tractor can accomplish well on large tracts of land.

I tried to picture what it would look like to drive tractors around the Orlando area. This isn’t a fun place to drive; with so many tourists plus the many from up north that moved down here during COVID, the roads are crowded, it takes forever to get from point A to point B, and drivers aren’t always in the best of moods on the roads. Honking and making hand gestures with specific fingers are common.

Tractors would make a challenging situation horrific. It would exacerbate the already heated atmosphere of our roads. People here are always in a hurry.

I know that because I’m one of them.

It would be idyllic to drive a tractor around here. Slowing things down intentionally, giving folks a chance to see who and what is around them, taking time to enjoy the calmness of just being.

We don’t like to be slowed down. Red lights are an annoyance. Traffic jams are an insult. Everyone has an agenda, and no one wants someone else to mess it up. Even meals are eaten on the run, with fast food describing how many of us consume our nutrition.

Jesus enjoyed spending time with friends, three of whom were the siblings Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. There was a time when Jesus and His disciples were traveling to Jerusalem and stopped at this home for a meal. Martha invited them in, working hard to prepare a meal for her special guests.

Meals then were not rushed. They were designed to build community and deepen relationships, so conversation was valued. Hospitality was seen as a sacred duty, especially toward strangers and travelers. With friends, there was a commitment to extend warmth and a spirit of congeniality.

While Martha worked, Mary sat with the men listening to Jesus talk. This didn’t sit well with her sister, who became distracted and frustrated with all that needed to be done. “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to You that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” Luke 10:40.

We would see that as a just response. Jesus saw it differently.

“But the Lord said to her, ‘My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.’” Luke 10:41-42.

What had Mary chosen? To be present with the One who had words of life and hope. As important as it was to be hospitable to all those present, Jesus said that sitting with Him, listening, and seeking to understand what He had to say was of greater importance. Rather countercultural.

Being still and listening, valuing the moment, having our hearts open to what God is telling us, is definitely preferable to constantly doing, producing, and staying busy.

Mark and his family embraced a moment of quiet and slowness on their tractor ride to church. An unusual way of doing things, but sometime unusual is the best way to handle busyness.

Tractors may be the best mode of transportation for all of us.