Crossway Pond Sermon Podcast · Crossway Christian Church

At The Feet of Jesus in Faith

·36 min·2 clips

“Martha, Martha” and “few things are needed, or indeed only one” frame the sermon’s central contrast.

Dave Ripper begins with a summer greeting and a reminder that New England summers do not last as long as he would like. He says that if summer is going to matter, people have to be intentional with it. He points to Psalm 90 and the plea to number our days, and that line becomes the thread for the sermon. He asks what it looks like to spend time well when life is full. He also notes how hard it is for people to be bored now that cell phones fill every empty moment. The sermon shifts from public pace to private attention. Ripper says there is something profound about simply being with Jesus. He describes the value of time that is not packed with tasks. He compares that to a rainy vacation day that ends up being the favorite day because it slows everyone down and lets them be together. He uses that image to press toward the spiritual point. Jesus, he says, desires that kind of unhurried presence with his people. The message then turns to Martha and Mary. Martha is busy with preparations. Mary is seated near Jesus. Ripper reads Martha as distracted by all she thinks must be done. He even leans into the sibling-rivalry dynamic to make the scene feel close and familiar. The point is not that work is bad. The point is that anxiety and activity can crowd out attention. He lingers on the idea that being with Jesus does not require doing more. It requires making space to simply be with him. That repeated emphasis is part of the sermon's rhythm. The language circles back to quiet, presence, and learning from Jesus. The closing prayer makes the invitation explicit. Ripper asks that listeners would know Jesus more deeply and know themselves more honestly. He also speaks directly to anyone who does not know Jesus, describing his life, death, and resurrection as the basis for transformation and eternal life. The final appeal is simple: come and sit at his feet. The sermon ends there, on invitation rather than pressure.

As heard by us

A steady sermon about slowing down and making space to be with Jesus.

This sermon uses a hot New England summer to ask a simple question: how are people spending their days, and can they slow down enough to be with Jesus?

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Why you'd press play

You want a sermon that treats summer slowdown as an invitation to sit with Jesus.

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