July 17, 2022
St. John’s United Church of Christ, Union, Illinois
Luke 10:38-42[1]
There has
certainly been plenty to worry and distract a person lately. I often find it
hard to focus on the task at hand. Even if I’m not actively trying to heal a
broken world, comfort the afflicted, or advocate for a more humane society, it
weighs on my mind. It is exhausting to live through a global pandemic, high
inflation, a democracy under threat, and the erosion of the rights of those I
love. And yet, the work of living day after day continues.
I imagine
Martha had a lot on her mind as well. Jesus has arrived in town, and though she
has welcomed him into her home, now there are seventy or so followers who need
attending to. It may well be that Mary, her sister, was usually by her side
managing the many tasks of a home filled with guests, but now she has left Martha
to do all the work herself.
A similar scene
likely played out in many homes where Jesus, the twelve, or the seventy
proclaimed the gospel. Some would gather to sit at the feet of the teacher,
while others would be busy with serving the needs of the visitors. Some folk
find that discipleship means looking after the details of life, the meals to
prepare, the sick to nurse, the dirt to clean, and the bills to pay. Others
find discipleship in study and prayer, contemplation, worship, teaching and
learning. Both are necessary, and we find that there are times for both working
and thinking.
Here, in this
scene, Jesus chides Martha for her worries and distractions, while praising
Mary for choosing the better part of contemplation, learning, and worship. What
does this mean for how we order our lives, and what does it say for how the
church is to show hospitality?
A community
that is welcoming of Christ and those who seek him must give attention to the word
of God, to hearing, contemplating, and understanding the call of Jesus upon our
lives. If we, as a church, are instead worried and distracted by many things,
if the tasks and the work of maintaining the institution are the only focus,
then discipleship can come to mean drudgery. We can become so focused on who
brings what for the potluck that we can’t see Christ in the breaking of the
bread. We can lose ourselves in the meetings and planning and organizing such
that we lose sight of why we’re doing any of this.
Mary’s presence
at the feet of Jesus shows us a better way. Not a way that ignores the work to
be done, or that fails to offer hospitality; rather, a way that remains focused
on why we’re here. We gather to read Scripture and wrestle with its meaning. We
come to ask for God’s blessing, to hear the good news, and to build up our
faith. In the home of Martha, they sought to be together to listen to the words
of Jesus, to take comfort from one another and gain strength for the journey
ahead. Our gathering here is like a family gathered at a home to break bread
and share the cup, to ask questions and seek for meaning and purpose in our
life together.
There is still
the work to be done. The food and drink must be prepared and later cleared
away. The repairs need to be made and the bills need to be paid. Yet, those who
have sat at the feet of Jesus now find meaning and purpose in the work that must
be done. Those who will go out to teach and heal and clean and welcome will do
so filled with more than bread, but with living water that gives life to all
they do. The mundane tasks of daily living become the joyous work of our common
life.
This way of
focusing on the why, rather than the what, is the better part. When Jesus
visited with Levi, someone said to him, “John’s disciples… frequently fast and
pray, but your disciples eat and drink.” Jesus said to them, “You cannot make
wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you?”[2]
I think that Mary understood this, understood that Jesus would not always be
there, that this opportunity to sit and listen at his feet was a fleeting
moment, a precious chance to choose the one thing that mattered most. Perhaps
Martha, worried by all that needed to be done, failed to remember why any of it
mattered.
Our worries and
our distractions won’t disappear if we just pray and sing a hymn together. But
their burden will feel lighter. Jesus said to the disciples, “Can any of you by
worrying add a single hour to your span of life?”[3]
Our worries won’t get the work done, and our distractions keep us from hearing
God speaking. Our striving for what to eat and what to drink and what to wear
does not help us welcome the ones who have come through our doors. Only when we
strive for the kingdom of God will we show true hospitality to those who enter
our home.
So, friends,
let us choose the better part. Let us lay down our burdens and listen to the word
as it is spoken. Let us walk with Jesus along our pilgrim journey. The work
will still be there for us; but we will be ready for it. We will be prepared to
serve as disciples because we have listened at the feet of Jesus. We will be
strong enough for what is to come because we will have strengthened one
another. We will welcome the kingdom because we will recognize its presence all
around us. We will choose the way of life, and it will not be taken from us. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment