Martha & Mary & Jesus
Heather Weir Download: Audio
Click here to read this week’s sermon.
Sermon Notes:
Toward the end of the sermon, Heather asked three questions upon which she invites listeners to reflect.
1. What is caught in your mind from this sermon?
2. How is God speaking to you from this story of Mary and Martha or from Amos 8?
3. What are you not paying attention to, that you should be paying attention to?
Scripture: Luke 10:38 – 42
Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Read more…
Looking to Sunday
by Elaine Poproski
When I was a kid, church felt like it went on forever. And those times I walked into the worship space and saw the Communion Table set up…. I knew what eternity felt like (not in a good way). After church was just as frustrating. My parents were almost always the last to leave. Which meant we kids were the last to leave. Frankly, Sundays for this church-going kid were interminable. I just wanted it to be over so I could get on with things that mattered in my life.
There’s this internal question given voice by the prophet Amos in the Old Testament. It’s the voice of Israel’s people asking, “When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale?”[i] In other words, when will these holy days with all their prescribed religious observances be over so we can get on with the things that matter in life – things like running our businesses and making more money.
In the New Testament, there’s a story about Martha. Jesus and his disciples stayed in her home for a time as they journeyed from Galilee to Jerusalem. Martha was a great host. She understood the importance of hospitality – of ensuring her guests felt welcomed as part of the family. She worked her tail off to make sure no guest ever felt disrespected while in her home. Martha’s sister, Mary, on the other hand, didn’t lift a finger to help. Instead, she sat with the men as an equal disciple of Jesus. Martha complained to Jesus: “Tell her to help me!” But Jesus took Mary’s side and rebuked Martha.[ii]
I always feel like Martha gets a bad rap. She’s doing exactly what she’s supposed to be doing. And if she didn’t do it, what would everyone eat? Where would they sleep? Would there be enough towels for them all the shower? I’m not convinced that Jesus valued Mary’s choice more than he valued Martha’s. I think it was a question of priorities. I don’t think it was about doing one instead of the other. I think it was about which was meant to be first. I think it was Martha’s desire to skip over Jesus’ teaching in order to get on with the things that mattered (in her mind) that was the problem.
In the words of pastor Niveen Sarras, “the word of God motivates us to engage in the ministry of diakonia [service].”[iii] How often do we jump right into any number of acts of service, without taking the time to refresh and fill the well out of which that service must flow? How many church people do you know who are so busy doing things for the church and/or for God, that they’ve completely lost (or never had) the ability to hear God speak? Service is good. Service that flows from the Holy Spirit, is a beautiful, life-giving thing. But like every other good thing in this sin-tainted world, service can be twisted into a harsh taskmaster that never lets up – that makes us, like Martha, “worried and distracted by many things,” and unable to sit still long enough to hear Jesus himself speak.
As you prepare for Sunday, perhaps spend some time considering what the things that matter in your life are. What are the things that make you want to skip over the quiet times, the prayer and worship times, the listening to God times, the Bible study and learning times? Have you ever found yourself thinking about gathering with others for worship or Bible Study or Prayer as things you need to get through so you can get on with what matters?
[iii] Niveen Sarras. “Commentary on Luke 10:38-42,” Working Preacher. July 17, 2022.