6 Pentecost/Year C
July 21, 2019
Amos 8:1-2; Psalm 52; Colossians 1: 15-28; Luke 10:38-42
Opening prayer: Gracious and loving God, whose Son Jesus Christ enjoyed the friendship and hospitality of Mary and Martha: Open our hearts to love you, our ears to hear you, and our hands to welcome and serve you in others, through Jesus Christ our Lord; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (written by Cameron Partridge)
Our gospel reading for today is another familiar one to most of us…the summer lectionary seems to fit right in with the other familiar highlights of the summer season…vacations, summer camps, a time to slow down a bit, change gears and travel…especially travel….and for Sitka…a season for welcoming lots of visitors and guests…who have often travelled long distances to come and see and learn about our way of life here…
So, even though, many are enjoying a little bit more quiet, relaxation, and change of pace for the summer…there are many who are busy behind the scenes...making sure everything is ready to welcome the visitors into our midst…here in the church, in our homes, or in our community…and there are many who are busy welcoming our visitors, right on the scene…and pulling out all the stops to be sure the visitors and guests are treated with the upmost hospitality and welcome…
We all know how stressful preparing for visitors and guests can be…
We know, like Martha in the gospel reading today…that it’s not too hard to become worried and distracted by many things. Growing up, watching my mom become worried and anxious while preparing for guests, especially for the holiday gatherings…was a given…
And I confess, this trait was passed down to me and my siblings, for sure…as it was surely passed down to my mother, through her parents and grandparents, as well…
We are not unique in this…this isn’t just our family tradition….there are Martha’s in all of our families…and all over the world…as well as in our churches…and in our communities…
Here in our church life…we can see how easy it is to get caught up in the frenzy of worry and the distraction of many things, as we prepare for church conventions, programs, weekly and special services, visitors and guests…. anything which involves hospitality…and welcoming others…
It is understandable…because we only want to present our best offerings…we want to be the best hosts and hostesses….and we want others to notice…we want them to notice perhaps…that we have put in a lot of time and effort to welcome them… we really want them to know how thankful and grateful we are to them for stopping by…for being here…we really want for them to feel welcomed…and to feel like this is their home away from home…
But, perhaps…when we are caught up in the focus of the details and things that we need to do, or what others are doing or not doing….maybe that’s where we get distracted from our original purpose…to love, serve and welcome one another…as Jesus has loved, served and welcomed us…
Maybe that’s what Jesus is referring to when he responds to Martha’s cry for help… "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me."
Jesus responds to her by saying: "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her."
Ouch! That’s the last thing a Martha would want to hear while operating in full speed-ahead mode.
But there it is. Jesus says it. Really? You say Mary’s chosen the better part? Does sitting at your feet get dinner cooked? Does sitting at your feet get the table set? Does sitting at your feet get the food on the table for everyone to enjoy?
Let’s take a step back for a moment, pause, look at this passage again.
Martha has a desire to welcome and serve Jesus.
Martha is worried and distracted by many things.
Mary has a desire to welcome and serve Jesus.
Mary is focused on one thing.
They both have a desire to welcome and serve Jesus, in the best way they know how.
Maybe Martha doesn’t see it that way, in the moment…she probably has lots of responsibilities…and sees it as her job to be sure everything goes smoothly…and all she can think of is there’s so much to do...and there Mary is sitting down already…with the guest of honor…
Maybe Mary, is oblivious to all Martha is doing at the moment…totally focused on Jesus and what he is saying…and what she is learning from him…sitting at his feet…
Maybe Jesus is suggesting…that it’s really not one or the other…but both…a need to focus on Him as we serve and welcome others, in the actions and tasks we are called to…and the need to focus on Him, serving and welcoming him, as we sit at his feet, and learn from him…
But no matter what we do…we can strive to put aside all the distractions and worries and focus on the need of only one thing…to focus first on Jesus…the better part…focus on Loving Jesus, welcoming Jesus, serving Jesus….in all those people we meet each day…and welcome into our midst…
When we are running around like chickens with our heads cut off, let us stop. stand still. Center our hearts once again, on Jesus. And then go...go be the best Martha you can be….and pull out all the stops to ensure the guests and visitors are given the most radical welcome and hospitality they could ever imagine.
And go…and be…the best Mary you can be…take time to sit at the feet of Jesus, learn from him…
It takes both the Marthas and the Marys, you and I, to do the loving and the welcoming of others…There’s a time to do and a time to be….That’s the gift of being in community with one another...our roles will change often throughout our lifetime….sometimes we will be called to be a Martha in this world…sometimes we will be the Mary, who calls us all back to the one thing that is needed…
The love of God, made known to us…in Jesus…the one thing that is needed, the better part…that binds us together as a beloved community… to love, serve and welcome one another…as Jesus has loved, served and welcomed us…
Let us pray/music: What the World Needs Now is Love
(Hal David, Burt Bacharach)
What the world needs now is love, sweet love, It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of. What the world needs now is love, sweet love, No, not just for some, but for everyone.
Rev Julie Platson
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church
Sitka, Alaska