+My parents were great entertainers. Together they had terrific parties, elegant dinners and all in all, they opened our house to any number of social gatherings. Many people attended and more often than not they stayed into the wee hours of the morning. Hospitality was and is very important in the Dempesy family.
But, there was a downside to all that entertaining. As the day of the party got closer, my mom would become increasingly stressed—the house had to be spotless, the food perfect, the table settings, exquisite. I liked the actual parties, but the prep? The prep was stressful, and Mom would become anxious and distracted. A lot like Martha in today’s gospel.
This is a familiar story and one that seems to hold special resonance for women. Because of the way it has been interpreted over the years, many women detest this Gospel. For the more traditional women, their role behind the scenes, in Altar Guilds, St Monica Guilds and the ECW appears to be disregarded and belittled by Jesus. For the more liberal non-traditional women, this Gospel has been irritating because it seems to pit two women against each other.
But, before you say, “I know this story, I have heard it all, can we please move on,” I encourage you to contemplate it for a few moments. To look at it through fresh eyes.
This Gospel, brief as it is, incendiary as the prose may, at first , sound is actually very complex in its presentation. For with these four verses, Luke shows us that there are a number of ways to serve God, and that how we serve God doesn’t matter nearly as much as the fact that we do, indeed, serve God--- in all we do, at all times and in all places.
Many people interpret this gospel passage to mean that Martha was doing a disservice to Jesus because she failed to drop everything and sit at his feet. That somehow Martha was insutling Jesus while Mary was honoring him.
I don’t think Jesus meant to suggest that Mary’s way was the only way, nor was he suggesting that Martha’s way was the wrong way….I think Jesus was using that moment, when Martha’s anxiety had taken firm hold, to teach us something.
Jesus used this situation to continue his illustration of how we are to live out the two great commandments: Love your God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your soul and Love your neighbor as yourself.
Jesus used Martha’s irritation as a teachable moment.
This summer we ‘ve been reading this part of Luke’s gospel—the travel narrative-- sequentially, so this week’s gospel immediately follows last week’s Gospel—the parable of the Good Samaritan---a story in which Jesus implores his followers to be do-ers of the Word not just hear-ers. In that parable the inaction of the priest and the Levite—both considered pious and honorable Jews are criticized while the hospitality—the tangible action of the Samaritan is honored. At the end of that story Jesus simply says, “Go and do like wise.” Go and be do-ers of the Word.
But then this week Jesus, at first blush, appears to be contradicting himself, praising the inaction of Mary who passively sits at his feet to be taught while condemning the action of Martha who’s offering hospitality—Jesus praises the hearer of the word, Mary, while condemning the do-er of the word, Martha. What’s up with that?
But neither Jesus nor Luke is being contradictory. Instead they’re using these two different stories to illuminate how a community of Christians need both do-ers and hear-ers.
We, over the years, have applied our own bias to the story. Somehow we’ve decided that doing all the behind the scenes work—the altar guild, the ECW, the hospitality committees, the coffee hour, is somehow “Less Than.” Less than studying the Bible, learning about liturgy, debating the polity of the church. Somehow we’ve made the hearers of the Word more glamorous than the do ers of the word. What a mistake. How could we forget that all the people who do the little things that make a church run, are vital.
The church is a community of people who with various gifts and focus work—together—to provide a visible and tangible vision of a Kingdom world—a world where love of God and love of neighbor is key.
Both Mary and Martha are acting as disciples in this story. Both Mary and Martha are loving and serving the Lord. Both Mary and Martha are loving thir God with all their heart, all their soul and all their mind, and BOTH of them are loving their neighbor. Mary and Martha are two halves of what is needed to make a household work: their household in Bethany and the household of God. They are two halves of what makes God’s Kingdom work.
There is no problem with Mary hearing the Word and Martha doing the Word. But there is a problem afflicting Martha, a problem familiar to my Mom, a problem familiar to many of us as we navigate our modern world: anxiety, worry and distraction. Through Martha’s effort to love her neighbor as herself, she has become anxious and distracted. While focusing on her tasks, she has lost sight of the goal.
The tasks of hospitality have gotten in the way of being hospitable. When the details of hospitality, the serving of food, the setting of the table [the liturgies, music and preaching] become more important than the welcome and love of neighbor, then we’ve all missed the mark.
In today’s Gospel Jesus was saying to Martha,” what you’ve done is enough, thank you. Now stop and let us be in fellowship.”
It isn’t whether we are a Martha or a Mary----the point is that we are BOTH. To Love and Serve the Lord requires giving and receiving. To love and serve the Lord requires both speaking and listening. To love and serve the Lord requires Marys, Marthas, you and me.
Some of us are do-ers, some of us are hear-ers. Most of us are both. Our task is to take our gifts---and we all gifts—and TOGETHER create a loving and serving community committed to offering a dwelling place to all, a dwelling place where love of God and love of neighbor are embraced and lived. +
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