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Toward a Martha Ministry      Luke 10: 38–42        July 22, 2007     Communion Meditation

My mother’s name was Lillian, but it should have been Martha.  Nearly all of my childhood memories have her in motion.  When she wasn’t cooking she was washing or ironing or dusting or vacuuming… you get the picture. 

In fact, one of my mother’s favorite sayings – one that she used to recite for my father and me on a regular basis – was “a man’s work is from sun to sun, but a women’s work is never done.”

Lillian took the mundane, repetitive tasks associated with daily housekeeping and made them an expression of her love.  Although she probably would not have ever said so, if Jesus had shown up in her home, unannounced, she would have been ready to entertain him.

Our Gospel lesson for this morning is the familiar story of Martha and her sister Mary.  It reminds me of my mother.  My guess is that there is a person in your life it reminds you of as well. 

Following, in Luke’s Gospel, right on the heels of the story of the Good Samaritan, this text highlights the importance of devotion to the Lord’s Word and the outward expression of love for God.

As the story unfolds, Martha is the first to show her love.  She welcomes Jesus into her home and prepares a meal for him.  Her sister, Mary, doesn’t pitch in and help, but rather sits at Jesus’ feet and listens to his teachings.

You know the rest of the story.  Mary asks Jesus to tell her sister to help her but, rather than doing that, Jesus defends Mary and tells Martha to stop being distracted by her work. “Your sister has chosen the better part,” he tells her. 

Generally, when this passage is read, Mary is almost always cited as the positive example and Martha is seen as the misguided one.

In fact, this attitude is entirely understandable.  Mary, by sitting and listening, violated the social norms of the time.  She is acting like a first-century man would act.  Women were normally prohibited from receiving religious instruction.  Martha is the one who fulfills the accepted womanly role assigned by that society.

And since Jesus, in this instance as well as with his earlier story about the Good Samaritan, is pointing out the downside of obedience to commonly accepted norms and the importance of following God’s norms instead, it logically follows that most commentators see Mary as the focus of the story – the one whom Jesus uses as an example of what it means to love God.

“Follow the example of Mary,” most scholars and preachers say, “disregard all else, break the rules and listen to the teaching of Jesus.”

But while all of that is true, the fact is that when we look at the actions of these two women, most of us, if we’re honest with ourselves, have an easier time identifying with Martha.

We know where Martha is coming from, don’t we? We might even wish that Jesus had said something different when she asked him to intervene.  Something like “you’re absolutely right, Martha, we’ll all help you so that you can listen along with everyone else.”

After all, in order for the local church to carry out its ministry, Martha’s role is essential.  The cooking needs to be done, the dishes need to be cleaned up and the tables need to be set and cleared.  The walls need to be painted and the light bulbs need to be changed.  If God’s word is to be proclaimed, a welcoming space needs to be prepared and maintained.

And all of these everyday, unglamorous activities are perfectly valid expressions of love for God. 

In fact, I do not believe that Jesus intent, when he said “Martha, Martha, don’t be worried and distracted, there is need for only one thing,” was to demean for a moment her devotion to him.

Jesus knew that Martha loved him.  He knew that her gracious hospitality was an act of worship. 

Yet, it is also true that Jesus called Martha, and all of us Marthas, male and female, that are here today, to stop what we are doing from time to time and listen. 

The point is that this story is not about which sister is better. Jesus does not tell Martha to stop caring about the "many things" of her life. He tells her that she should not become "anxious" about things to the point of being "distracted" from the "main thing."

Heaven knows, we need to have a Martha Ministry here in Riverside.  Thank God for all of those folks whose mission is to create a hospitable place for us to worship and praise and serve.  To welcome Jesus into our midst is to welcome the stranger, you see – and Martha’s example is the clear model for that kind of ministry.

But the message to all of us who make the cakes and pound the nails and stuff the envelopes and make the phone calls and baby-sit the children is clear as well:  while distractions and worries are everywhere in our lives, it is important for us busy, stressed-out, overbooked folks to remember that Jesus calls us to stop, periodically, and listen. 

Only then will our busy-ness not lead us to be anxious.  Only then will we be able to serve God without worry.  Only then will we be able to surrender control and allow God to direct us.

Brothers and sisters, you and I need to follow the examples of Mary and Martha.  If we are to be the Church our ministry must be one of both hospitality and quiet prayerful devotion. Neither is sustainable without the other.

And the good news for today is that there is no better time to experience this twofold blessing than in the sacrament we are about to share.  This holy meal is the perfect blend hospitality and worship. The table has been set. The bread has been baked.  The wine has been poured.  All that remains is for us to step up and receive the Grace of God.

So, remembering Martha’s active love and Mary’s complete devotion, let us eat and drink together.

                                                                        AMEN