In another town, there are two women. The first woman is a holy woman and loves God. She serves Jesus by feeding the hungry. Every week, she works two shifts at the local food kitchen, ladling out soup and baking fresh bread. At other times, she makes sandwiches and travels around the city, passing them out. She talks with the homeless and visits the destitute, praying with and for them as she goes.
The second woman is also a woman of God. She loves and serves Jesus and her vows as a nun promise that she would spend a significant portion of her day in prayer. She spends much of her time by herself, praying using different forms of meditation and reflection, reading the Bible and other religious writings. She also enjoys working in the garden at the convent, and leading retreats for local church groups.
Which woman has the better part?
To help us answer this question, let us reflect on the Gospels for the past 2 weeks. Last week, we heard the story commonly referred to as the Good Samaritan story. A lawyer questioned Jesus about how to inherit eternal life. Jesus asks him what the Law says. The lawyer, well versed in the Torah, says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” The rest of last week’s story concentrates on answering the question, “Who is your neighbor?” Jesus says that we must go and do – we need to show mercy to all others.
This week’s lesson talks more about that first part – loving the Lord our God with all our hearts and with all our souls, and with all our strength, and with all our minds. Mary sits a Jesus’ feet to listen to Him and she “has the better part”. Why is her part better than Martha’s? Part of the answer is that she intentionally scheduled time to simply be present with Jesus.
Martha is a hard working woman. She loves Jesus and shows great hospitality, but gets distracted by her many tasks. How easy it is to become so engrossed in the bustle of preparing dinner that she forgets her purpose – being with Jesus. Jesus reminds her that time is the most important gift that she has. She needs to be using it wisely and not spending it on insignificant tasks.
The Good Samaritan story and the story of Mary and Martha balance each other – we are called to both listen to and do the Word.
How well are you balancing your time between listening to the Word of God and doing purposeful ministry? Jesus calls us to come to His feet to learn, be renewed, and then go to work.
How can we re-imagine our lives so that we might keep God at the center of our service? We are told to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind. This is not an easy task, but something for which we should strive. We might need to remove distractions from our lives – those things that divert our attention from what is important – sitting at Jesus’ feet to hear the word and then being persistent in our action.
How can we sit at Jesus’ feet today? Not having a physical body to sit near means that we need to identify the other ways that we can connect with God. Coming to church to worship in community, private or small group Bible study, or taking meditative walks through the Allegan forest are just some of the ways that you might find time to soak up the Word of God. Quiet time with God prepares us to love others. We can become centered and ready to do the work that we are asked to do.
What acts of mercy do you shown to others? You may be involved in the food pantry, tutoring students, or building homes for the poor. When we act with intention, we invite God to come along and work through us in our daily schedule.
We each have different ministries to which we are called. The men and women at the beginning of the sermon can be our examples. It would not be helpful for the first man to chide the second or for the second woman to look with distain on the first. In realizing the myriad gifts available in the community, each person can add to the strength of the others. Celebrating together, we might help each other balance busy lives – remembering to take time for contemplative prayer and purposeful work.
The congregation that gathers together at the foot of the cross can remember the love that Jesus has for us. The community who can listen to the living God speaking to them can realize that they all have the better part – a close relationship with Jesus.
Posted by Heather Voss at July 19, 2004 09:43 AMNice thoughts. I hadn't ever made the connection of these two stories as a "both-and" or balancing act before.
I'll have to remember this in three years.
Posted by: Reverend Ref at July 23, 2004 11:21 AM