I was able to see Nathan Lane’s Frogs on Broadway. It was amazing. Thanks to Mark for making that happen. Funny and entertaining and very poignant. Sondheim’s music and wit and Nathan Lane’s additions created a great theatrical event.
There were times when I was totally engrossed and oblivious of my surroundings. For me, it was an emotional follow-up for Fahrenheit 9/11. I questioned again my role in the world. What am I to do? How do I respond? Am I a frog and just sit around and wait for things to happen? Or can I change my behavior to create a better place for people? How can I affect my communities? I am still praying for discernment for this one. Where are you at with the state of the world? How do you feel about it? What do you think is the most productive way to make changes?
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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.
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My sponsoring parish, St. Martin of Tours, Kalamazoo, just welcomed their new rector and did a celebration of new ministry. The Kalamazoo Gazette covered the story! It was a great celebration. I was the deacon and was honored to serve. They are a wonderful parish and I think that Mary is a fabulous match for them.
I really like Janet Evanovich. I like the Stephanie Plum novels (numbered, beginning with One for the Money) the best. However, there is now a series involving “Full” in the title. The two newest books are Full Speed and Full Blast, co-authored by Charlotte Hughes. Again, entertaining but not substantial. (Well, for that matter, I can’t claim that anything involving Stephanie Plum is “substantial” but they are way more entertaining.)
The great thing about having some free time is FICTION! I’ve had a list going and have been trying to work through it.
One of the books was 3rd Degree by James Patterson. I really like books series that are numbered – easy to keep track of and easy to read in order. Also helpful when they are entertaining. I’m not looking for serious reads yet…I’ll be working on that later. But I’ve been enjoying this series for the entertainment value. And women protagonists. This seems to be a problem when men write for the women, however. They sometimes say things that women would never say.
Well, this last week, I got to visit the Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids. They are great. Very nice place and they have been doing a lot of work. They have just added a children’s section. Fun hands-on area. Lincoln Logs that are 6 inches in diameter and 1-5 feet long. How fun is that???? There is a lot of water to play in. One of the water things is a map of Great Lakes area. They have the lakes filled with water and fish and boats that you can play with. Of course, the gardens, trees, and sculptures are nice too…
My favorite place to watch movies is at the M-89 theater. Evening shows - $3.50. Matinees - $2.50. Can’t beat that! A friend and I went to see Fahrenheit 9/11. WOW! It was very powerful. Planes, bombs, conspiracy. We think that Michael Moore may have gone a little far on the conspiracy and connection piece, but there is way too many things that have happened that just don’t connect with the stories that we’ve been told.
It definitely made me start thinking about what I’m doing with my life. How can I help people? What should I be doing to be most effective? Is what I’m doing making any difference to anyone? How do I respond to the crises in the world?
You will see a theme on my movies this summer – I’m at sucker for the big blockbusters. Really, I’m happy to be watching movies. So, of course I really liked Spiderman 2. Now, I also have to say, that there were some really funny pieces in this movie. Random things happened, small little random jokes. I found it entertaining.
Of course, I could also find questions to start discussions – How much can we help others? What happens when we deny our identities? What is the role of heroes in our lives?
And a random one – so – Must you have a super-hero in order to have a super-villain? When Spiderman throws his suit in the garbage? Doesn’t the super-villain have to disappear?
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