Proper 11 / Pentecost 9 / Ordinary Time 16
Devotional
Water From the Rock
Lectionary Devotional for Cycle C
Object:
Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself?
-- Luke 10:40
Many clergy could read this story with a great deal of sympathy for Martha. They know what it feels like to believe that they are carrying more than their share of the burden of making sure that all goes well in the church. There is also another small group within the church that could feel sympathy for Martha. People speak of the 80/20 rule where 20% of the people do 80% of the work, the financial support, and so forth. Yet all of us feel put on the defensive by Jesus' words: "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." The story raises questions about the practice of hospitality.
We speak of the church as God's house because we have set aside this space as a place of hospitality for God. While God cannot be contained by a physical structure, we have set aside a particular place as a special sign of what is true in all places. In this story, Martha welcomed Jesus into her home, and, in the back of believers' minds, through Jesus she welcomed God into her home. But Martha was "distracted by her many tasks." Since they were the tasks of making Jesus feel welcome, we are invited to reexamine the art of hospitality.
What was the point in time when Martha moved from feeling that she was welcoming Jesus to feeling as if her sister was letting her down? Is there a point in time when the 20% no longer feel the joy of serving God through their efforts and instead feel burdened by the task? It is tempting to compare Mary's role to the 80% who simply come to church but accept little responsibility. Yet there is a significant difference. Mary's choice was to focus her energy on "listening to the Lord." If 80%, or even 20%, of a church's membership did not allow any task to distract them from listening to the Lord, what might happen to the church?
-- Luke 10:40
Many clergy could read this story with a great deal of sympathy for Martha. They know what it feels like to believe that they are carrying more than their share of the burden of making sure that all goes well in the church. There is also another small group within the church that could feel sympathy for Martha. People speak of the 80/20 rule where 20% of the people do 80% of the work, the financial support, and so forth. Yet all of us feel put on the defensive by Jesus' words: "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." The story raises questions about the practice of hospitality.
We speak of the church as God's house because we have set aside this space as a place of hospitality for God. While God cannot be contained by a physical structure, we have set aside a particular place as a special sign of what is true in all places. In this story, Martha welcomed Jesus into her home, and, in the back of believers' minds, through Jesus she welcomed God into her home. But Martha was "distracted by her many tasks." Since they were the tasks of making Jesus feel welcome, we are invited to reexamine the art of hospitality.
What was the point in time when Martha moved from feeling that she was welcoming Jesus to feeling as if her sister was letting her down? Is there a point in time when the 20% no longer feel the joy of serving God through their efforts and instead feel burdened by the task? It is tempting to compare Mary's role to the 80% who simply come to church but accept little responsibility. Yet there is a significant difference. Mary's choice was to focus her energy on "listening to the Lord." If 80%, or even 20%, of a church's membership did not allow any task to distract them from listening to the Lord, what might happen to the church?
