From the Gospel according to Luke:
40But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me."  41But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; 42there is need of only one thing. (10:40-42 NRSV)

Last Sunday's reading from Luke was the familiar story of the Samaritan man who helped a beaten stranger.  At the end of the story Jesus commands the Jewish scholar who tested Him, to "Go and do likewise." (Luke 10:37)  In the very next verses of Luke's gospel we read the story of the visit that Jesus makes to the home of Mary and Martha.  At the end of this story Jesus tells Martha, "Your sister has chosen the better thing to sit and listen to me."

What's going on here?  Should we sit and listen to Jesus or should we go out and get busy helping others?  It seems that Luke's Jesus is talking out of both sides of His mouth regarding discipleship.  It may be no accident that the authors of the Revised Common Lectionary, who choose which texts will be used on Sunday mornings, place these two texts back-to-back.  For the theme of both texts revolve around responding to the word(s) that God brings.  It's almost as if the story of Mary and Martha picks up and completes the story of the helpful Samaritan man.  The first story illustrates God's word about neighbor-love and the latter demonstrates how the word of the Lord is an expression of love for God in our busy world.

Both the Samaritan man and the women (Mary and Martha) in Luke's stories represent marginalized persons who become our models for discipleship.  They are ah unlikely heroes who reveal to us what Jesus requires of us - love God, love your neighbor and listen to my words!  The word(s) that God brings to us may at times require us to sit and listen before we "do likewise" and act.  Or at times, the urgency of the situation may require us to act without so much as a brief prayer for guidance. Being a disciple of Jesus is not just about serving.  It involves listening, learning and serving.

It is important for us as disciples of Jesus to remember that a crucial component of our faith is to first learn why it is that we can serve from the heart. That's what Mary is doing in her story.  It is very easy for us to be distracted with the busy-ness of serving like Martha and overlook the necessity to stop and sit at the feet of our Lord for guidance.

Jesus continues to invite us to sit at His feet to listen and to learn, for we are always the guests and He is always the Host.  Jesus shows us how to love God by loving ourselves and loving our neighbors.  In Jesus we, as unlikely heroes, are free to respond to the word(s) God brings.

May God dwell in each of your hearts richly these long summer days.

Blessings and Peace, 

Pastor Laurie