The story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10 often creates a lot of controversy whenever it is read. They and their brother Lazarus (we assume he is there) welcome Jesus into their home. The story tells us that while Martha hurries around serving everyone, Mary sits with the guys – we don’t know if there are other women there – and listens to Jesus as He teaches. Martha addresses the problem with Jesus Himself, asking Him to tell Mary to help. Jesus tells Martha that she is too focused on doing; Mary has chosen to the better course – to learn about God. And it isn’t that Martha is wrong – she’s overwhelmed and wants everything to be nice! We’ve all been there. In fact, most people in the churches I have served are Marthas – we pride ourselves as “good workers” in the church. For me, the most important aspect of this story is the radical inclusion of Jesus; having a woman as part of His inner circle was just fine with Him. The fact that we are all taught there were only men in that circle says more about the men, not Jesus.
This story leads me to a bigger question about church: is it a resting place or a workplace? Is it a place for comfort and consolation or growth and outreach? Is church a therapy session or a launching pad? As I ask these questions, it is obvious to me that it is all of these things; we don’t need to choose one or the other; church should both lift us up and push us out. We should begin as disciples who follow and move towards being apostles who lead together. It is the journey of faith; we learn by reading Scripture and following the good examples of those around us, but if we stop there, we become stagnant. Faith is a journey, not a destination.
We all have times in our lives when we need help; spiritual, emotional, even physical help. There are times when we are the helpers; we hear someone’s prayer concern, and we call them during the week. We see someone struggling with surgery, and we drop a meal off. Our churches are good at providing for people’s needs in emergencies, but we aren’t as aware of the week-to-week concerns people live with. Caring for a sibling on the journey shouldn’t have to be organized by the clergy or leadership; caring for someone should come out of our own recognition of life’s struggles. We shouldn’t be afraid to extend a hand when others are hurting.
Sometimes I need to sit and pray – sometimes I need to get up and give someone food. Being all Martha or Mary is unhealthy; even Jesus had to go to lonely places to pray. Even Jesus got frustrated and tired. In the church, there is no such thing as autonomy and independence. We are in covenant with God, no doubt; we are also in covenant with each other. We are called to share each other’s burdens and joys. Does someone pop up in your mind? Call them – they might need you. And if they don’t, you’ve let them know that you care. That means a lot.
Prayer – God, we think we can do it on our own, but if we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit we all need You and each other. Give us the awareness of each other’s needs. Amen.
Today’s art is “Prayer” by Angu Walters.