Sunday Worship
Welcome to our Sunday Worship. The Church services are at the usual times of 9.15 am at St Agnes' and 11.00 am at St Thomas'. If you're not able to be with us in person, you'll find the Gospel reading, a reflection and prayers below.
Our first hymn this morning is "Be Still for the Presence of the Lord"
Today's Gospel
Luke 10:38-42 At the Home of Martha and Mary
As Jesus and his disciples went on their way, Jesus entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying. But 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." But the Lord answered her, "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."
Reflection
In this short passage we are introduced to Mary and Martha for the first time in the Gospels. Both lived in the small town of Bethany with their brother Lazarus and we know from further encounters that our Lord loved this family. Indeed, he loved them so much that he later weeps for Lazarus and raises him from death, (John 11) - but that is a story for another time.
As with many bible extracts there is more to this short passage than first meets the eye. At first glance there is the industrious Martha, who is busying herself making preparations for a meal for Jesus and his disciples. We don’t know if they had been expected, but in any case, getting together a meal for 13 people in addition to the rest of the family would have been a fairly tall order. She has probably also been busy making the house tidy before they arrived – after all who wants guests to see an untidy house? So, it’s fair to say that Martha would have been rushed off her feet! She simply didn’t have the time to spend listening to the guests - even if one of them is The Messiah!
On the other hand, here is Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet engrossed in everything He is saying. That in itself is very unusual and would have contradicted traditional values. People who sat at the feet of Jesus and Rabbis were privileged and such a position would have been reserved for disciples, scholars or students. Most certainly not a place for women who would not have been allowed to undertake any kind of teaching. This would have made Martha even more indignant because not only did she need Mary’s help with all the housework, she was behaving in a way that was totally unacceptable to Jews at that time.
In her mind, Martha is more than justified in asking Jesus to rebuke Mary and tell her to pull her weight. Perhaps Martha was also little jealous of Mary being treated in the same way as the disciples. However, from the way Jesus repeats her name, (Martha, Martha), you can envisage his response in a quiet and soothing tone. In his short response Jesus is saying - don’t worry so much about the everyday pressures you put yourself under, and spend a little more time in God’s presence. Moreover, I believe that Jesus was also saying that, despite the conventions about women at that time, they too could become disciples and follow Him. The same is true for you and I and anyone else who wants to listen and follow Jesus.
I think we all find that we busy ourselves with distractions that seem to be tremendously important at the time and find it hard to step back and look at the ‘bigger picture’. Psalm 46:10 says: “Be still, and know that I am God” But how do you commit to spending time with God in this world where we are surrounded by so many distractions of work, TV, sport, running the kids around, housework and so much more? My last boss was a fitness fanatic, and constantly spent time at the gym and running. When I asked how on earth she found the time, she replied, ”I just made myself make the time and after a while it becomes a habit, almost like breathing”. So, maybe it can be that simple – we just need to balance our priorities a little bit better, or even get up a little earlier and make some time for God. Who do you feel more like today, Martha or Mary? Paul
