Last week Pastor Bell spoke
about the Good Samaratin and reminded us to JUST DO IT.
This week the lesson tells us that the better part
is to sit at the feet of Jesus rather than working. So which
is it? Do we have to choose? The Scripture writers, and those
who chose which stories to include in the Bible didn't,
and those who chose which passages to include in the lectionary
didn't — so why should we? Rather, it is BOTH, AND.
Much of life is both/and. Chet O'Neal's recent
First Focus article — Spirituality/Reflection and
Action.
Rest/exercise are both necessary for healthy lifestyle
"Create
Your Own Adventure" books
It isn't either/or. Rather, there's
more than one right way to skin a cat, to put a jigsaw puzzle
together, to clean a room, to learn the stories of Jesus. There's
more than one right way.
This passage about family life in the household of Lazarus,
Martha and Mary is one of those that can easily become so "familiar" that
we are unable to hear any new good word. And the Good Word of
yesterday may NOT be good news for today!
There are women's circles in some churches named for "Mary" and "Martha" — the "Mary" ones
being primarily for the purpose of Bible or other study purposes,
and the "Martha" ones being more like our Serving
or Sewing Circle — where the purpose of coming together
is primarily for the accomplishment of some task. In this place,
the women's circles, the men's Bible study and the
small groups are more often named for a present or past leader
of the group. And most of our small groups have both "Mary" and "Martha" purposes,
with some variety among groups and even in the same group from
time to time.
Hospitality never goes out of season, but it does take
different shape depending on the culture, the historical setting,
and the financial ability of the hosting family. In our decade
here, Jay and I have received much gracious hospitality at your
hands — in individual homes and in group settings. We have
attempted to provide hospitality as well, hosting some gatherings
of small groups of people, most notably church school teachers
when I had that responsibility, and more recently groups of young
couples. For Presbyterians of most every time and place, hospitality
involves FOOD!
It was the same and different in the time of Jesus, Mary and
Martha. The highest duty of a housewife at that time was to provide
hospitality for visitors, more especially for strangers. Jesus
was no stranger to this household, but it is possible that he
had with him some persons unknown to Mary and Martha. Therefore,
from one perspective, Martha was fulfilling her cultural and
even religious responsibility to provide food, shelter, and rest
for those who presented themselves at her door. She was doing
what was right, what was expected, and if she had not done so,
she would have faced at least the potential wrath of her guests,
her family, her neighbors and the religious leaders of the community.
She was doing what needed to be done — preparing a meal
for the guests.
From another perspective, however, based on the reaction of
Jesus, it seems that perhaps Martha was doing more than was necessary.
Perhaps she was like the mother referred to in the July 13 issue
of Christian Century, who always sat sideways on her chair
during meals. Whether with family or with guests, this woman
was unable to sit and relax during the meal, but instead sat
nervously on the edge, watching anxiously to be certain that
everything needed was present, and that no one desired anything
beyond what she had provided. I've been in the presence of such
persons — let's
be honest, I have BEEN such a person! The result is usually that
guests are ALSO nervous, and the very desire to please and meet
all possible needs before they are expressed cuts into the pleasure
of the experience, not only for the host or hostess, but also
for the guests.
Jesus spoke to Martha of her busyness, and her preparing "much" food.
A simple meal, basic foods, shared around a table of friends
whether new or old, is often more enjoyable, more nourishing,
than a banquet when too much is eaten, where the conversation
becomes stilted and where peace does not prevail. Jesus was
saying to Martha as to the storm which tossed the disciples — Peace,
be still!
Or as at least one parent in the congregation reminds their
young child — CALM YOURSELF! SETTLE DOWN!
Mary, for her part, has chosen to sit at the feet of Jesus.
Her sister's reaction may be a pent-up, built-up response
to Mary's habitual way of finding something else with which
to be occupied when work needed to be done — the way some
children, some spouses, routinely need to make an extended bathroom
visit when it is time to set the table, take out the garbage,
or wash the dishes.
The day to day relationship between the sisters is, mostly,
irrelevant. What matters in this short story is the choice Mary
made that day — the choice to sit at the feet of Jesus,
the teacher, the one who spoke words of the love of God. Again,
in the setting and time, women were not routinely allowed such
a privilege as being near a religious man. Not only the rabbis
but also their followers would have prevented, or at least commented
negatively, on such behavior with any other teacher. But this
was Jesus, and this is the gospel according to Luke. And so we
hear about Mary choosing the BETTER PART, the choice to spend
time with Jesus while he was present, the choice to sit quietly
and soak up the massive waves of love that Jesus was sharing.
For that time, Mary had the better part, and Martha was over-compensating.
Over-compensating is something we all know a lot about. We
find ourselves working too hard at the gym, or in the yard, putting
in too many hours at the office and missing out on family events.
And then we wake up one morning and realize that we have over-done — our
muscles are sore, or we haven't had enough rest to replenish
our body's needs, or our children are growing up before
our very eyes. And so we decide to make a radical change — leave
the office within ten minutes of the end of the work day, let
the grass get just a bit taller, or skip a workout — or
two — at the gym or on Constitution Trail. We try to make
a radical change in several arenas of our life, all at once.
And being open to change, to moderating our behavior patterns,
is not a bad thing in and of itself. It is often a good thing.
The problem comes when we expect those around us to make radical
changes in their routines, their lives, their expectations of
us and their interactions with us, because WE have decided to
make changes. Without communication, without consultation, even
without taking their desires into account, WE have decided to
swing our personal pendulums from one extreme to another. It's
a recipe for disaster, personally and in relationships. Change
in routines can be good, but it can only be GREAT if we take
the needs and desires of others into account as well.
Both Mary and Martha fulfilled a part of what was necessary.
The Good Samaritan also fulfilled a part of the good. Each of
us, in our own way, fulfills a part of the good — at least
most days — or at least, we try to do so. None of us can
do all the good, any of the time.
One of the aspects of getting ready for the move to Colorado
has been cleaning — both at the office and at home. I suspect
that I have been responsible for recycling at least a hundred
pounds of paper. Some things have been passed on to the persons
who will remain responsible for Christian education, for working
with older adults, and with the committees with which I have
worked most closely. Some things are going with me — for
either good professional resource reasons or because of emotional
connection. Among the things that I found in my office was a
stack of posters — some of which fall in each of those
categories — pitch, pack, and pass on. One that is staying
here has the cliché
No one can do everything, but everyone can do something!
It's true in ministry, it's true in family life,
it's true in the working world. We need one another. Sometimes
it will be your turn to be the host/hostess, the one who makes
sure the needs of others are being met — and when that
is the case, please sit straight on your chair, relax and enjoy
being with your guests. And sometimes it will be your turn to
be the guest, to be welcomed and fed well (whether simply or
not), to have little or no responsibility for the details. Sometimes
in your walk of faith, you will find situations that call for
action, either alone or with a group. There will be persons who
cross your path who need assistance, who have been through a
rough patch, or who simply are lonely. In those cases, you will
need to DO, to emulate the Good Samaritan and Martha — at
her best.
But there are also other times in a life, a walk of faith,
when what we need most is to sit quietly at the feet of Jesus,
to simply BE with the God who made us and loves us enough to
come in to our lives again and again and again, even when we
have allowed ourselves to get so busy that it seems we don't
have time for prayer, for reflection, for a quiet meal with family
or friends.
No one can do everything — but luckily, Jesus doesn't
ask us to do everything, all the time. What we are asked is to
be true to who we are, to spend time quietly and in rest, and
to spend time caring for others and for ourselves.
A seesaw is a piece of playground equipment that can be a lot
of fun, and can be dangerous if misused. I smile each time I
see a family with little ones using a seesaw, cooperating in
helping the children experience the thrill of being high in the
air, and being gently returned to the earth. As the child grows,
their legs become longer and stronger, and they learn to take
responsibility for contributing to the joy of being up, and being
down so that someone else can be up for a while.
But it is impossible to enjoy a seesaw by yourself. All you
can do then is sit on the seat, close to the ground, and look
up at the empty seat way above you. We need one another, on the
playground, around the table and in the trials and joys of life.
We need one another. We need to take care of one another. To
follow Jesus, we need to take turns DOING and BEING. |
