Loving God, you invite us to come and to listen and to experience your love for us through Jesus Christ.  Continue to teach us how to live in communion with you and listen to the Holy Spirit; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    I’d like to begin today with a little survey based on today’s gospel.  I’m wondering how many of you think that you’re kind of like Martha, and how many of you think that you’re kind of like Mary.  So if you’re kind of like Martha, that means that you’re usually doing stuff, as well as thinking about what needs to be done next.  And if you’re kind of like Mary, that means that you would be quite happy to sit and listen to Jesus.  So which are you?  How many of you think that you’re kind of like Martha? [responses] And how many of you think that you’re kind of like Mary? [responses]

    Those of you who are kind of like Martha, do you think that Jesus was unfair in his response to her? [responses] Let’s take a closer look at today’s gospel and think about what was actually going on.  First off, we need to be aware that what Mary does in today’s gospel would have been highly unusual at that time and in that place.  To sit at the feet of a rabbi was to take the posture of a student – something that was usually reserved for men.  And so, Mary is actually pretty bold to be sitting there at the feet of Jesus and learning from him.

    At the same time, Martha is probably doing what any good host would do – making sure that everything is ready for their guests.  However, when we read the gospel carefully, we discover that it is not Martha’s hospitality that is the problem.  Rather, the problem is that she is worried and distracted by all of the work that needs to be done.  And so, rather than giving some gracious attention to her guest, she is totally focused on what she needs to do.  At the same time, Martha is not acting particularly hospitable when she tries to embarrass her sister in front of Jesus and also accuses Jesus of not caring.

    And so, when Jesus answers Martha, he is not being unfair or even unkind, but is extending an invitation to Martha to come and to sit and to slow down enough to hear what Jesus has to say.  It is as if Jesus is saying, “Come and know that you are valued and loved – not because of how much you do, but simply because of who you are: a precious child of God.”

    As it turns out, there are many people who have difficulty stopping long enough to listen to the Holy Spirit or to hear God’s Word.  For some people, this turns into a real crisis as they get older and can’t keep going at the pace that they have always been used to.  Some retire and end up very depressed because they have always identified themselves with their work.  Others get sick and are forced to slow down because of their health.  In some cases, it is a real learning process as people learn how to allow others to do things for them, or learn how to rest and be still rather than doing things all the time.

    At the same time, perhaps there are also those who are quite content sitting around and being still, and who need to learn how to get off their butt and do something.  Where would we be without the Marthas of this world, who serve and who take action and who get things done!  Ultimately, what we’re talking about here is balance: Both listening and doing are needed.  There is also the question of what is most needed in any particular time and place.

    I mentioned to one person this week that when you listen to the second reading that we heard today, what Mary did is really a no-brainer.  Here we have Jesus, who is “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (Col. 1:15).  All of creation is intricately connected to him, for all was created through him and for him (Col. 1:16).  He is the head of his body, the church, and “in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell” (Col. 1:19).  Here is the one who has reconciled all things to God through his life, death and resurrection.  So if Jesus – this Jesus - were sitting in your house, wouldn’t you want to spend as much time with him as possible and listen to what he has to say?

    Now, of course, Mary and Martha probably did not understand all of this about Jesus.  However, we have the benefit of hindsight and the benefit of the Scriptures, and so we do know who Jesus is and what he has done for us.  Obviously, for us today, it is not as simple as going to wherever Jesus might be hanging out and listening to him teach.  These days, we learn from Jesus in other ways.

    We learn from Jesus at worship, as he is proclaimed in Word and Sacrament, and as we sing and pray and listen to the Scriptures.  We learn from Jesus through reading and studying the Scriptures, both on our own and with others.  We learn from Jesus as we take time for prayer – and not just talking to God, but also listening!  We learn from Jesus as we gather together with other people of faith for prayer and for discussion and for study.  It may not be as obvious as Jesus sitting right there in our house, but maybe sometimes we need to imagine Jesus sitting right there in our house and conduct ourselves accordingly!

    The prophet Amos spoke about a famine that was going to come – not a famine involving food or water, but a famine “of hearing the words of the Lord” (Amos 8:11).  I wonder how many people there are today who are starving spiritually.  Our culture gives so much value to busy-ness, whether it’s working long hours or having your children enrolled in everything, or acquiring and looking after more and more things.  How many people are there who are “worried and distracted by many things” (Lk. 10:41)?  And yet, if we are to listen to Jesus, only one thing is needed.

    The gospel today doesn’t necessarily say what that one thing is, although we could certainly interpret it as listening to Jesus and learning from him.  Yet, perhaps we could also say that the only thing that is really of ultimate concern is our relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  And that one relationship certainly has implications for everything else that we are involved with during our time on this earth, for love for God is always expressed through loving our neighbours as ourselves.

    And so, while there may be those who need to learn how to get up and get going and do something, there are probably far more people who need to learn how to set aside all of their worries and distractions, and slow down, and spend some time listening to Jesus and learning from him.

    Ultimately, whether we are more like Mary or more like Martha, the invitation to us is the same: Come to Jesus, and learn from him, and discover that you are valued and loved.  Come and discover that you are valued not because of how much you do but because of who you are: a precious child of God.  For God has saved us and redeemed us and reconciled us to God’s self, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Lectionary 16(C)                                Luke 10:38-42
July 21, 2013                                Colossians 1:15-28
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church                        Amos 8:1-12
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2013 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved