“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42

“My grandmother called to tell me she’d gotten an e-mail account. “Great,” I said. “Send me a message so I’ll have your e-mail address.” I waited and waited, but she never sent it. Several days later, an envelope arrived—Grandma had written her info on a piece of paper and mailed it to me.” (Meagan Lundgren, Calgary, Ontario)

“Whatever my twenty-year-old self was, it was the pivot on which the circle of my life revolved. I do not think that I was a more selfish person than most. Through such unhappiness as I had known myself, I had a feeling for the unhappiness of others, and at least to those I liked I had it in me to be a good friend. But I was, as I have said, centered on myself. The tree, the cloud, the sun—I knew there was a wider world beyond myself and my small circle: the world that Saint Francis praised God for, the world that had marked with such sadness and pity and weariness the face of Jesus in Da Vinci’s study. And I knew that somewhere out there, or deep beneath, there might well be God for all I knew.” (Buechner, Frederick. Listening to Your Life. HarperOne. Kindle Edition.)

The story of Mary and Martha is a story of personal and collective devotion. Martha knew that there would be food to prepare, people to serve, and expectations from the community. Mary had a different viewpoint – she understood that sometimes we need to care more about ourselves than our familial or community expectations. And this is a hard balance to strike – no matter if we know it or not.

Frederick Buechner understood this about himself. He knew he cared for the other – but he also knew how his own selfishness impacted that compassion. I see this conflict Buechner understood, and Mary and Martha lived out, as a conflict between the old and the new. Martha was behaving in the manner that the old establishment of her culture and society expected her to act. Mary on the other hand was doing something new, and radical. Instead of assuming the role of the servant, she assumes the role of the student – sitting at the feet of the teacher – which would have been the place where only men would gather.

Here is the dilemma. Jesus desires our works but does not need our works to love us. But Jesus needs our ears, our eyes, our hearts and our very bodies in a relationship of worship and devotion. Of course, the church needs both – the Marthas and the Marys of our world and society. We need those who feel called to serve, and we need those who are obedient and called to learn. Our discernment is to know when we should do one or the other – and to make sure our lives are balanced with both.

Pastor Dave