When I read the scripture from Luke 10:41-42 -- "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."-- the only thing I could think of was Jack Palance's City Slickers character, Curly, holding up his finger explaining the Secret of Life, "It's one thing."
If you are not familiar with the movie, it's all about Mitch (Billy Crystal) and his friends, Phil and Ed going on their annual guys' trip in a year that each of them is feeling "lost" for one reason or another. Mitch's wife tells him to go on the trip and to "go ... find your smile." Later on, at the dude ranch, the guys meet the trail boss, Curly.
On their very first cattle drive, Mitch causes a stampede when he uses a coffee grinder for his French Roast. (As further example of how NOT to contemplate scripture, this only served to make me smile thinking that our pastor might make the exact same misstep over his morning cuppa joe!) Mitch spends the next perilous day and night alone with leathery Curly herding up the stragglers from the stampede.
When Curly and Mitch reach a friendlier understanding in their relationship, Mitch says to Curly, "That's good ... your life makes sense to you ..." Curly just laughs, without losing the cigarette dangling from his mouth, and says gruffly, "You city folks .... none of you get it .... you worry about too much stuff. You spend 50 weeks a year gittin' knots in yer rope and then think 2 weeks up here will untie 'em for you ...." Then he asks, "Do you know what the Secret of Life is? .... The Secret of Life is this one thing," as he holds up one rough looking finger. "Stick to that and nothing else matters."
What's the one thing?" Mitch asks, and the chuckling cowboy answers, "That's what you've got to figure out."
Well, we are much like Mitch in that when his friends asked him what exactly Curly meant, what IS the Secret of Life, he responded, "I have no idea." When speaking to Martha, Jesus also said that we "worry about too much stuff," and I can see him holding up his finger, too, saying, "there's only one thing that matters, Martha." And, frankly, it's easy for me to read through this scripture and still have no idea what Jesus meant! But, what the one thing Jesus was referring to was the fact that Mary had chosen the better part, the one thing that mattered, as she "sat at Jesus' feet." Wow.
Well, City Slickers is a secular movie, so the one thing for Mitch turned out to be that his family was the only thing that truly mattered to him, and that's not a bad thing, especially for a Hollywood movie, but just imagine how different our lives would be if we chose the better part of every day: if we did the one thing that mattered every day. Just a little while every day, sitting at Jesus' feet would certainly get the knots out of our ropes!

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Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

Have you heard the phrase "The devil's in the details?" That's what comes to mind when I read the vignette of Martha in the kitchen while Mary hangs out with Jesus. I've been in Martha's position so many times: wishing people would stop visiting before a meeting and "get down to business," getting flustered over entertaining instead of fully enjoying the company that has come to spend time with me. How do we know when to rest and take it all in and when to do what needs doing?
Doesn't it seem that Jesus repeatedly tries to get us to connect with people, connect with God, rather than connect with "the rules?" Perhaps Jesus is not so much rebuking Martha's working as he is thumbing his nose at her request to bring her sister Mary to task. Martha is soothing her own obligation (and guilt) to perform as a host in favor of joyfully allowing her sister to sit at Jesus' feet (or even allowing herself to do so).
But the question remains, "WHO DOES MAKE the hors d'oeuvres when the SON OF GOD stops in for the evening??" In another familiar parable later in Luke, the prodigal brother is angry that the lost son is accepted without consequence while he's been doing the "right thing" all along at his father's side. Don't we all get a little testy when we are doing the right thing for the wrong reason???
Mary is at peace resting on Jesus' words. The prodigal brother and Martha cannot find peace with others' easy redemption or easy gifts of grace, mercy, lenience, and time. How would the story have turned out if Martha let go of her resentment and invited Mary and Jesus into the kitchen to chat while she prepared the finger sandwiches and wiped down the counter? Perhaps Jesus is working to realign our reasoning for doing what we do!
Reading:
Luke 15:28-32, Matthew 11:28-30
Father,
We have grown weary as the center of our own universe. Help us find rest in a personal relationship with you. Allow us to recognize that your relationship with each of your children is as unique as a snowflake. Grant us lightened hearts to rejoice in grace and mercy being showered on our brothers and sisters, and help us notice the immeasurable grace and mercy being bestowed upon our own lives. Purify our motivations so that we reflect your love to those around us and feel the peace that sharing our burdens with you allows.
In Your Son's Perfect Example,
Amen

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Mary and Martha
If we are honest with ourselves, we live in a "Martha" world. We know what it is like to have so much going on around us that we get distracted. We often times get distracted by doing good things rather than resting in the Lord.

In the story in Luke, Martha was not doing anything wrong necessarily, but she wasn't getting is all right. She was doing what she thought was expected of her. She was doing what was normal and usual in her life. Funny thing is... the Lord wants more from us than that--as seen in Mary's reaction to Jesus' arrival.

Mary, I am sure, knew she had plenty of chores to accomplish. In her time, as a woman, getting the house prepared for a guest was her responsibility. Martha was being the "responsible one", but Mary saw more importance in resting in the Lord. She did something that some people in her day, and now, might call radical. She was living beyond what was expected of her and living for the Lord.

God wants us to give all of ourselves to Him fully. He doesn't want us to say "Hey Jesus" every now and again as we run around in our chaotic lives (even if the chaos is good). Doing God's service first comes from resting in Him. He wants us to take some time out of every part of our day to spend time resting at his feet. We should all have a Mary spirit--a spirit that is willing to live radically even if it not comfortable. I know it is a challenge, but this week, I challenge you to have a Mary spirit in spite of a world that calls us to live like Martha.

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