2022 07 17 Sermon

Sermon for July 17, 2022 Pentecost 6 C House of Prayer Lutheran Church

Luke 10:38-42 Rev. Karl-John N. Stone

What’s better? Lounging on the beach, or hiking in the mountains? Catching the biggest fish of your life, or watching your kids throw their line into a pond for the first time? Getting lost in a good book, or being swept up in a riveting movie? Watching a grand fireworks display, or noticing the fireflies light up your backyard? The simplicity of a small church, or the majesty of a cathedral?

You probably have your preferences. Or maybe you didn’t like the choices I gave, so you thought of different answers. And that’s okay, because there were no right or wrong answers to any of those questions I just posed. Or maybe, as you thought about these different scenarios, you thought about the context. A beach vacation in Florida in the dead of winter sounds much better to me than in the middle of summer. A trip to the mountains when it’s zero degrees isn’t for everyone, but it might be great if you love snow. So you think about what is more important for the situation: in this moment, what makes the most sense?

I bring up this thought experiment because when I hear the story of Mary and Martha in today’s gospel, I am tempted to ask myself right away, “Who is better? Mary or Martha? Who should I try to be like?” There just seems to be something about the human mind that loves to sort things into good or bad. It’s easier to narrow our choices to either/or, rather than leaving room for love, grace, or mercy in the gray areas. It becomes, “Martha is doing alllllllll the work, while Mary is just sitting there.” Quit being lazy, Mary! No—you quit being bossy, Martha!

Jesus teaches us a different way. Instead of being locked into either/or attitudes, we can see things with a kind of “third eye” that leaves room for the Holy Spirit to reveal alternative solutions; to look for God to work in mysterious or unexpected ways, as we notice how the Kingdom of God is unfolding around us. As Martin Luther wrote in the Small Catechism, when we pray “Thy kingdom come”, we can have confidence that God’s kingdom comes on its own without our prayers; but we are asking that as God’s kingdom comes, it may come even to us, and through us.

I think this is the point Jesus is getting at in the story of Mary and Martha. God’s kingdom is coming into the world through each one of them in different ways, if we open our eyes to notice. But it is so easy to slip into the pattern of looking at these two faithful women in an either/or kind of way. Either Mary is good, and Martha is bad, we think. Or Martha is good, and Mary is bad. You should be like Mary, and not like Martha. Or, you should be like Martha, and not like Mary. You should pick a side to be on. And Jesus is saying, “no, no, no—don’t pick between them. Instead, learn from both of them.” Realize that Christ has set us free to see the way he sees—so from his perspective, Mary and Martha represent the continuum of Christian life. They represent the wholeness of the Body of Christ; the connection we have with our brothers and sisters in Christ through faith; and even the connection we have to the whole human family in all of its diversity.

Mary and Martha each contain part of the truth about what it means to be a follower of Christ. Neither contains the whole truth in and of themselves. They feel apart from each other in their disagreement, like we might feel apart from others when we disagree. But it doesn’t have to be that way, because what they have in common—what holds them together—is the love they have for Jesus, and the love Jesus has for them.

Look at all the things that went into making it possible for Jesus to be a guest in Mary and Martha’s home. Martha went out into the village, met Jesus, invited him to visit, welcomed him into their home. Then Mary provided hospitality to their guest: she sat with him, listened to him, enjoyed his company. Both sisters were necessary. But their story shows us how easy it is for human nature to want to choose which sister is better.

Martha is thinking: “Why won’t my sister give me a hand? I went out and got Jesus to be our guest, and now I’ve got a to-do list a mile long. Are you just gonna sit there, Mary? Jesus—tell her to help me!” Martha was in proximity to Jesus, but she wasn’t really with him in that moment.

Notice how Jesus responds. He doesn’t tell Martha that her to-do list is unimportant, and he doesn’t say that her sister doesn’t need to help her. Jesus simply asks Martha to see things with a “third eye”; to look at things from the perspective of God’s kingdom. To ask herself not “who is better? Who is more important? Whose way is right?” but to ask instead, “What is more important right now?” What does this moment of life require? What, among the many things competing for our attention, is God calling you to pay attention to right now?”

Jesus isn’t scolding Martha. He’s trying to get her attention, in order to help her pay attention to how the Kingdom of God is already present. I mean, how often is Jesus-in-the-flesh sitting in your living room? When he’s right there, pay attention to that. Be present to what is needed for this moment. Later there will be time for Mary to help you with your tasks.

In our daily lives of faith, there are times for doing the stuff we need to do to get through the day. There are times for doing the Lord’s work by serving others. And there are other times to spend in stillness before the holiness of God, listening to Jesus, and simply receiving God’s love, grace, and mercy. Mary and Martha needed each other to arrive at the whole truth; and we need them both, too, because they show us the path to wholeness of life in Christ.

Christ has set us free to live by the grace given in his cross and resurrection, therefore instead of rushing to polarize Mary and Martha and say that one is right and the other is wrong, we get to hold them in creative tension as an example for ourselves, as you ask in prayer: “What is God calling me to do in this moment? What does this moment require? Is this a time to be more like Mary or a time to be more like Martha? Is this a time for being, or for doing? For work, or for prayer? Or some combination of both?”

Even those—like Mary—who are great at praying and listening for Jesus, need to go beyond themselves to help and serve others as they are able. Even those—like Martha—who are great at serving others and “getting stuff done” need to take time to listen for Jesus and be filled with God’s grace and love.

If I don’t take time to listen for God, how do I know if what I’m doing is being directed by the Holy Spirit, of simply by myself? If I don’t take action to serve according to my abilities, how am I being a neighbor to those in need, or sharing God’s grace with others?

Everyone will have their own preference, or feel that you are better at one thing or another. Some people are more like Mary, other are more like Martha. And that’s good. That’s the way God has created us, and it means that we need each other to live in God’s kingdom; we need each other and to carry God’s grace into the world. Amen.