For Sunday, July 21st, 2013

Hello Friends,

Welcome to Prepared Hearts, the Wacousta Community UMC online Bible study. Lectionary texts for this week include: Amos 8:1-12, Psalm 52, Colossians 1:15-28 & Luke 10:38-42. I’ll be preaching from Luke this coming Sunday. 

The NRSV translation is below, followed by some starter thoughts to get you thinking and praying about this lesson in preparation for next week's worship. 

Luke 10:38-42

38 Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. 40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; 42 there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Starter thoughts:

This portion of Luke’s gospel seems perfectly timed for this season of the year. Sometimes it feels like summers just keep getting busier and shorter. Between vacations, camps, sports, gardening, farmers markets, home improvement projects, and family reunions, summer “break” seems like anything but. I’m guessing that no matter what season it is, the description of “worried and distracted by many things” might ring true for more than a few of us. How do you find time to sit at the Lord’s feet? When and where do you feel most at ease and in the company of the Lord?

When it comes to Mary and Martha, I have a tendency to get more than a little defensive about the virtue of Mary’s study over the results of Martha’s work ethic. Those of you who have entertained guests know that hospitality takes effort. With Mary out of the picture, Martha is stuck trying to feed and care for a really large gathering all by herself, and she has few resources to work with. When is the last time any of us entertained 13+ guests with almost no money and little forewarning? Given that it would have been (unfortunately) inconceivable for the men to help in the preparation of the home, procurement of water, making of food, etc….my question is: what the heck is Mary thinking!? Doesn’t she see her sister freaking out? Why does Martha have to ask for Jesus to intervene? And then why does he seem to value Mary’s education over Martha’s desire to care for her guests?

Undoubtedly, one of the things that Martha is “distracted” by is Mary’s brazen behavior. It was unheard of for women to sit among men as Mary did. Her actions would have been seen as scandalous, and Martha is likely afraid of what the neighbors might think. It was absolutely radical that Jesus allowed Mary to be part of this inner circle of disciples, but it was also highly taboo and could have jeopardized Mary’s chances for marriage, and with it, her future economic security. These were not easy times to be a woman. Mary is choosing to sit at Jesus’ feet and learn from his teachings, even though the costs for her could be quite high. Where do you think this courage came from within Mary? Was Jesus not concerned for how his relationship with Mary might be misconstrued? What do you think Martha was most afraid of when it came to her sister?

Finally, Jesus tells Martha: there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her. There are a lot of interpretations of this, but how do you understand this statement?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and reflections. Please feel free to post a message to this blog or contact me through Facebook or email. 

Peace,

Pastor Amee