"Being Martha and Mary" July 22, 2007 Pentecost 8 (Proper 11)

(First read the text for this sermon: Luke 10:38-42)

One person has said to me, “This story about Martha and Mary gives me as much trouble as any story in the Bible!” Do you agree? You probably do if you were raised to think that it’s a bad thing to waste time, and that you should always be doing something “constructive.”

The story is about Jesus visiting two sisters, one named Martha and the other Mary. Martha welcomes Jesus into their house! And she’s very, very busy, working to prepare a meal (it is assumed, although the passage doesn’t say exactly what she is frantically busy with).

Meanwhile, what is her sister, Mary, doing? Well, she is doing nothing – but sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening to Jesus’ teaching. Mary is wasting time! She’s doing nothing “constructive.” And Martha’s complaint about Mary is loud, because Mary is not helping her with the work of hospitality!

Let me make a couple of comments about this story. First of all I’ll say that we today have lost sight of how unprecedented Mary’s actions are! She is sitting at Jesus’ feet – which is what disciples did when listening to the teaching of their master. In this ancient culture, though, such disciples could only be male! It is astonishing that Jesus is allowing Mary to do this, because women simply are not permitted to be taught Torah. Part of Martha’s complaint, certainly, is that Mary is acting like a man, and that she has abandoned her role as a woman – which is to be helping Martha!

But here’s what gives many of us the most trouble in this story: it’s that Jesus scolds Martha! But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her." Look at what this means! Clearly, here, Jesus approves of wasting time, and of doing nothing constructive! This is a huge problem for many of us! That’s because most good, church-going people are Martha, not Mary!

And is it bad, what Martha is doing? She is practicing hospitality, which is a good thing, right? Martha is working hard to do what she believes she has to do to provide a welcome to Jesus! Is that bad? If she stops working, how are they going to eat?

Martha or Mary? Which one?

Let me suggest that it’s not an “either or.” It is instructive to notice how the gospel writer has placed this story. It follows immediately after what we read last week for the gospel reading. Do you remember what that story was? Of the man beaten by robbers along the road to Jericho – and how the first two travelers passed by on the other side, but then a hated Samaritan stopped and helped and saved the man’s life?

Who does Jesus praise in that story? It’s the man who does something!

Now, who does Jesus praise in the story of Martha and Mary? Here, it’s the one who is doing nothing – but listening to Jesus’ teaching!

So you see where we are, taking into account how the gospel writer has constructed his narrative. In one situation action is commended, because that is what is most appropriate and necessary. But in the other instance, Jesus advocates sitting still and listening, listening to God’s word.

And so, we allow these two Bible stories to provide commentary on each other. You and I are urged to be both Martha and Mary.

I have an icon of St. Benedict on my desk. It’s there to remind me, each day, to be both Martha and Mary. I have learned that from monks, and I need to be reminded of that, because it’s such a healthy spirituality.

Benedict’s Rule guides monastic communities to observe a rhythm each day – of prayer and work and rest and play. And so, here’s how each day goes, for members of Trappist communities that still strictly follow Benedict’s Rule. They begin each day by gathering for three prayer services and for Holy Communion, devoting the time in between each service to individual reading of Scripture and prayer. Then comes breakfast, which is followed by about four hours of manual work. (Most monks are farmers of some sort, because most monasteries support themselves by agriculture.) Then comes dinner together and a short prayer service. Then comes another four hours of work. Then comes supper, followed by Vespers (Evening Prayer), followed by community recreation and discussion, followed by Compline (Night Prayer). And then it’s time to go to bed, for eight hours of sleep. So, you see, daily life has a healthy rhythm – of prayer and work and prayer and work and prayer and rest and play and prayer and sleep.

I find that I have the most energy when my days have that same sort of healthy rhythm! Is that true for any of you? For instance, how do you feel when you work too much on a particular day, working for hours and hours and hours, with no break? Doesn’t that cause your mind to feel deadened and your body exhausted at the end of the day?

What do you need, then to enliven yourself? You need rest and prayer and play, right? But, on the other hand, what happens when you spend too much time taking care of yourself? Isn’t there a restlessness that comes with too much rest? For myself, when I spend too much time on inner-directed personal renewal stuff, that doesn’t feel so good after a while, because there are so many needs! There is so much work that God gives me to do! And so I want to get at it! Is that true for any of you too?

The key, it seems to me, is maintaining that rhythm – of prayer and work and rest and play. Receiving God’s gift of sabbath time is important here, and that’s a problem, because most of us don’t know what sabbath-keeping is all about. Consider: Most of us are real good at working real hard. And then, for many of us, our “time off” is time to escape from work!

Sabbath-keeping is not about escape. Instead, if our work is our ministry, given to us by God, then sabbath time is an opportunity to rest, time to listen for God, so that God can refresh us for our return to work. There’s a connection between sabbath and work. There’s a rhythm – of prayer and work and rest and play and work.

In this morning’s story from Luke, Jesus says that Mary has chosen the better part in this situation, compared with Martha’s frantic activity, because Martha is worried and distracted by many things. In other words, Martha is working too hard! She has lost her rhythm. She has lost sight of why she is doing what she is doing. Frantic, stressed-out Martha needs some sabbath time. She needs to take advantage of the same the opportunity Mary is enjoying – to “waste” some time, to accomplish nothing “constructive,” but to simply rest in God’s presence. It is precious time that is given by God to be refreshed, to be re-energized. It would be better for Martha to call out for some Chinese food! The dinner then wouldn’t be anything special. But it sure would be preferable to the resentment that Martha is feeling!

You and I are living in the world. Each one of us is called by God to the active life. Each one of us is called to joyous servanthood! And that means being both Martha and Mary.

There is so much to do, and so we are called to the servanthood that Martha embodies. But our work is only joyous when there is that rhythm, when we receive the gift of time to be Mary, sabbath time, resting in God’s presence, hearing what it is that God is speaking to us. Then you and I remember why we are doing the work we are doing! Indeed, we remember that our work is a gift from God!

It is good to be Mary. And it is good to be Martha!

In the name of God who is Father and Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Pastor Andy Ballentine
St. Stephen Lutheran Church
Williamsburg, Virginia