2016-07-17 Lk 10:38-42
Our Sister The Resister
It's not the heat; it's the humidity.
Actually, it IS the heat.
AND it's the humidity.
I take the dog for walks around 9pm.
He needs to walk.
I need to walk.
But even when the sun is sinking low, Bandit resists.
Too hot to get in steps, says he.
He sits down in the street, or lays down on the grass and refuses to move.
He looks at me like this.
That Gen Z stare.
I pull the leash.
I encourage him with sweet talk.
He stares.
I preach to him about the sin of sloth.
He yawns.
I inform him that as a preacher I am unaffected by yawning (and occasional snoring).
Yall start bringing your cpaps to church, that's when I know I'm in trouble.
I explain to Bandit, distant cousin of Krypto, the Superdog, we must be up and on our way, for we have about half a mile to go before we sleep.
We have steps to count.
A schedule to keep.
We must resist the temptation to sloth.
Now, I'm sure Pensacola isn't the hottest place this side of Satan's lair.
I imagine Jerusalem can get pretty toasty, too.
But, in the Bible, when Our Savior healed the lame, not one of them said, "But, Master, it's too hot to rise up and walk."
"Have you seen the heat index?"
Sitting still and sniffing the evening breeze (what breeze there is) serves no productive purpose.
But.
If you're a follower of Jesus, do you always have to be productive?
Is your product, your content, your output what Jesus really wants?
In the scripture today, Martha says, "Yes."
Meanwhile, Mary just sits there, sniffing the breeze, listening to Jesus teach with big, puppy dog eyes.
Mindful and demure.
Which sister are you?
Which sister is right?
--
Do you feel guilty when you are serving no productive purpose?
Of course you do.
This is a church full of Marthas.
Type A movers and shakers.
We might shake a little, but by God, we're still moving.
Some people say you should be still in church.
It's what we tell children.
"Be still, Hezekiah"
But church Marthas (like moi) say,
"Get busy."
Join a committee.
Get a workout opening your wallet.
Stand up, sit down, repeat these words.
Get your heart rate up.
It's good for ya.
Do any of you have a sister, Martha?
I think at least one of you IS a sister Martha.
Or perhaps you have a brother, Marty?
Maybe she or he goes by another name, an alias, to hide the biblical truth of their git-it-all-dun right now nature.
Martha-Marty.
Maybe yours isn't a sister or brother, but a friend, a parent, a child who's ruthlessly concerned about correcting your shortcomings.
Pointing out where you missed a spot.
How you could have done better.
No matter how hard you work, no matter how well-off you become, Martha-Marty is always going to call and ask what you're DOING (in that tone) and if you've been taking your medicine and if you've lost those pounds yet.
A skilled Martha-Marty helps you by finding opportunities for improvement.
It's their spiritual gift.
Why, you could even be sitting at the feet of Jesus and they'd still find fault.
Well, actually, Mary was.
Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus himself.
And not even that was good enough for her Martha.
Sisters. Sisters.
--
And then, there's Mary.
Sweet little Mary.
I'll bet Mary didn't even hear the clanging pots and pans in the kitchen. Focused.
Imagine, leaving her poor Martha to do the work of serving 13 men in the baking heat of the day, toiling over a burning oven, while she, little Mary, just sits.
On the cool ground.
Not even walking.
Slacker.
Mary didn't only lack initiative; she lacked compassion.
She cared not.
She neglected her job, her duty to her own sister.
Not even Jesus would deny that.
Jesus, who presumably did not go home hungry that night.
Jesus and his stomach benefitted far more from multitasking Martha than from meditative Mary.
And yet.
Let's not pretend we don't know how the story ends.
Jesus pronounces benediction over Mary, and scolds Martha.
Read it again. He does it every time.
'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.'
--
I have heard so many superficial, modern-day interpretations of these words.
"Don't be so busy."
"Slow down and smell the roses."
"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."
Yes, but it keeps people off Jack's back.
The beauty of obeying your inner Martha is that you earn your resentment fair and square.
It's your part, which will not be taken away from you.
And so at your funeral they can say, "Yes, he worked so hard, and he was always very resentful."
Nobody wants that.
To go beyond the superficial, modern-day nagging not to multitask, you have to think about what productive purpose Mary might have served, if any, and the two sisters' purpose beyond fixing supper.
--
Our ideas about Mary and her sister are colored by our own society.
Maybe Mary truly was allergic to work.
A real medical condition.
Made her tired and sweaty.
Took time away from scrolling scrolls.
After all, the little deadbeat was still living in her sister's home.
But we don't see Mary through the eyes of people who would have read and heard this story back in Jesus's time.
Back then, for a woman NOT to be in the kitchen – was sinful.
Mary was a bad girl.
A woman's place was in the kitchen, or the birthing suite, producing baby boys.
Furthermore, for a woman to be educated, openly schooled by a rabbi, was unheard of.
You start letting females read, and drive cars, and vote – they'll start to think they can... become president, or some other silly idea.
Back then, for a woman to be taught by a religious teacher, to be regarded as a disciple, in this case an apostle, who saw and heard (and helped fund the ministry of) the living Christ, was scandalous.
Practically impossible.
Mary was a rebel.
Mary was the resistance.
Mary was the one committing acts of equality and inclusion.
Sorry, it's in the Bible.
Mary is a dangerous, uppity, example.
She did not know her place.
For her to dare sit at the feet of Jesus, equal with his hand-picked twelve men disciples, well.
Martha's fussing was not mere sibling rivalry.
Martha spoke for all those who wanted Mary to get back where she belonged and to stop this non-violent sit-in against tradition.
Mary, meanwhile, is a poke in the eye of any Martha who sees her as less than what she is, a disciple of Jesus Christ.
If we are Martha-ish, Martha-fied,
Then Mary is our sister, the resister.
--
If you have been outside this summer, you know that every seat is a hot seat.
Physically, politically, socially, this heated season of life is the summer of our discontent, disagreement, maybe discouragement.
People want you to move, in one way or another – to the left, to the right, to the extremes.
They push and they pull to motivate you to support this cause or that, this side or that, this person or that.
I mean, really.
You turn on the news and you can almost hear Jesus saying,
"Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things."
Oh, and here's another thing to worry about.
Here's another.
We'd all like things to be just great.
Again.
Or maybe for the first time.
Work harder.
Work smarter.
Here's an AI to do the thinking for you.
Oh wait.
It's a Nazi.
Don't ask why.
You wouldn't understand it.
Why is unimportant these days.
Just be this. Or be that.
Be one of the "many things."
We don't see the courage it took for Mary to sit at the feet of Jesus.
It took so much courage for her to ignore the voice of Martha – to step outside her family, outside her tradition, outside the rules.
It took guts to turn a deaf ear to the faceless voices from the other room, the ones calling on Jesus to make that hippie nerd Mary feel guilty for choosing "the better part."
And maybe there's the catch.
Mary didn't want to be great – again or for the first time.
She wanted to be better.
--
Jesus tells Martha:
"Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her."
Mary's better part was sitting at the feet of Jesus and learning.
What would Martha's better part have been?
What is that "better part" for you?
It takes time for us to discern what is "the better part" for ourselves.
It takes prayer to discern what is "the better part" for our church.
It takes a lot of time to take Holy Cow surveys and go to meetings, and have votes, and be so stinkin' slow Presbyterians.
Sometimes it can feel like we're just sitting still watching the grass grow.
When everything in society is trying to open departments of efficiency,
it takes courage to sit still and listen at the feet of Jesus,
when so many hands are yanking your leash.
Psalm 46 says, "Be still and know that I am God."
We forget how much courage that verse takes.
We've got more than enough heated argument, more than enough verbal violence.
We've got more than enough, "I told you so's" and "Tell her to" do this or "Tell him to" do that.
We don't need more guilt on our shoulders.
We don't need more snark and gossip.
We don't need more resentment.
We need the strength to sit at the feet of Jesus, to be still and know that we are NOT God.
And neither is anyone on the news.
To take the heat at his feet.
Who's to say this isn't our true, productive purpose?
To be resisters for Jesus's sake.
Resisters of what?
I don't know.
What do you have cooking that keeps you in the other room?
What keeps you away from Jesus?
Which sister are you?
Which sister do you wish you were?
--
For further reading
[1]https://hinnewagenaar.frl/articles/it-will-not-be-taken-away-from-her/
https://eewc.com/Articles/a-new-view-of-mary-and-martha/
Our Sister The Resister
Brief Summary
This sermon reflects on the story of Mary and Martha, where Martha is busy serving while Mary sits and listens to Jesus. The pastor explores how society often praises people like Martha who stay busy and productive, while Mary's quiet act of sitting and learning was radical in her time. Mary broke cultural norms to be close to Jesus, showing that sometimes the "better part" is simply to be still, listen, and resist distractions, expectations, and busyness to focus on what really matters.
Family Discussion Questions
-
Who do you feel more like today – Martha, who was busy and distracted, or Mary, who sat still and listened to Jesus? Why?
-
What are some things in your life that keep you "busy in the other room" and away from being close to Jesus?
-
What would it look like for you, or our family, to "choose the better part" this week?
It's not the heat; it's the humidity.
Actually, it IS the heat.
AND it's the humidity.
I take the dog for walks around 9pm.
He needs to walk.
I need to walk.
But even when the sun is sinking low, Bandit resists.
Too hot to get in steps, says he.
He sits down in the street, or lays down on the grass and refuses to move.
He looks at me like this.
That Gen Z stare.
I pull the leash.
I encourage him with sweet talk.
He stares.
I preach to him about the sin of sloth.
He yawns.
I inform him that as a preacher I am unaffected by yawning (and occasional snoring).
Yall start bringing your cpaps to church, that's when I know I'm in trouble.
I explain to Bandit, distant cousin of Krypto, the Superdog, we must be up and on our way, for we have about half a mile to go before we sleep.
We have steps to count.
A schedule to keep.
We must resist the temptation to sloth.
Now, I'm sure Pensacola isn't the hottest place this side of Satan's lair.
I imagine Jerusalem can get pretty toasty, too.
But, in the Bible, when Our Savior healed the lame, not one of them said, "But, Master, it's too hot to rise up and walk."
"Have you seen the heat index?"
Sitting still and sniffing the evening breeze (what breeze there is) serves no productive purpose.
But.
If you're a follower of Jesus, do you always have to be productive?
Is your product, your content, your output what Jesus really wants?
In the scripture today, Martha says, "Yes."
Meanwhile, Mary just sits there, sniffing the breeze, listening to Jesus teach with big, puppy dog eyes.
Mindful and demure.
Which sister are you?
Which sister is right?
--
Do you feel guilty when you are serving no productive purpose?
Of course you do.
This is a church full of Marthas.
Type A movers and shakers.
We might shake a little, but by God, we're still moving.
Some people say you should be still in church.
It's what we tell children.
"Be still, Hezekiah"
But church Marthas (like moi) say,
"Get busy."
Join a committee.
Get a workout opening your wallet.
Stand up, sit down, repeat these words.
Get your heart rate up.
It's good for ya.
Do any of you have a sister, Martha?
I think at least one of you IS a sister Martha.
Or perhaps you have a brother, Marty?
Maybe she or he goes by another name, an alias, to hide the biblical truth of their git-it-all-dun right now nature.
Martha-Marty.
Maybe yours isn't a sister or brother, but a friend, a parent, a child who's ruthlessly concerned about correcting your shortcomings.
Pointing out where you missed a spot.
How you could have done better.
No matter how hard you work, no matter how well-off you become, Martha-Marty is always going to call and ask what you're DOING (in that tone) and if you've been taking your medicine and if you've lost those pounds yet.
A skilled Martha-Marty helps you by finding opportunities for improvement.
It's their spiritual gift.
Why, you could even be sitting at the feet of Jesus and they'd still find fault.
Well, actually, Mary was.
Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus himself.
And not even that was good enough for her Martha.
Sisters. Sisters.
--
And then, there's Mary.
Sweet little Mary.
I'll bet Mary didn't even hear the clanging pots and pans in the kitchen. Focused.
Imagine, leaving her poor Martha to do the work of serving 13 men in the baking heat of the day, toiling over a burning oven, while she, little Mary, just sits.
On the cool ground.
Not even walking.
Slacker.
Mary didn't only lack initiative; she lacked compassion.
She cared not.
She neglected her job, her duty to her own sister.
Not even Jesus would deny that.
Jesus, who presumably did not go home hungry that night.
Jesus and his stomach benefitted far more from multitasking Martha than from meditative Mary.
And yet.
Let's not pretend we don't know how the story ends.
Jesus pronounces benediction over Mary, and scolds Martha.
Read it again. He does it every time.
'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.'
--
I have heard so many superficial, modern-day interpretations of these words.
"Don't be so busy."
"Slow down and smell the roses."
"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."
Yes, but it keeps people off Jack's back.
The beauty of obeying your inner Martha is that you earn your resentment fair and square.
It's your part, which will not be taken away from you.
And so at your funeral they can say, "Yes, he worked so hard, and he was always very resentful."
Nobody wants that.
To go beyond the superficial, modern-day nagging not to multitask, you have to think about what productive purpose Mary might have served, if any, and the two sisters' purpose beyond fixing supper.
--
Our ideas about Mary and her sister are colored by our own society.
Maybe Mary truly was allergic to work.
A real medical condition.
Made her tired and sweaty.
Took time away from scrolling scrolls.
After all, the little deadbeat was still living in her sister's home.
But we don't see Mary through the eyes of people who would have read and heard this story back in Jesus's time.
Back then, for a woman NOT to be in the kitchen – was sinful.
Mary was a bad girl.
A woman's place was in the kitchen, or the birthing suite, producing baby boys.
Furthermore, for a woman to be educated, openly schooled by a rabbi, was unheard of.
You start letting females read, and drive cars, and vote – they'll start to think they can... become president, or some other silly idea.
Back then, for a woman to be taught by a religious teacher, to be regarded as a disciple, in this case an apostle, who saw and heard (and helped fund the ministry of) the living Christ, was scandalous.
Practically impossible.
Mary was a rebel.
Mary was the resistance.
Mary was the one committing acts of equality and inclusion.
Sorry, it's in the Bible.
Mary is a dangerous, uppity, example.
She did not know her place.
For her to dare sit at the feet of Jesus, equal with his hand-picked twelve men disciples, well.
Martha's fussing was not mere sibling rivalry.
Martha spoke for all those who wanted Mary to get back where she belonged and to stop this non-violent sit-in against tradition.
Mary, meanwhile, is a poke in the eye of any Martha who sees her as less than what she is, a disciple of Jesus Christ.
If we are Martha-ish, Martha-fied,
Then Mary is our sister, the resister.
--
If you have been outside this summer, you know that every seat is a hot seat.
Physically, politically, socially, this heated season of life is the summer of our discontent, disagreement, maybe discouragement.
People want you to move, in one way or another – to the left, to the right, to the extremes.
They push and they pull to motivate you to support this cause or that, this side or that, this person or that.
I mean, really.
You turn on the news and you can almost hear Jesus saying,
"Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things."
Oh, and here's another thing to worry about.
Here's another.
We'd all like things to be just great.
Again.
Or maybe for the first time.
Work harder.
Work smarter.
Here's an AI to do the thinking for you.
Oh wait.
It's a Nazi.
Don't ask why.
You wouldn't understand it.
Why is unimportant these days.
Just be this. Or be that.
Be one of the "many things."
We don't see the courage it took for Mary to sit at the feet of Jesus.
It took so much courage for her to ignore the voice of Martha – to step outside her family, outside her tradition, outside the rules.
It took guts to turn a deaf ear to the faceless voices from the other room, the ones calling on Jesus to make that hippie nerd Mary feel guilty for choosing "the better part."
And maybe there's the catch.
Mary didn't want to be great – again or for the first time.
She wanted to be better.
--
Jesus tells Martha:
"Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her."
Mary's better part was sitting at the feet of Jesus and learning.
What would Martha's better part have been?
What is that "better part" for you?
It takes time for us to discern what is "the better part" for ourselves.
It takes prayer to discern what is "the better part" for our church.
It takes a lot of time to take Holy Cow surveys and go to meetings, and have votes, and be so stinkin' slow Presbyterians.
Sometimes it can feel like we're just sitting still watching the grass grow.
When everything in society is trying to open departments of efficiency,
it takes courage to sit still and listen at the feet of Jesus,
when so many hands are yanking your leash.
Psalm 46 says, "Be still and know that I am God."
We forget how much courage that verse takes.
We've got more than enough heated argument, more than enough verbal violence.
We've got more than enough, "I told you so's" and "Tell her to" do this or "Tell him to" do that.
We don't need more guilt on our shoulders.
We don't need more snark and gossip.
We don't need more resentment.
We need the strength to sit at the feet of Jesus, to be still and know that we are NOT God.
And neither is anyone on the news.
To take the heat at his feet.
Who's to say this isn't our true, productive purpose?
To be resisters for Jesus's sake.
Resisters of what?
I don't know.
What do you have cooking that keeps you in the other room?
What keeps you away from Jesus?
Which sister are you?
Which sister do you wish you were?
--
For further reading
[1]https://hinnewagenaar.frl/articles/it-will-not-be-taken-away-from-her/
https://eewc.com/Articles/a-new-view-of-mary-and-martha/
