Over the years I’ve heard many objections to the story of Mary and Martha in the Gospel of Luke (10:38-42). You may remember, when Jesus passes through a town, Martha invites him to dinner. And when he arrives, she is hard at work. We can picture her in the kitchen baking the bread, washing the olives…. but her sister Mary chooses not to help. Instead, she decides to hang out in the living room with the guys. 

You can imagine the frustration and resentment building. Finally, Martha has had all she can take and she marches into the living room, and she confronts not her sister – but Jesus, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work? Tell her to help me…” 

I imagine most of us can see Martha’s point. A lot of us are doers… Many of you have been successful in life precisely because you have rolled up your sleeves and worked hard. Others of us are in the midst of it now – caring for children, caring for aging parents, working sometimes very demanding jobs…

And it is not that what we are doing is not good – or important. Much of it is. For many of you, like Martha, you are simply being faithful, taking care of the needs of the world around you. Many of you, on top of all your other responsibilities, are serving on church committees; helping with Wednesday night dinners, singing in the choir, and packing backpacks with food for hungry children. And so when Jesus says, Mary has chosen the better part, it doesn’t sit well. 

It’s interesting, at this point in Luke’s gospel, Jesus just told the parable of the Good Samaritan and clearly said, “Go and do likewise.” Go and serve. Go and show mercy. Go and help. It seems like a mixed message.  

Or is it?  

Could it be that these two stories are side by side like this for a reason? Could it be that we’re not supposed to take one without the other? Perhaps it is not an either-or, but a both and. Like an elder said to me one time, “Joe you can’t give what you don’t have. You have to refill your cup… You have to be fed before you can feed others…”

Amid our hectic, busy, often chaotic lives may you and I continue to carve out time and space to listen to the still small voice of Jesus, to ensure we are fed. And then, and only then, may we go out to serve others in his name. 

Let us pray: We love you O God, and we want to serve you. Help us to set priorities and find a rhythm that empowers us to be centered, grounded people, who also have the bandwidth to give as we have received. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

There is an old legend about a faraway land ruled by a cruel king. This king exercised control over every aspect of his subjects’ lives – with one exception. As hard as he tried, he could not destroy their belief in God.  

In his frustration, he assembled a group of advisors. One suggested hiding God on the far side of the moon. This idea was debated but was ultimately turned down because the other advisors feared that science would one day discover a way to travel into space and God would be discovered again. Another suggested burying God in the deepest part of the ocean. But there was the same problem with this idea, so it too was turned down. One idea after another was suggested and debated and rejected. Finally, the oldest and wisest advisor had a flash of insight. “I know,” he said, “why don’t we hide God where no one will ever even think to look? If we hide God in the ordinary events of people’s everyday lives, they’ll never find him!” And so it was done. The story goes that people in that land are still looking for God – even today.

The truth of this tale is that God is present in the events of our everyday lives. However, in the midst of our daily tasks and routines, we often fail to notice. 

Today, and throughout this coming week, as you go through your ordinary habits and routines, may you pay attention to God’s loving presence at work in subtle ways. Look particularly for moments of grace – encouraging words, kind deeds, or even a sense of peace in the heart of a storm. Pay attention also to moments of unknowing, mystery, and transcendence. And when you notice, may you give thanks. 

Let us pray: Loving God, grant hearts to know you and eyes to see you in the ordinary people and events of this day. Even as we reflect on these small blessings, empower us to be a blessing to others. Amen.

Early one December morning, I was down on the beach just before low tide, and I noticed something written in the wet sand, just above the tide line. It was a prayer that read, “Jesus, please, please fix our marriage.” I looked up and down the beach to see if I could identify the person who had written it, but no one was in sight. So, I found myself praying anyway for the person who wrote it, and praying for his or her marriage.

I guess we’ll never know how Jesus answered this prayer. But, through the prayer, I felt deeply connected to two lives I’ll probably never meet. 

I believe in the power of prayer, and in the power of asking others to pray for us. It binds us closer to one another and to God. Today, maybe you have a request you need to write in the sand. Or, better yet, ask a friend to pray for you, because then, however, God answers the prayer, you will know you are not alone. 

Let us pray: Today, Loving God, we lift up to you the person or people who wrote their prayer in the sand that warm December morning. And for all who are struggling in their marriages, we ask for healing, forgiveness, and grace upon grace. Others, Lord, are carrying burdens and feel as though they are at their wit’s end – just about beyond their ability to cope. Give them the strength they need to reach out for help – to you, and to others. May they know they are not alone. May we know we are not alone. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Yesterday we reflected on the gift of the Holy Spirit. In many mainline churches, we’re not often sure what to do with the Holy Spirit. I’ve been to charismatic churches where folks are speaking in tongues and being slain in the spirit. And that is way out of my comfort zone! But I also don’t doubt for a minute that kind of holy power.

I often think about the Spirit as the still small voice that speaks to us in prayer… that gently guides… I think about the Spirit binding and connecting us, infused in all that is…

Pastor Jana Childers writes about how in the church she grew up in, the elders used to say: “The Holy Spirit is a gentleman. He never forces his way in, and goes only where he is invited.” While it is a very male-oriented metaphor, “Mr. Holy Spirit as a Gentleman,” it is not entirely wrong. Every Sunday, we invite the Spirit to move among us… At the table, we invite the Spirit to pour out on us… In the midst of the mountains we face, we invite the Spirit to give us strength and courage and hope…

But there is more…

Childers goes on to say: In contrast to the elders in her childhood church… “The Holy Spirit’s entrance in the book of Acts at Pentecost is anything but discreet. This is no Gentlemanly caller…there are no polite murmurs, white gloves, or dainty manners.” No. There is a holy roar. There is violent wind and fire… There is incredible energy. I can’t help but think about the violent winds that we experience during a hurricane. And fire that can either heat a home or burn it to the ground. 

Invited or uninvited, this story reminds us, there is tremendous power in the coming of this Spirit. 

Today, let’s invite the Spirit again to be at work in our church, in our families, and in our lives. Let’s expect the unexpected. And let us trust. Trust that the fiery energy of the Spirit is still alive and at work, even now.  

Let us pray: Come Holy Spirit, meet us at the point of our deepest need. Grant us strength and courage and healing, that we might ever hear and respond to your calling; through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

How does faith mend a broken heart? Sooner or later, heartache comes to all of us. Sadness, sorrow, disappointment, grief, rejection, hurt – whatever you wish to call it – rears its head and covers us like a heavy blanket. Let me suggest some resources of the Christian faith that can help us walk through the dark valley of sorrow. First, claim the fellowship of the church. Let the church family’s arms of love surround you and support you. Never forget that you are not alone. God is with you. Nothing, not even death, can separate you from the love of God. No matter how hurt you may feel, let the church be an integral part of the healing process.  

Second, and this may surprise you, claim the power of helping others, which comes only from having gone through the grief pilgrimage. Those who have gone through sorrow of any kind have a new empathy, a new sensitivity, a new compassion, and a new power to help others. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted!” The word comforted comes from the Latin words – cum, which means “with” and fortis, which means “strength.” So the word comforted means literally “with strength”! Thus, Jesus was saying “Blessed are those who have gone through sorrow, for they are with strength.” Someone once put it like this; “Whoever among us has, through personal experience learned what pain and anxiety are…. belongs no more to themselves alone; they are the sister, the brother of all who suffer.” 

Friend of Dial Hope, claim that strength to help others which comes only on the other side of trouble, only from walking through the valley of grief. God needs you to share yourself with others. Memorize this verse: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Trust God…trust God….trust God. 

Let us pray: God of love, some days there is so much pain, so much emptiness. And yet, you know what we are feeling. As we count our blessings, keep us from wallowing in self-pity so that we may encourage and comfort others. Turn our sadness to laughter, remembering that “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones.’ (Proverbs 1 7:22) Through the grace of Jesus Christ. Amen.