KFW July 21, 2013
Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42; pages 366-371 in the Spark
Bible)
Narrator: One day, Jesus and his disciples were
traveling. Along the way, Jesus decided
they would stay and visit with their friends, Mary and Martha. Mary and Martha were sisters. They lived together in a house and got along
well, most of the time.
While Jesus visited with them, Mary sat on the floor and
listened to Jesus teach.
Martha, on the other hand was very busy.
Martha: I don’t have time to sit down! I need to bake bread! I need to cook fish and serve Olives! I need to clean these floor mats (shakes one
out) Jesus’ visit with us should be very
special.
(Looks over at Mary) PSST!
Help me with the cleaning?
Mary: (briefly looks at Martha and then turns back to look
at Jesus)
Martha: AHEM!
Mary: (looks again and looks back)
Martha: she could at least help me get the bread and fish
ready! All of these people to feed and
she isn’t helping one little bit! She
knows how to use a broom! She could stir
this pot! GRRR! All of this company and I am doing all the
work!
Narrator: Finally,
when she was still working and Mary sit sat, Martha couldn’t take it
anymore. She came into the room where
Jesus was teaching, interrupted what he was saying, put her hands on her hips
and said angrily:
Martha: Mary! PLEASE get UP and HELP me! (looks at Jesus) Jesus—tell Mary to get up
and help me!
Jesus: (quiet for a moment)
Martha, Martha. You are worried
about every little thing. You are busy,
busy, busy, and never stop moving. Thank
you for your work to make my visit comfortable, but you do not need to worry
about all of those things! Mary has
decided to sit and listen to me. That is
a good decision.
Martha: Maybe I
SHOULD sit down and listen to what you have to say, at least for a minute.
Narrator: so she sat and listened and that was a good
decision.
What did we learn?
Sometimes the best way to care for others and to hear God in our lives
is to Be still and listen.
Notes for parents and further thoughts
I would argue that this is one of those easier stories in the gospel to address--but it's easy to be fooled by its simple lesson. Even as I sit here typing, the irony hits me. I had a very hard time sitting down and finding time to script out the lesson this week, as we were in the throws of potty training and I was grading papers for the last college class I'm teaching and preparing for Splash. Mary and her ability to sit and listen to Jesus is enviable, so many of us think. Lucky lady that she was able to do that! That's when we have to remind ourselves--hers was an active CHOICE. She chose to sit and listen, though surrounded by things to do. Cooking, cleaning, and even work may seem like necessities, but when I remember to ask myself, "Will 15 minutes of scrubbing my bathroom impact my kids as much as 15 minutes of praying together or reading the bible together? Is grading this paper having the same kind of positive influence on that student as spending the same amount of time sitting and listening to my husband talk about his day or my kids babble?"
As a good friend said in her blog today as she was talking about kids and their priorities as occasional distractions, "Maybe God's mercies are actually IN the distractions -- the butterflies and stars. Maybe God is trying to show us that He is doing something NEW all around us, but we're just not walking around with an attitude of wonder...and expectation...and hope."
My goal this week is to put down the computer a bit more, allow myself to grow spiritually through potty training (more on that later!) and to remember to listen to what Jesus has to tell me--through butterflies and stars, baby screeches and those few silent moments in my life. It's time for ME to remember to "Be still and know that he is God" and to model this behavior for my children, before they start thinking that God calls us to be more like Martha than Mary!
Notes for parents and further thoughts
I would argue that this is one of those easier stories in the gospel to address--but it's easy to be fooled by its simple lesson. Even as I sit here typing, the irony hits me. I had a very hard time sitting down and finding time to script out the lesson this week, as we were in the throws of potty training and I was grading papers for the last college class I'm teaching and preparing for Splash. Mary and her ability to sit and listen to Jesus is enviable, so many of us think. Lucky lady that she was able to do that! That's when we have to remind ourselves--hers was an active CHOICE. She chose to sit and listen, though surrounded by things to do. Cooking, cleaning, and even work may seem like necessities, but when I remember to ask myself, "Will 15 minutes of scrubbing my bathroom impact my kids as much as 15 minutes of praying together or reading the bible together? Is grading this paper having the same kind of positive influence on that student as spending the same amount of time sitting and listening to my husband talk about his day or my kids babble?"
As a good friend said in her blog today as she was talking about kids and their priorities as occasional distractions, "Maybe God's mercies are actually IN the distractions -- the butterflies and stars. Maybe God is trying to show us that He is doing something NEW all around us, but we're just not walking around with an attitude of wonder...and expectation...and hope."
My goal this week is to put down the computer a bit more, allow myself to grow spiritually through potty training (more on that later!) and to remember to listen to what Jesus has to tell me--through butterflies and stars, baby screeches and those few silent moments in my life. It's time for ME to remember to "Be still and know that he is God" and to model this behavior for my children, before they start thinking that God calls us to be more like Martha than Mary!
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