Luke 10:38-42 (NRSV)
Read Luke 10:38-42 on biblegateway.com
Verse 38Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Verse 39She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying. Verse 40But 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." Verse 41But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; Verse 42there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her."
Devotion
In this week’s familiar gospel reading we consider two well-known sisters, Mary and Martha, who along with their brother Lazarus are close friends of Jesus. Today we’ll concentrate on Martha, who seems to be the older sister, acting as the host for their special guest Jesus. We might even call her the “hostess with the mostest” as we observe her careful preparations in the kitchen and her entreaties to her sister Mary to help her. Earlier this week we admired Abraham in the Genesis 18 reading as he served his unexpected guests. But Martha seems to be involved too much in her serving and is actually chided by the Lord for her busyness. A teacher of mine back in the 1960’s often spoke about “majoring in minors”—stressing unimportant things or less important things too much. Let’s let the Lord Jesus help us to ascertain the difference, for He will.
Prayer
Holy Lord God, help us to find a balance in the things we do. Guide us in our thinking and in our choosing, in our planning and in our doing. And help us to learn to wait upon your guidance. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.