We live in a busy world. I don’t know about you, but I have no problem keeping my calendar full. While things have settled down a bit this summer with everyone being out of school, parents and teachers want to get the most out of their break. The same is true around my house. We haven’t taken any extended vacation this summer, but we have spent time swimming, visiting family, getting some things done around the house. There has been fun, but there has also been productivity. Between Brandy and me, she is more productive. I have my limits for productivity throughout the day and the week. In my opinion, there are only so many things that HAVE to be done at any given time. Brandy and I don’t always see eye to eye. She seems to know no limit. She’s like the Energizer Bunny – she just keeps going and going and going. She works until the job is done and then some. While this works out well for me (most days), it takes a toll on her.
In today’s gospel reading, we have the story of Martha and Mary. Mary has taken up a position at Jesus’ feet. While Martha is busy preparing for her guests, Jesus and his disciples, Mary has abandoned her duties to hang out with Jesus. This was sure to put quite a strain on Martha. She was rightfully aggravated. She has been left alone to tend to the duties of hospitality. After all, these people weren’t going to feed themselves. Hospitality wasn’t a nicety during that time. It wasn’t something you did so that you would advance socially. It was expected. There were no transportation systems to get around. People mostly walked, and they walked around the desert. The desert is one of the most inhospitable environments on the planet – scorching heat during the day, cold nights. Hospitality was a matter of life and death. The desert is harsh. Hospitality made it possible to travel in these conditions. It was a way that people recovered from their journey and prepared to set out on the next trek.
Carrying out such an important task, you would think that Martha might get a little support from Jesus. But Jesus doesn’t, so to speak. He doesn’t scold Mary for not helping Martha. He doesn’t tell Mary to get up and help Martha. Rather, he helps Martha take inventory of her priorities. And I’m sure that Martha received this response graciously as intended. I can just hear her. “Thanks, so much for that insight. Of course, she is right and I am wrong. Shame on me for wanting a little help getting things done.” Regardless of how she received Jesus’ response, we can see that Martha is busy. Perhaps Martha is too busy. Martha is so focused on her tasks that she is missing perhaps THE MOST important encounter she might ever have. Whether Mary has realized this or not, she won’t miss the experience from her vantage point. Mary has not chosen to sit with Jesus out of disrespect for her sister, but more than likely she had been overwhelmed with profound reverence for Jesus. Mary knew that she did not want to miss what this man had to say, nor would she have to.
Our sense of priorities can be overwhelmed by the demands of our busy lives. Necessity can be overridden by urgency. What is urgent is not always necessary. It is necessary to eat and drink. We cannot live without these two tasks. We will not perish if the clothes are not washed or the laundry folded or the grass mowed. I’m not saying those things shouldn’t be done, but they probably shouldn’t take priority over prayer or personal daily devotion, reading the Bible, or interacting with others. Whether or not we think so, these things are necessary. They are necessary for our well-being. They are necessary so that we might live the life we were meant to live. They are necessary so that we might share in “restoring all people to unity with God and each other in Christ” (BCP 856). We renew our commitment to this mission every week when we come down for communion. When you make your way to the alter rail this week, leave your distractions behind and spend some time at Jesus’ feet. Amen.
