Preacher: Rev. Jason Baxter
Luke 10:38-42
38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” 41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 9:48
“Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me; for the least among all of you is the greatest.”
“Both [Martha and Mary] were pleasing to the Lord, both amiable, both disciples … both innocent, both laudable—two lives in the same house and just one fountain of life.… Martha has to set sail in order that Mary can remain quietly in port.”
-Augustine
“The devout Christian of the future will either be a ‘mystic,’ one who has experienced ‘something,’ or he will cease to be anything at all.”
-Karl Rahner
Reflection Questions:
- Who is someone I have villianized as all bad? How is God inviting me to see that person with nuance?
- How can I welcome nuance and create space to experience God’s presence in my daily life? (I would invite you to think beyond a quiet time, which can lead to compartmentalization.)