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 only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
Luke10:39-42
Worship is good for us. When we come to true worship of the one and only glorious Creator-Shepherd-Risen-King, we are are re-aligned, strengthened, renewed and clarified.
Mary figured this out. She realised that being with Jesus accomplished more than hurrying and scurrying did. She was opened her heart (a time-taking process) to bask in the warmth and fullness of His presence. Jesus promised that this was a worthwhile investment.
Martha missed it. She was doing a noble thing - a gracious thing. The problem was not her cooking and preparing but her attitude. Have you ever had a chance to read the little book by Brother Lawrence entitled "The Practice of the Presence of God?" Lawrence was a cook in a monastery who learned to become aware of the presence of God wherever he was. He discovered that he could be as close to God when he was scrubbing pots as he was when kneeling in the chapel receiving communion.
Most of us will be unable to learn how to have an inner sense of the presence of God in the midst of the daily bustle of life unless we have learned to take time out and practice quieting body _and_ soul. The secret lies in realising that it is Him and not me. That I don't measure my worth by what I do, but that worth is found in Him.
Selwyn Hughes notes a friend's observation: "When I meet a Buddhist priest, for example, I meet a holy man. When I meet a Christian Leader, I meet a manager." This is trying to find worth in service.
From other pictures in the gospels, we know that Mary could be industrious and active - she was not a glassy eyed mystic. She just knew when to drop busyness for quiet contemplation.
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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
