The topic of the sermon at church this morning was Mary & Martha… Luke 10:38-42
At the Home of Martha and Mary
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.[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Join me with the sermon notes I took in church this morning.
That’s our Madison Valley Presbyterian Church in Ennis, MT.
I love the new paint color.
What do you think?
I like to think of it as
“Green and Growing.”
Today’s sermon examined Mary & Martha’s story. Mary’s soothing choice compared to Martha’s busyness. Which choice do you relate to?
Our interim pastor, Brian Conklin, shed interesting light on the age-old story. Here are my sermon notes from this lovely Sunday morning.
Martha is active and faithful
She’s committed and frustrated
We’ve been in her shoes
Sometimes we’re annoyed, too
Jesus, in gentleness, corrected
Martha, telling her that Mary
Is doing what is right for her
But He doesn’t rebuke Martha
Martha’s resentment is clear
And it’s easy to understand
She’s worried and distracted
We are like her all too often
In our culture we celebrate
Productivity, and forget to be
Present to the importance of today
Our stress pulls us apart
Our presence is what’s needed
Be present for each other
Be fully present in God’s presence
Listen to Jesus. Sit at His feet
The posture of your heart:
sitting, listening, being attentive
Is worship… Stillness reduces stress
Christ tells us to pause. Peace! Be still!
Sit in His presence
Luke 12:25 reminds us
“Don’t worry!” TRUST
God is with you. God bless you
Turn your anxiety into prayer
Find rest for your soul
Anchor your heart at Jesus’ feet
Be present with Christ.
Amen?
My peace I give to you.
But Jesus didn’t scold Martha
or tell her what she was doing is wrong.
Someone has to prepare
if you’re going to share a meal, right?
Who do you relate to?
Mary or Martha?
Why?
My birthday’s this Thursday.
No one mentioned it in church this morning.
No one sang to me.
I want to be Mary, sitting with Jesus.
He would sing to me!
It’s my week.
Jesus would say,
“…few things are needed—or indeed only one…”
And He would probably scold me.
“Get your mind off of yourself.
Reach out to others.
Did you remember to
wish Debbie & Steve
a Happy Anniversary?
It’s their week, too!”
Ah, my friends,
Life is Good!
Count your blessings…
and remember,
“…Mary has chosen what is better…”
Be still… and listen!
Comments on: "Mary or Martha?" (13)
Sadly, Jesus created a no win scenario. Mary abdicated her responsibility as a good hostess. There was time for many hands to have helped out to make light work. Jesus could have been more polite and allowed his teachings to wait until mouths were fed. This situation has always puzzled me. Just another thing I have to take on faith.
I would not like to choose between the two traits. That green is well known as a soothing colour for therapy
Thank you, Derrick! Yes, both traits are essential 👍🏽 And that green is definitely soothing to me.
Great post Jan. Business seems to be a big part of most of our lives. I look at my children and grandchildren and they are going nonstop with activities. Being retired has allowed me to slow down and focus on a few things.
Your new church paint turned out well!
Has your pastor move on to another church?
Our pastor left to pursue a different direction in her young life. At age 30, she decided pastoral ministry is not her calling.
Thank you for your response. I appreciate your feedback, Dwight.
How interesting! It is a very challenging calling to be a pastor! I hope she finds what she is looking for!
I hope so, too.
Jan, blessings for sharing this worship message in poetic form. Your notes are always full of God’s Word. The new color for your church looks outstanding. May the green continue to bless God’s presence inside and outside of your sanctuary. God’s peace be with you.
Thank you, Dick! 👌🏽💕
What a wonderful subject chosen for a Sermon Jan. and your notes reflect that we have been in Martha’s shoes often, busy, busy and resentful that others do not seem to pull their weight..
Yet Jesus was right… We each do what is right for ourselves… We are the ones who push ourselves to be the doers, and we have all of us been the doer’s in life.
Balance is what is needed, and Mary chose to sit and listen. No one is right or wrong. They are who they are. Like we are all different, in our own perspectives.
I love the colour of your new paintwork upon your Church Jan, Green is renewal and growth. Perfect…
And a belated Happy Birthday dear Jan, that cake looked scrummy… I hope you had a wonderful Happy Day my dear friend xx <3
Much love to you xx <3
Thank you for your beautiful response, Sue. God bless you! Have an awesome August!
You too dearest Jan xx <3 _/\_ xx
I’m a blend of both Martha and Mary. I do best whenever what I am doing allows me to focus on Him as I’m doing it. For instance, I need exercise, but find it boring. My solution has been to pray while I exercise. It gives me focused prayer time and I don’t feel so grumpy doing my exercise. Yes, I like the green since it seems to blend well with nature instead of glaring in your face :-).