Choosing Mary’s Way

On July 18, 2010, in Morning, Sermons, by Richard

Listen to Readings and Sermon 8th Sunday after Pentecost The Good News Written Psalm 52.8-9 (NRSV) 8I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever. 9I will thank you forever, because of what you have done. In the presence of the [...]

Listen to Readings and Sermon

8th Sunday after Pentecost

The Good News Written

Psalm 52.8-9 (NRSV)

⁸I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever. ⁹I will thank you forever, because of what you have done. In the presence of the faithful I will proclaim your name, for it is good.

From the wisdom of Paramahansa Yogananda

“You demonstrate success or failure according to your habitual trend of thought… If your mind is ordinarily in a negative state, an occasional positive thought is not sufficient to attract success. But if you think rightly, you will find your goal even though you seem to be enveloped in darkness…

Don’t mentally review any problem constantly. Let it rest at times and it may work itself out; but see that you do not rest so long that your [discernment] is lost. Rather, use these rest periods to go deep within the calm region of your inner Self. Attuned with your soul, you will be able to think correctly regarding everything you do; and if your thoughts or actions have gone astray they can be realigned. This power of divine attunement can be achieved by practice and effort.”

Luke 10.38-42 (NRSV)

³⁸Now as they went on their way, [Jesus] entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. ³⁹She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the [Teacher’s] feet and listened to what he was saying. ⁴⁰But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “[Sir], do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” ⁴¹But [Jesus] answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; ⁴²there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

The Good News Proclaimed

Preached by the Reverend Doctor Durrell Watkins at the Sunshine Cathedral on Sunday, July18, 2010.

In the gospel story today, Martha is “playing the good host” but she isn’t really being attentive to Jesus. She is fussing, she is worrying, she is trying to be controlling…she is mostly stirring up anxiety and discord. She is more concerned with appearing to be a good host than she is about really spending time with Jesus and learning from him and then being part of his mission and message in the world. Martha isn’t a healing presence, but a source of aggravation.

Mary, by contrast, pays Jesus the highest compliment. She makes herself totally available to him. She gives him her undivided attention. She listens to him, taking the posture of a disciple, sitting at a great Teacher’s feet. And disciples are not only learners, they are then practitioners of what they have learned. So, by taking the posture of a student, she is also becoming a teacher herself. Mary is giving her attention to Jesus, and is wanting to extend his light to the world. Mary, Jesus says, has made the better choice.

Of course, if you are going to entertain guests, someone has to send out the invitations, prepare the meal, serve the drinks, clean the house, and so on. Martha isn’t in trouble for being busy… that’s not the point. The point is she is not only busing playing the host, but she is as busy being a busy-body… complaining about Mary, complaining that things aren’t going her way, complaining that Mary is doing something new and she doesn’t like it. She’s busy… we all are (and need to be). But she’s busy not only doing the work of entertaining a guest, but she’s also busy sowing seeds of discord and dissension. We almost can’t even see her good work because we are so troubled by the pettiness of her speech and attitude.

But there’s Mary. Listening to Jesus. Being present to Jesus. Not paying any attention to Martha’s negativity. Not listening to Martha’s fussiness. Mary’s focus is on Jesus, and her posture is that of becoming Jesus’ disciple, and a minister of Jesus’ good news. Mary has made the better choice.

For those who want things as they’ve always been… this story is challenging. For those who want everything to always go their way… this story is challenging. For those who find themselves in Martha’s position (and let’s get real… we’ve all been Martha a time or two)… this story is challenging; it challenges us to lighten up, to remember what is really important, and to change our behavior from destructive to constructive, from hating to healing, from agitation to celebration, from fear to faith, from complaining to motivating. Mary has made a better choice… and we are challenged to also make the better choice. And here’s the big secret… Mary is happier than Martha is. But Martha can choose again, and she can be as happy as Mary is.

In the four years that I have been at Sunshine Cathedral, I have been blessed to be in Mary’s company so many times. And while we of all places have plenty of Marys, I’m especially grateful for the ways that Mary reminds me of what is really important and to listen to the message of Jesus and then to share it as we collect food, as we stand up for life and liberty in Jamaica, as we demand marriage equality in the US, as we comfort the bereaved and visit the sick and pray for people all over the world.

Mary reminds me to focus on what is important as we provide a place of worship that affirms the sacred value of all people and that offers a home to literally dozens of community groups seeking to do good in the world. Thank you Mary for reminding us why we are here and that our time, talent, and treasure, our goodwill and our commitment that never wavers is changing and even saving people’s lives. Thank you Mary for being the light of Christ in our midst and calling us to follow your example.

But I must say that Martha has blindsided me a few times as well. She has complained about every expenditure and every spending cut. She has complained about every executive decision and every rumor that she hasn’t bothered to learn the truth about. She has complained about the furnishings and decor, the font of the newsletter, and even about the types of vestments people do or don’t wear. Martha is busy, but not always focused on what really matters.

Martha has complained about the grand sort of opening hymn with which we often begin worship. Of course, others like it, but Martha only cares that she doesn’t. Martha forgets that we are trying to serve a diverse population.

Martha has complained about the use of videos in worship, and secular music, and show tunes…how disrespectful to bring all that silly stuff into a dignified worship setting. Of course, all of that makes church relevant and useful to some people, but Martha isn’t concerned that it might bless someone else, only that she doesn’t like it. Martha forgets that we are trying to serve a diverse population.

Martha has complained that we had a bell choir, and then she complained when we no longer had a bell choir. We will have one again, and I suspect Martha will be sending me a scathing email about it. But it will bless someone; and I’ll deal with the complaints. In fact, if Martha signs her name to the email, I’ll even respond to it.

Martha has complained that the organ is too loud. Of course, we underwent a year of hellish renovations to be able to house our world class organ, and some people dearly love organ music…but not Martha and because she doesn’t like it she thinks we ought not play it so loudly, and maybe not even play it every week.

Martha complained, A LOT, I mean for about a year, when we started offering closing songs with a more evangelical feel to them at the end of the service. Oh, and when Don Potter would break out his tambourine to really make the song bounce, Martha was beside herself. Of course, some people like leaving the service with a spring in their step and a jaunty tune in their heads, but Martha doesn’t care for it, and she forgets that we are trying to serve a diverse population.

Martha has even had some very unkind things to say about the addition of a guitar to our worship services. Now, out of 8 or 10 songs, the guitar only plays for about 2 of them, and it adds something fresh and new to the blended worship service we have. Some people love and appreciate it, but not Martha. She forgets that we are trying to serve a diverse population.

Of course, if we did away with every musical contribution Martha has complained about, we’d have only a piano… and I’d bet a good bit of money that Martha would have something to say about that too.

But including one more option for one more group of people really isn’t worth all that anxiety, is it? We are working so hard to make sure that there is something for everyone. There is room for the organ, the piano, for all styles of music, for the guitar, the drums, the flute… and more! I hope a saxophone player offers her or his talent to our musical mix. I hope we add our wonderful electric keyboard soon. I hope a clarinet, a trombone, and a coronet wind up on this dais. And if you play an instrument, any instrument, why haven’t you offered your talent to the service of God and Her people yet? We’ll continue to have classical music, and gospel music, and pop music, and praise music, and original music, and more… there really is room for more. Martha, relax. Let’s get back to spending some quality time with Jesus whose teachings will remind us what is really important.

I love this congregation and every person in it. And my challenge to all of us today is the very challenge Luke makes with the story of Martha and Mary… I challenge us to remember our purpose. Anxiety, whispering, focusing on the one or two things we don’t like instead of celebrating the dozens of things we love… that negative behavior only hinders our purpose. And in the meantime, there are women who can’t believe that God would call THEM to ministry. There are same-gender loving people who can’t believe that God could LOVE them just as they are. There are people in their 70s who haven’t figured out how to come out yet. There are people in their 20s wondering if there is a safe place for them just to be who they are. There are people who are desperately lonely who don’t know that there is a place where all of who they are will be welcome and affirmed… in leather or in drag or in a business suit. There are people who don’t yet know that they are children of God loved by God created in God’s own image and until every single person who we could possibly reach in Broward County, Jamaica, or on the Internet knows that she or he is a person of sacred value, we just don’t have time to be distracted with the small stuff!

For God’s sake, in Jesus’ name… and today in Mary’s name… let’s remember that what we are really here for is to share the light with the world. There’s too much to do to let ourselves get distracted by anything less important. Let’s be the good news. Amen.