Scripture
Luke 10:38-42 (New International Version)
 
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 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!"
  
"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed-or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

Meditation
Missing the Point - Jonathan Morris
 
As a Christian, we face two kinds of dangers regarding work: one set when we don't work, and the other when we do.
 
There are many passages in the Bible that confront those that want to be a part of the Kingdom without doing the work. No one raises the issue of working for the Kingdom as powerfully as did James in his letter; he dared anyone to show him Faith without the works that flow naturally and inevitably from the new life which Jesus places inside us.
 
In this passage, Martha certainly was hard at work, working from a deep love for her Savior, and working to give the best of what she had to honor His visit to her house. James would not have doubted her faith or her love for Jesus by the actions she took. Her motivations were pure, her intent was right, and her love and commitment was strong. But Jesus points out to her that her good intentions turned out to be distractions from what was best.
 
Luke doesn't record if Martha and Jesus debated this more, but it wouldn't surprise me if there wasn't a lot more to this conversation. If we were in the same situation, I'm sure we would object to Jesus' friendly criticism, and our argument might go like this:
 
"But I want the house to be clean for You, Jesus!" Then Jesus' answer would gently point out that our motivations might be based too much on protecting our reputation and image.
 
"But You deserve the best, Jesus!" Then Jesus would remind us that the best we can do in lodging could never compare with His heavenly home.
 
"But I am working to show you my love, and Mary isn't doing anything!" Maybe Jesus' answer would remind us that the Christian Walk isn't a competitive foot race between believers; our focus must always be on what God wants.
 
I hear Jesus wrapping up this debate with Martha by repeating His message more simply and directly: "Martha, what you have that I want isn't your house, or your dinner, or your work. What I want is your heart. I want you to love Me so much that you will accept eternal life from me, and live that life of love in everything you do. That calling is hard work, too, Martha. It involves burying your desires, your pride, and your ways, and doing My will, walking in My way. Mary is here listening, studying, and showing her love for Me in growing in her Walk. Martha, the way you could best show your love for Me is to come, sit, listen, be with Me now. That, my dear child, is what is Best."
Reflection
We're not likely to have Jesus ringing our doorbell and inviting Himself to dinner. However, when we go to church, we believe Jesus' words that "where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them." That means this story of Mary and Martha applies just as much to "God's House" as it does to our homes.
 
For as long as there have been church leaders, there has been a danger that while doing the work of the Kingdom, leaders would miss living in the Kingdom and fellowshipping with the Risen Lord. Picture a small church in the country, with the congregation streaming out the front door joyously celebrating God's love, while the preacher slips out the back door, exhausted and worn down from the tasks of ministry.
 
In churches the size of Peace, there are dozens and dozens of people every Sunday hard at work and just as much at risk of missing time with the Lord because of all the work to be done. Think of the many people with visible roles leading a worship service, needing to focus on hitting their marks and maintaining the flow of the service. Think of lighting and sound technicians, and in some churches, camera crews and producers focused on enhancing the worship experience and recording or broadcasting the week's "event." Think of ushers and greeters managing the flow of automobiles and people, ensuring that enough handouts are where they should be, and that none of the bathrooms run out of paper towels. Think of dozens of other roles that are necessary to conduct worship in the way we hope will appeal to the unchurched people around us. There are many of us doing so much good that we might be distracted from what is Best.
 
There is only one way to combat these distractions, and that is to sit at the feet of Jesus. Those of us called to work in producing worship experiences will miss some of the chances to "be still and know" during worship, but we can later. We can become a part of a regular small group, we can attend a different worship service, or we can arrange a rotating schedule, but we must do something so we, too, can experience what is Best in the presence of the Living Lord.
 
Whatever God has equipped you and called you to do, don't get so caught up in the busyness that you miss the opportunity to be in the presence of our Lord!

Prayer
Thank you, Lord, for giving me the opportunity to work for You! Thank you for giving me talents and leading me to where I can give those talents back to You in service.
 
But remind me, Lord, that the point of my service is to glorify You and draw closer to You. Remind that "my" work is meaningless if I forget Who the work is for.
 
Let the works of my hands, the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen.

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