Day 5 – A Month with Mary and Martha

“As Jesus and his disciples went on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.”  Luke 10:38

You know, if Martha hadn’t opened her home to Jesus, Mary wouldn’t have had the chance to sit at his feet. Sure, Mary made a good choice to listen to Jesus teach.  But that was a direct result of Martha’s choice to invite him in. 

Today is Sunday, a Mary-day.  The Sabbath was designed to be a time for us to sit at Jesus’ feet;  to listen to his teaching;  to set aside distractions and worries for awhile.  For it to be possible for us to have a Mary-day, there has to be a lot of Martha-preparation.  The janitor cleans, the secretary prints bulletins, the pastor writes a sermon, the musicians practice songs, the sound man checks the mics, teachers study the lessons, somebody makes coffee, somebody unlocks the doors and turn on the lights, somebody prays.  Mary-days just don’t happen without Martha-preparation.  The key lies in the first three letters of that word.

Pre: a prefix meaning prior to, in advance of, beforehand.  So, preparations are supposed to be done beforehand.  Imagine the janitor vacuuming the sanctuary during the opening prayer; or the secretary printing bulletins during the praise singing; or the musicians having to start over several times.  Imagine a pastor stopping during his sermon  and saying,  “Excuse me folks, I’ll be right back.  Hold tight while I run into my office to write the end of this message.”

Martha was doing the right things, just at the wrong time. 

Lesson to be learned:  When Jesus shows up, leave the dishes in the sink.