Who are you? Mary? Martha?

Depending on where I am in my life when I read this story about Mary and Martha, I identify with either one. There are times when I sympathize with Martha; she is doing as she has always done. She is the consummate host extending hospitality to Jesus and catering to him as is her duty in that time and place. She is irritated at her sister Mary who she thinks is slacking in her duties, just sitting there listening to Jesus. There would have been a lot of little details for Martha to attend to and having the extra set of hands of Mary would have been helpful. Sometimes I sympathize with Mary. Martha seems like a bit of a taskmaster and it couldn't have been easy for Mary to work under her when it appears that they have very different personalities. Mary wants to take advantage of the rare opportunity to listen to the words Jesus is sharing at her own table. I always think it must have been humiliating for Mary when Martha drags Jesus in to her dramatic display and asks him to make Mary work. We (in the church) frequently talk about the need for action when we are talking about doing God's work.  We preach mission and involvement and those are both action items. One could argue that the church has been a bit idle in the past and has neglected doing the "get your hands dirty" work required for mission; this is a good thing. Just not the way Martha is doing it. Martha is doing this hard work because she is supposed to - it is her station in life as a woman in this context. Martha is not doing this hospitality for the glory of God. She is worried and she is distracted by trivial details.  We too get worried and distracted by all the to-do's and task lists. Mission doesn't happen by itself - we must work at it and not be idle. However, when we lose focus of the big picture, too distracted to hear the directions, we are doing the work but at the expense of listening to the word of God. How often do we long to be like Mary; to quietly listen to the voice of Jesus? To mindfully focus on only one thing? To lay aside the worries and drudgery of work in favor of the peace and good news that Jesus brings? Being like Mary is a possibility for all of us if we can learn that it is ok to rest and meditate and simply listen for the voice of God. We need to give ourselves permission to close our eyes, to step away from the work distraction and listen. How else can we ensure that we are on the right path? I think in many ways it is easier to be like Martha - ticking items off her to-do list one by one. She feels that Mary was sitting idly, but quietly listening, focusing and absorbing is not easy to do. And yet, Jesus says, "Mary has chosen the better part." Mary and Martha are a good balance for each other, but I feel like it's important for both of these aspects to be present in each of us - to know when to get our hands dirty, to work hard for the big picture and for the glory of God but also to know when to simply sit and listen. thanks to Samantha Rossi, guest blogger and seminarian from Upstate NY Synod. This first appeared in the Upstate Update Midweek Musings.

If you had been here...........

"If you had been here my brother would not have died."
Both Mary and Martha say these exact words to their close friend, their brother Lazarus' close friend, Jesus.

You've heard them said in similar ways by friends and relatives:
If only........we had gone to the doctor's office earlier
If only........he had watched his sugar
If only........the ambulance had come sooner
If only........I had called that morning to check on her
If only.......we had the right doctor

The foundation for these words is a deep grief and the stark reality of someone's death.  Winding through these words is the sense of being abandoned, lost, alone.  We all hear the overtone of blame and guilt.

Releasing a loved one into the hands of a merciful God is difficult beyond measure.  Jesus waited four days before showing up at Lazarus' door.  Jesus wanted to be sure Lazarus was truly dead before he came.  It not only looks intentional, it was intentional.  Lazarus had to be really and truly dead for Jesus to do what needed to be done; to bring him back across that threshold of the tomb to resume his life.  It was not easy for Mary or Martha or Jesus for that matter.

But it really wasn't easy for Lazarus.  He would have to enter the place of death again.  He would have to really and truly die once more.  For those following Jesus, Lazarus was the final example of the power of God present in Jesus.  The power to bring back into life that which is dead.

God doesn't stop there.  Easter morning God will show us that returning to this life is but a reprise of this created life while resurrection is a gift of life beyond the power of death.  Jesus rose to die no more.

That's the promise he makes to us as well.  "Follow me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling places so where I am you can be also."  It is time once again for us to do our best to grasp the undiluted power of that message and that gift.