You Can't Have Two Women in the Same Kitchen

July 17, 2022 Luke 10:38-42 You Can’t Have Two Women in the Same Kitchen 5th Sunday After Pentecost Year C Opening Song Welcome Call to Worship L: How are you this morning? P: It would be easy for us to say “fine, thank you”, but the truth is that there are lots of things going on in your lives, lots of time crunches and pressures. L: You have come to the right place. Rest for a minute. Take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Just relax and let your heart be open to God’s word for you. P: That sounds good to us. L: Feel the healing, soothing power of God’s love for you. P: Lord, we rest our minds, spirits, and hearts in your compassionate love. AMEN. (Nancy Townley for United Methodist Ministry Matters) Invocation Divine Gardener, we need your care and nurture. Fertilize our soil and our souls. Plant seeds of wisdom, inspiration, and discernment. Prune us today for more abundance tomorrow. Refresh us with living water. Revive us again. Amen. (Faith INFO Team for United Church of Christ Worship Ways) Song Be Thou My Vision UMH 451 Scripture Luke 10:38-42 Sermon – You Can’t Have Two Women in the Same Kitchen Every kitchen has one, whether it is in at home, or at a business or in the church. Some people say that she is the kitchen witch, some say the kitchen nazi, I prefer the title kitchen queen or king. Every kitchen has someone who is considered the boss, in control of everything that happens in that kitchen. And Martha was the appropriate person to be in charge. The name Martha means the lady of the house. Luke does not tell us a lot about who Martha was – but it does say the it was her household. She must have invited Jesus and the disciples to come to the house for dinner, or for rest on the way to Jerusalem. And as they were coming, she had to make sure that everything was perfect for their stay. That would be what the head of the household did. She didn’t have to actually do the work, but she would have been the manager to make sure everything got done. Apparently the only staff that she had to help was her little sister Mary. If Martha was the head of the household, then it was her little sister’s job to take instructions and do whatever her older sister told her to. That was in the household rule book. But you know what they say about two women in the same kitchen. It doesn’t always work out. So I think Mary just got tired of being told what to do, and decided to stay out of the kitchen and to let Martha do all of the work. As a matter of fact, the name Martha means lady of the house, Mary means rebel.- or beloved one who doesn’t have to do anything. If Martha was the host and Jesus was the guest, why else would she ask Jesus to make her sister come back in the kitchen to help? One of the first places that we visited on our trip to Israel was Bethel. I remember it being like a small space, with very small houses very close together. Each house was probably about the size of my living room and kitchen. It was a very cramped space. There is no way Jesus and 72 of his disciples was going to get into one house, I can’t even see it being enough room for 12 guest to be comfortable. And I certainly remember the kitchen, definitely not enough room for 2 people to be comfortable cooking. The two lessons that I remember from visiting that space. First, like many sites on Israel, they were not certain that this was the real site of Bethel, it was just a guestimate. This would have been an example of the scene of this story. Secondly, our guides pointed out – Mary and Martha would have been very popular names. So are Mary and Martha in Luke, the same as the Mary, Martha and Lazurus of the book of John? We will never know. The point of the story is that Mary and Martha could have been anyone in their society. The story of Mary and Martha is the story of any two women who couldn’t cook together in the same kitchen. Luke’s details about the story are vague enough for each of us to see ourself in the story. Would we be the Martha of the house- working hard to make sure that everything was perfect for our guest, or would we be Mary – wanting to be present with our guest, listening to every thing going on? Of course, in the story, when Martha asks Jesus to correct Mary, it seems as if Jesus takes Mary’s side when he says that life is about choices, and Mary has made the better choice. If Martha had made the decision to sit and listen to the teachings, then no one would have had dinner that day. This scripture can stir up a lot of emotions, about the work of the household and even the church. IT seems that the person who is doing all of the work, is not being acknowledged for that work. When we hear this story, we too think that we have to make a choice and pick who is right and who is wrong. Are we a Martha is our work for God, or are we a Mary? At times I have been both. We also have to remember, that this is not the first time that Jesus has been asked to make a choice between two siblings. And every time, Jesus responds that is not his place. This is not a story about who is right, it is a story about hospitality, and ultimately discipleship. We are still in chapter 10 of Luke, where Jesus is traveling to Jersalem. And the lesson he has been teaching is on hospitality. We have been in chapter 10 for 3 weeks now. First Jesus commissions the 72 people to go out and depend on the hospitality of the community, next Jesus uses the Samaritan to ask us who is our neighbor, and today Mary and Martha remind is that discipleship is a matter of both/and hospitality and presence. This story is not called Mary or Martha, it is called Mary and Martha. We Need Martha and Mary Max Lucado is right on target when he writes: "Every church needs a Martha. Change that. Every church needs a hundred Marthas. Sleeves rolled up and ready, they keep the pace for the church. Because of Marthas the church budgets get balanced church buildings get repaired and cleaned babies get bounced on loving knees in the nursery. You don't appreciate Marthas until a Martha is missing and all the Marys of the church start scrambling to find the keys to lock doors, turn off the lights and turn off the fans. Yes, the Marthas are the Energizer Bunnies of the church. They keep going and going and going." Martha was a live wire to be sure. However, even live wires need a time out for recharging. Work without worship will soon burn you out. Even in church we can lose our sense of perspective. Max Lucado, A Gentle Thunder, Word Publishing, 1995, page 127. I think the challenge for many of us is to find the balance between hard work and resting in Jesus. Our lesson, is that hospitality is an important part of discipleship. In chapter 10 Jesus teaches that all of us here have a purpose and Jesus commissions us to go forth, that serving God can leave us vulnerable and sometimes full of questions, and it is important for us to do the work, but also to be present to those we are helping. In allowing Mary to sit at Jesus’ feet, Jesus takes over the job of being the host. Jesus becomes the servant and shows us what hospitality for all of the world looks like. Jesus tells us the in hospitality and discipleship only one thing is necessary – In the classic Billy Crystal movie “City Slickers,” three longtime friends face middle age. In their middle-age crisis they find themselves losing their focus and in danger of losing their families. To reignite the fire in their lives the guys sign up as “cowboys,” helping a dude ranch move its herd of cattle from high in the hills down to the lower valley. “Curly,” the grizzled old cowboy who leads them, seems to be the toughest, canniest, wisest person they have ever met. Billy Crystal asks the usually tight-lipped cowpoke what his secret is. What makes his life so strong and centered and sure. Curly smiles, raises his grubby, gloved index finger and proclaims, “It is just one thing,” then he rides away. Billy’s character spends the rest of the movie frantically trying to figure out what Curly meant. What IS that “just one thing?” Psychologists, marriage counselors, relationship gurus of all stripes, warn us not to expect one person to provide for all our emotional, intellectual, and relational needs. We need a variety of relationships, a network of spouses, friends, colleagues from work, basketball buddies, quilting club comrades, children, elders, and peers, to meet all our relational needs. But what might be true for our human connections does not hold true for our spiritual needs. Our soul needs only “one thing.” No matter what your denomination. No matter if your spiritual temperament is exuberant, reserved, flamboyant, or meditative. Whether your soul craves cathedrals, or soars under the blue dome, it is all the same as long as we have that “one thing.” That “one thing” is Jesus. The point of our hospitality is always to be disciples of Christ. Amen. Song What a Friend we have in Jesus UMH 526 Prayer of the Day Eternal God, you draw near to us in Christ, and you make yourself our guest. Amid the cares of our lives, make us attentive to your presence, that we may treasure your word above all else, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord (Evangelical Lutheran Church of America worship resources) Pastoral Prayer Lord’s Prayer UMH 894 Children’s Sermon Kristin Schmidt Hello! So, how are you guys doing today? What have you been up to this weekend? (Take a few answers, but cut students off before they get too detailed, explaining that you don’t have much time) Okay okay, we need to keep going…let’s move on, we need to learn about Jesus and we are actually taking a very quick quiz about Bible stories. What is your favorite Bible story or Bible character? Come on, quickly now, we don’t have all day; favorite Bible character- go! (Rush children through answers…) Well, here are some Bible stories I have (Hold up illustrated Bible or pictures of stories): what’s in this picture? Who is this one? Hurry, hurry, I hope you know these? What’s this one? (After flipping through several stories, slow down somewhat) Well, it might have felt a little rushed and stressful to have all of those questions thrown at you so quickly, huh? I have another question…how do we get to Heaven? How do we get God’s love? (Take a few answers) Do you think we have to do special things to be better Christians? Well, sometimes we think that we have to do certain things or know certain things in order to be a “just right” Christian or have God love us more. We get caught up in hurrying through life and thing we look better if we go to church a lot or do a lot of important things. But you know what? There is nothing we can do to earn God’s love. And there’s nothing we need to do to earn His love! He already loves us, and all we have to do is accept His love and know that Jesus died for us. He did all the work. And He wants us to just be ourselves and enjoy His presence. There is a story in the Bible about two sisters who had Jesus over for dinner. One of them was named Martha. Martha was very busy, and she was rushing around preparing for Jesus. She was cooking and cleaning and working, and she got upset because her sister, Mary, was just hanging out with Jesus. She wasn’t helping do the work but just sat listening to Jesus talk. Martha got upset and asked Jesus to yell at her about it. But He told her Mary was the one doing the right thing. It was not as important to do things for Jesus as it was to spend time with Him. Jesus didn’t want a dusted floor or fresh loaf of bread. He wanted people. And that is how He feels about us, too! What’s important is not just what we know or say or do…it’s how we love God. We can breathe and pause and rest in His presence. He is always there for us! (Hold up small toy) Look at this…what does it do? Does it sing or cook or dance in circles? No. But we can enjoy it just for what it is. That’s sort of how God feels about us. He made us, and He doesn’t require any special activities. He loves us just because we are His children! So remember, there’s nothing wrong with doing things for God. But that is not the most important thing. We can rest in Him and know we are part of His family, no matter what else we do. Isn’t that great news? Let’s thank God for that… Prayer: (Have kids repeat each line, if desired) Dear God, Thank you for the words of the Bible Thank you for making us part of your family Help us to slow down and breathe And rest in your presence Thank you for your love We love you, God! Thank you for Jesus In His name, Amen! Stewardship Moment Invitation to Generosity Colossians 1:18 reminds us that Jesus is the head of the church and first in all things. May we place Christ first as we share the gifts we have been given. Prayer of Dedication and Thanksgiving Alpha and Omega, may these gifts meet the needs before us, the community around us, and the call within us. Amen. (Faith INFO Ministry Team for United Church of Christ Worship Ways) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook God calls. Christ walks with us. The Holy Spirit guide us. As we enter this new week may we go with the grace and blessings of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen. (Terri McDowell Ott for Presbyterian Outlook) Community Time Benediction As you go, make known the wonders of God, share the hope of God, and spread the love of God. The grace of God will sustain and guide you. The glory of God will propel you. Amen. (Faith INFO Ministry Team for United Church of Christ Worship Ways) Additional illustrations Don’t Forget the Best There is an ancient Scottish legend that tells the story of a shepherd boy tending a few straggling sheep on the side of a mountain. One day as he cared for his sheep he saw at his feet a beautiful flower -- one that was more beautiful than any he had ever seen in his life. He knelt down upon his knees and scooped the flower in his hands and held it close to his eyes, drinking in its beauty. As he held the flower close to his face, suddenly he heard a noise and looked up before him. There he saw a great stone mountain opening up right before his eyes. And as the sun began to shine on the inside of the mountain, he saw the sprinkling of the beautiful gems and precious metals that it contained. With the flower in his hands, he walked inside. Laying the flower down, he began to gather all the gold and silver and precious gems in his arms. Finally with all that his arms could carry, he turned and began to walk out of that great cavern, and suddenly a voice said to him, "Don't forget the best." Thinking that perhaps he had overlooked some choice piece of treasure, he turned around again and picked up additional pieces of priceless treasure. And with his arms literally overflowing with wealth, he turned to walk back out of the great mountainous vault. And again the voice said, "Don't forget the best." But by this time his arms were filled and he walked on outside, and all of a sudden, the precious metals and stones turned to dust. And he looked around in time to see the great stone mountain closing its doors again. A third time he heard the voice, and this time the voice said, "You forgot the best. For the beautiful flower is the key to the vault of the mountain." In our Scripture passage we have someone who also forgot the best. Her name was Martha. Adrian Dieleman, Hosts and Guests _____________________________________________ Responding with Humor By the way, don't you think Luke also included this incident in his gospel account because he found it irresistible, or perhaps more accurately, because he found a touch of humor in it? There is humor here, isn't there? We smile at the story because we see ourselves in it, or we detect someone we know who is similar to Martha. Sometimes our priorities, or frustrations, are so far off the beam that they are laughable. And along with this was Martha's own lack of humor, which might have finally saved her. "The Lord's coming to my house? You mean he did accept my reckless invitation?" Martha might have asked. "Well, then, he's going to have to settle for potluck!" Such an attitude could have made Martha a relaxed, delightful hostess. A friend of mine likes to tell stories about how his teenage children would call him at home on the telephone on Friday nights after the high school basketball games. It was usually about 10 o'clock and they wanted to know whether they could bring a few friends over for a little get together. When the parents asked how many friends were coming, they were usually told, "Oh, about seventeen." Instead of slamming down the phone, the guy said he always smiled at his wife, and the two of them hightailed it over to the supermarket to get enough supplies to feed and water down the two dozen teenagers who showed up. The slight ridiculousness of the situation and the parents' humorous response to it preserved a loving relationship between them and their children. Richard W. Patt, All Stirred Up, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. The Highest Priority Have you ever been in a hurry and buttoned up a long overcoat with lots of buttons and when you were done, found out that the coat was uneven? What went wrong? I'll tell you what went wrong. When you don't get the first button in the right hole, all the rest are out of sequence too, right?! That's a parable about life. Jesus said it this way in the Sermon on the Mount: "Seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well." (Matthew 6:33) If the Lord is not the high priority in your life, then, like the overcoat, so many other things in life will be out of whack as well. Arthur E. Dean Windhorn Tell Me About The Spitfires! During World War II the Royal Air Force flew Danny's favorite plane of all time: the Spitfire. Watching those things fly all over the RKO newsreels the young boy came to believe they were dauntless. If a pilot flew a Spitfire, Danny thought, he would always hit his target, and he would always return home. One day the British Consul from Minneapolis came to Danny's town to visit. Danny's dad was chairman of the County War Bond drive so that gave him the honor of entertaining the British Consul in his home. His mother, Suzanne, went crazy with preparations. She brought in all her friends; she hired a German woman to clean the house; she went downtown to buy a new dress. The day the Consul arrived 40 people crammed into three rooms to welcome this man. Each one of those people couldn't wait to tell this tall, thin diplomat from England about the town, about how patriotic it was, about how he or she had a great-aunt in London, about how well the war was going. They all had plenty to say. Suzanne was running around fractiously trying to serve everybody and greet everybody, and make sure everybody had a place to sit, and did they want more of this -- in general, were they having a good time. Finally the British Consul sat down. For a split second he was actually by himself. The hostess had left to get him a drink; all the other guests momentarily turned away. Danny saw his chance. He ran to him. Even though the Consul was sitting, the boy still had to stand to whisper into his ear: "Tell me about Spitfires!" The tall man looked at the eight-year-old. He smiled, he relaxed, and he said, "Spitfires? I'll tell you a story about Spitfires. I flew one early in the war. It was splendid. I shot down a Messerschmidt and I came home alive. The next time I wasn't so lucky. That's why I'm not flying anymore. What is your name? I'll send you some pictures of Spitfires." About a month later a letter came from Minneapolis. Inside was a folder about Spitfires and a note from the Consul: "Dear Danny. I enjoyed talking with you. Good luck." He signed his name. Danny was the only person who didn't barrage the Consul's ears with information about the town and American patriotism. This small boy was the only one who said, "Tell me about Spitfires." He was the only one who actually listened to him -- even if it was just for a few minutes! In today's gospel lesson Jesus needs somebody to listen. He has just begun his journey to Jerusalem where he knows he will travel the bitter road of the cross and he will experience the loneliness of being denied, abandoned, and betrayed by his disciples. Martha may think her tasks have a high level of importance and at another time she would be right but not now. Now, it is time to sit and listen. John G. Lynch, Troubled Journey, The Better Part, CSS Publishing Company. _________________________________________ Sermon Opener – Mary, Martha, and the Martha Stewart Church – Luke 10:38-42 In today’s gospel text Martha, the mistress of the house, rushes around trying to make sure everything is perfect. Martha is like some first century Martha Stewart. She is focused on the food, the house, the drink. Martha seems to be doing for others. At first reading Martha is just being a conscientious hostess. But a deeper reading of the story reveals Martha is really only concerned with herself. How does HER house look? How does HER food taste? How are HER wines being served? Martha is so busy “serving” she completely forgets whom she truly serves… ___________________ Humor: When to Worry Now, I'm your pastor and I am going to give you permission to worry. But, you can only worry if one of these 7 things happens to you: Your birthday cake collapses from the weight of the candles. You turn on the news and they're showing emergency routes out of the city. Your twin sister forgot your birthday. Your car horn goes off accidentally and remains stuck as you follow a group of Hell's Angels on the freeway. The bird singing outside your window is a buzzard. Your income tax check bounces. Your wife says, "Good morning, Bill", and your name is George. Other than that you don't have anything to worry about. Unknown Lord of All Pots and Pans I have only the initials (M.K.H., quoted in the Salvation Army magazine) of the person who wrote this verse, but I suspect that a lot of other initials could be added to it in spirit: Lord of all pots and pans, since I’ve no time to be A saint by doing lovely things, or watching late with Thee Or dreaming in dawnlight, or storming heaven's gates Make me a saint by getting meals and washing up the plates. Carveth Mitchell, The Sign in the Subway, CSS Publishing Company. My Back Yard True happiness is not achieved it is received as in the case of two brothers Rich and Mike, who are complete opposites. Mike is a successful businessman. Rich, on the other hand, takes seasonal jobs at dude ranches, parks and resorts. Mike is always concerned for Rich’s welfare and tries to entice him with the "good life." He sends Rich photos labeled with messages like "My new sound system" or "My new car." But one day the campaign ended when Mike received a poster from his brother showing a breathtaking view of Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park. On the back was a message from Rich: "My back yard." Unknown The Dangerous Attitude of Narrowness Some years ago in another church a party was given to recognize a married couple for their outstanding work in the church’s youth program. Let me tell you about this couple. I will call them Betty and Bill. They had very different personalities. Betty was vivacious, out-going, gregarious, affectionate... a hugger. If you gave her a “bow ribbon,” she would jump up and down and squeal with delight and then run around and hug and kiss everybody in the room. Bill, on the other hand, was the opposite. He was quiet, reserved, shy, stable, balanced. If you gave him a Mercedes and a trip to Hawaii, all he could do is say a quiet and sincere “Thank you.” Now, on this particular night Betty and Bill were given a surprise party. The young people jumped out from their hiding places, shouted “Surprise!” and then gave Betty and Bill a present. It was a beautiful plaque. Do you know what Betty did? She read the plaque out loud. She squealed with delight. She cried. She jumped up and down and then ran around the room hugging and kissing everybody in sight. Meanwhile, Bill waited… and when she was through he said quietly: “I want to thank you also!” But that is not the end of the story. Betty turned on Bill. She got mad at him… and she made a scene: “Look at you Bill. You don’t appreciate anything. If you did, you would act like it. You would do like I do!” But, you see Bill can’t act that way. He just isn’t made that way. He is not wired up like Betty is. He can’t act like her, can’t respond that way. If he did, it would be fake, artificial, embarrassing. You want to say: “Betty, Betty, leave him alone. Don’t force your way on him. Let him do it his way. Let him be Bill!” Now, I have to tell you hugs and kisses are great, but I also know that Bill’s quiet “thank you” is just as real, just as genuine, just as valid. In this episode with Mary and Martha, Jesus is saying, beware of the dangerous attitude of narrowness. It can devastate your soul. James W. Moore, Encounters with Christ