[Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 11C: “Who Does She Think She Is!?” or “Be All that You Can Be”

[joeparrish at compuserve.com]

Forwarded:


-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Sat, Jul 20, 2019 9:47 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 11C: “Who Does She Think She Is!?” or “Be All that You Can Be”

Dear Friends, This Sunday’s sermon is entitled  “Who Does She Think She Is!?” or “Be All thatYou Can Be” and is based on the the gospel (Luke 10:38-42).  Here it is:  Thismorning, we heard the extremely familiar episode of the words between Mary andMartha when Jesus spent time in their home as a dinner guest.  I’m sure you’ve heard sermons about service(emphasis on Martha) and contemplation- spending time with Jesus (emphasis onMary).  I thought about focusing onpriorities- God first (Mary), then service (Martha).  Let’s examine the Biblical account to seewhat other wisdom we can draw from this situation. Martha’sname meant “mistress of the house,” and in this story she really lived up toher name.  The episode actually probablybegan in Martha’s head.  She was mostcertainly delighted when Jesus accepted their dinner invitation, and she reallywanted this meal to be perfect!  I’m sureshe planned dish after dish to impress and delight the Master.  I’m also sure that Mary helped in the kitchenwith the preparations- until- that is UNTIL Jesus actually came to the door andstarted teaching the men.  Mary’s namemeans “rebellion,” and she really lived up to her name in this story.  Mary probably heard a little bit of the men’sconversation and then did something no woman of that day would ever have daredto do- sit at his feet like a disciple, listen to him, and ask himquestions.  Do you remember the bumpersticker from many years back: “A woman’s place is in the house---ofbishops.”  People in that culture reallybelieved the first six words.  Women, aswell as children, were to barely be seen, but certainly not heard, and womenreally belonged in the kitchen and the bedroom- period.  In fact, two common quotations from rabbis ofthat period point this out: “It is better to burn the Torah (first five booksof the Bible) than to teach it to a woman,” and “it is better to teach adaughter to be a prostitute than to teach her the Torah!”  You’ve heard the statement: “Knowledge ispower.”  Here’s just one more example ofthe truth of that statement- just as in slavery times, it was illegal to teacha slave to read, so here in Jesus’ time educating a woman was simply notdone.  Young people- get your education-“Knowledge IS power!”   Now, backto the story.....Martha watched her sister’s behavior with horror- this simplywas not done.  Besides, her family wouldbe the talk of the town.  She’d probablynever live down this latest behavior of her little sister.  She went to Jesus and complained- she wasdoing all the work and Mary was shirking her responsibility.  Notice Jesus’ answer: Martha, Martha (hername called two times- pay attention!), you worry too much.  Only one thing (i.e.- one dish) isenough.  Put first things first- ME.  Listen to ME, no matter what your culturesays.  Mary has chosen the best part- ME,and I’m not sending her away.  ToMartha’s credit, we don’t hear about her saying, “O.K.- I won’t worry aboutfeeding anyone,” and then waiting until the guests’ stomachs start to growl! That’swhat happened.  That’s all we know.  We really don’t know what Martha didnext.  We do know, however, that on thedeath of her brother Lazarus (John 11: 27) she made the same confession offaith that Peter did- “Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  True to their culture (and ours) Peter getsall the credit and her statement is usually overlooked. I see twolife-lessons for us in this episode. First- watch your attitude!  Lookat Martha’s attitude.  Did you hear thestory of the man who was in the express lane at the store quietly fuming?  Completely ignoring the sign, the woman aheadof him had slipped into the check-out line pushing a cart piled high withgroceries.  Imagine his delight when thecashier beckoned the woman to come forward, looked into the cart and askedsweetly, “So, which six items would you like to buy?”  Our resentment doesn’t usually get taken careof as easily as that, and neither did Martha’s. She resents Mary’s supposed laziness. She resents her sitting at Jesus’ feet. She resents her making a laughing-stock of their family by herbehavior.  My friends, resentment doesn’twork- it will poison our souls and make us bitter people.  Watch for these thoughts: “She owes me!  He could at least apologize!”  The person who is treating us this way eitherdoesn’t know or doesn’t care.  Tell thempolitely (don’t let them pull you down to their level) and then give it toGod.  St. Paul had advice on how to dealwith such situations in Ephesians (4: 26-27, 29-30a, 31-32): “Don't get soangry that you sin.  Don't go to bedangry and don't give the devil a chance.....Do not use harmful words, but onlyhelpful words.  Say the right thing atthe right time and help others by what you say. Don't make God's Spirit sad.  Stopbeing bitter and angry and mad at others. Don't yell at one another or curseeach other or ever be rude.  Instead, bekind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you because ofChrist.”  In other words- drop it; don’tinvolve others; work it out; pray it out; don’t give the Devil his due.  Fr. Bill shared a trick with me that he haspersonally used for years- write down what (or more likely who) you’re mad at,scrunch it up, and throw it into the waste basket.  There- it’s done. Thesecond life-lesson: don’t let our culture force you in its mold.  Break the mold.  Be all that you can be.  Like Mary, claim your right as a daughter orson of the King, so don’t believe the messages that say you can’t or it won’twork.   You are not too dark or toolight, too tall or too short, too male or too female, too old or too young, toofat or too thin.  You are not too anything.  You were created JUST RIGHT for who Godintended you to be.  God made you JUSTTHE WAY HE WANTED YOU, so don’t disrespect your creator.  God’s got a “Kingdom puzzle” and He knowsjust where He wants you in it.  With God,all things are possible.  If God wants itand you will work for it, you can do it. Here’s an example of a real sadness in my life that happens all toooften.  Years ago, Fr. Bill and I wouldgo out to lunch frequently, and one of our favorite waitresses was a woman inher mid-forties.  When we first startedgoing to that restaurant, she recognized me as her former sixth gradeteacher.  We talked a bit, and I askedher about her life.  I remember her as abrilliant sixth grade student- one of the smartest young people in herclass.  Now here she is barely making it,waiting tables, working two jobs. Another very smart student, safety-patrol captain, about the same age-was bussing tables in the same restaurant- glad to get a job after a prison termfor selling dope.  Don’t get me wrong-there’s nothing the matter with waiting or bussing tables- all good, honestwork, but maybe God intended (or intends- they’re not too old) for one of themto be the first woman president or the second Black president or to discoverthe cure for HIV/AIDS or some of the forms of cancer, but they believed themessages of our society and limited themselves. They are not being all that they can be, and our society and their ownchildren are the poorer for it. So- fromMartha- watch your attitude.  From Mary- don’tlet our culture force you into its mold. May God bless us with the power and grace to continually, day by day, beall that we can be for His sake.  Amen.For anyone who is interested, this sermon andupdated African-American wisdom statements are posted on our parish’s web siteunder “Sermons & Stuff”. The address is: http://www.stpaulsepisag.org . Blessed preaching,Judy BoliSt. Paul's Episcopal ChurchSaginaw, Michigan-- 
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to propertalk.topic+unsubscribe at ecunet.org.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20190721/22402351/attachment.htm>