Toolbox For Faith

Each time that I read the story of Mary and Martha like we did in worship last Sunday, I think of my friend Reilly Hammond, a wise Baptist minister. I was at his church one day when he introduced me to a woman who was rearranging the narthex. He told me her name and then said, “She is our church’s designated Martha” which made the woman and me laugh.

When we walked away, Reilly said that every church needs a “designated Martha” so everything would run smoothly. He only wished that Jesus would have had one nice thing to say about Martha rather than merely praising Mary. He noted that scripture does not say what happened after the meal but Reilly was sure that Jesus praised Martha enthusiastically.

The point of the story of Mary and Martha is that we need to realize what is lasting and what is not lasting. God’s word is lasting which is what Mary chose and what we need to choose. We need to concentrate on what is lasting and realize that the most important thing is not rearranging the narthex.

I often say that life is a “both…and” world and not an “either…or” world. I feel that effective Christians can be both Mary and Martha–people male and female, young and old–who first listen, prioritize their actions to concentrate of what is lasting and then do. And when nothing important is happening, we can rearrange the narthex.