Text: Luke 10:38-42
Peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Not everything is black and white in regard to our Christian faith… our Christian doctrine. Let me quickly add though, that most things are… very straightforward with clearly delineated lines and demarcations between right and wrong, good and evil, holy and unholy… that which is good, right and salutary versus that which is sick and perverted.
Given this, there are nevertheless times and situations when we dare not be quick to judge, quick to label as can be done with our Lord visiting the home of Mary and Martha and our simply labeling Mary as the good sister and Martha as the not so good. There is a valid reason why this brief account is included in Holy Scripture and serves as an appointed Gospel lesson in our church’s lectionary for there is much to learn here… much to consider.
Visual images of both sisters in action easily pop into our heads as this story unfolds. We can see Mary sitting there at the feet of our Lord, intently listening… “fixed and rivetted” if you will, on every word that came out of Jesus’ mouth. For her, everything else must have faded away. Everyone else as well.
Mary was experiencing what so many women and men had encountered before her and even more yet to come… being there, right there, in the presence of Jesus… and being amazed… astonished… as St. Mark describes… “at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.” (Mark 1:22) Jesus spoke like no mere mortal… and for good reason.
He spoke like no other, none other. What our Lord said was like no other, none other. Jesus today, right here, right now in this holy place… speaks like no other, none other… words we long to hear… words we need to hear… to take into our hearts and minds… to ponder and embrace.
No. It is not hard to picture Mary sitting there at Jesus’ feet. And it is not hard to picture Martha either, hard at work, scurrying around, doing this, doing that… making this, making that… attentive to her Lord and those who were with Him.
Martha was burdened with the work before her. She was anxious to do her best… and yes, downright miffed at her sister. Can you image the looks she might have given to Mary. Per chance have similar looks been directed to you by siblings or others… or might you have been the one to give the look… the infamous “eye?”
Either way, it is not our finest hour as it was not entirely for Martha.
Nevertheless, what she was doing was a good thing. We can easily lose sight of that. Serving the Lord and others is part and parcel of our Christian faith… our Christian life here on earth. Where there is true love for our Savior, there is always going to be true service rendered to Him and our fellow man. The two go hand in hand. They are inseparable.
My friends, what is key and crucial here is for us to understand that to be true servants of our Lord… as odd as it might seem… we must first be His guests. Even though Mary was in her own home, sitting there at Jesus’ feet, she was in reality His guest and a very willing one at that.
Our Lord, there and then, was serving her. He was giving her and all who were gathered in that house, including Martha, the very Bread of Life, that which alone sustains us in body and soul. Nothing else mattered at that moment.
It is no different for us… with us. We come here to this Holy House at the divine command and gracious invitation of our Lord… to be His guest… He who is the Head of the Church. What an honor! What a privilege! That which Mary no doubt felt and viewed as such as Christ served her.
We come here not to serve God, but for the Lord God Almighty to serve us as He is doing right now in and through His Holy Word and as He will shortly do as we gather as His guests at His table and receive His very Body and Blood. What part of that is us? None of it! It is all Him!
This is all Gottesdienst… God’s work! In us! It is all God’s work for us. With there being time, so many times after the divine service… in between divine services… for us to be the Martha’s… to, out of pure love and devotion, serve our Lord, serve His Church, serve our fellow brothers and sisters and all of mankind.
And this can only be done rightly… our being servants that is, out there… after we have been guests in here and are fortified and strengthened for the work ahead… the work our Lord graciously places before us to be about… to spend our time, use the precious and oh-so fleeting time we have here on earth.
It is good to be about this, my friends. But not be anxious about the same or fail to see what comes first. First things first. And that finds us as guests of the divine and holy. We take to heart what our Lord says to Mary’s dear sister.
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”(Luke 10:41:42)
In case you were sleeping during all or part of this sermon or I failed to make clear what matters… what is really necessary and essential.… THIS here… right now… is it! God working so lovingly, so mightily and wonderfully in us. It is the “good portion” that will not be taken away from us.
God working so lovingly, so mightily and wonderfully in us, then becomes God working so lovingly, mightily and wonderfully through us… out there… in our own family, among our friends, neighbors and acquaintances… yes, even perfect strangers divinely placed in our path. Again. It is all Gottesdienst – God’s Work and to Him alone be the glory. Amen.
May the peace of God which surpasses all worldly wisdom and human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, unto life everlasting. Amen.
Guests and Servants” The Rev. Mark H. Hein, pastor emeritus
7/20/25 Zion Lutheran Church, Naperville, IL