How many of you have ever heard a sermon about this story that asked if you were a Martha or a Mary? A doer or a listener? A worker bee or a faithful church goer? What if this is all just a false binary? What if these aren’t the right questions to ask at all? Because does anybody imagine that Martha never prays or listens to Jesus, and does anybody imagine that Mary never does something of service? Do we lock these two women into roles that we were never meant to lock them into?
Now why do I even ask that? Let’s look at the text 
more closely. Who are Martha and Mary? Some say they are actual sibling sisters; some say they are sisters in ministry. Whoever they are in relationship to one another; it is apparent that they both know and trust Jesus. He is a welcome guest in their house and Martha is determined to show him hospitality, just as the Samaritan had shown compassion to the man lying on the side of the road half dead, Martha has a desire to serve.
This is Martha’s ministry –which is what the Greek word used for many tasks, diakonia, means. Literally it can be translated as: distracted by much ministry. Diakonia is also the root of the word deacon, which is an office of the church today, and indeed in the Early Church, so the hearers of this passage would have recognized these tasks as ministry. Martha’s service as a “deacon” meant caring for Jesus who likely would have been tired after the journey to her village. Do you ever feel distracted by the many ministry tasks you undertake or feel exhausted just reading about them? Do you ever want help when you are doing something on behalf of the community of faith? Keep that thought.[1]
Now Mary has chosen to sit at Jesus’ feet to listen to his teaching. She is absorbing everything Jesus is saying. Perhaps gathering strength from what he is saying? Perhaps her faith and trust in him grows minute by minute as she sits there. She is at this moment in time a “sit there” person. And, according to Jesus she has chosen the better portion of being with him at this moment in time.
Then Martha, feeling the lonely weight of service comes to Jesus and basically says– come on Jesus make Mary help me. I’m drowning here trying to do my ministry and she is just sitting there. I’m doing something, she’s sitting there!
Jesus isn’t the most sympathetic of people here is he, but I wonder why? He tells Martha that she is worried and distracted by the wrong things at this moment in time and that indeed in this moment of time only one thing is needed. Why? Why is Jesus making a big deal of making the time to sit and listen to his teaching? Because his time is limited. Remember he has already set his face to Jerusalem where he will meet certain death.
Karoline Lewis in Working Preacher describes it this way: Perhaps Jesus is simply trying to get Martha’s attention so that she can know the Kingdom of God is near — really near. Jesus needs Martha to hear this truth. Time is of the essence… Now is the time to set aside duty and sit beside Jesus.[2]
To continue doing, to continue to preach, teach and do something that demonstrates what the kingdom of God actually means, we need to make time to sit there and listen to what nurtures our faith, strengthens our resolve, helps us manage our fear. The story of Martha and Mary isn’t meant to make us feel guilty or that doing something takes a back seat to sitting there. We need both if we are to meet the challenges of our day and time.
We need to sit there receiving that instruction the Psalmist teaches us about. We need to be praying, worshiping, reading the Bible, coming together to learn, getting into spiritual direction, if we are to have the strength to do something that takes on the absolute cruelty and insanity we are seeing exercised by local, state and national governments, organizations, and yes even churches.
We need both – doing something and sitting there – to have the strength to be disciples who long for, cherish and want to partner with God, Jesus and Holy Spirit to usher in the Kindom of God. The beloved community that God so desires all to be a part of. We need both to build bridges, serve those who are thrown to the margins of society, reconnect with family and friends who disagree with us, and the list can go on.
I hope you have read the Intentions and Actions document sent out on Friday with the newsletter. It is a marvelous example of folks here in this community of faith understanding that we need both to do the work God calls us to. Pray, love, read the Bible, do devotions, take the time to be still and listen so that I can hear what God is telling me to do. Be a voice of hope, serve, volunteer! Be both Martha and Mary. Do ministry, sit and listen.
The 2024 Annual Report is another wonderful example of how this community of faith does both – doing something and sitting there – that is Love in action. Father Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest who founded the Center for Action and Contemplation wrote this in a 2016 Daily Devotion: The most important word in our Center’s name is not Action nor is it Contemplation, but the word and. We need both action and contemplation to have a whole spiritual journey. It doesn’t matter which comes first; action may lead you to contemplation and contemplation may lead you to action. But finally, they need and feed each other.[3]
They need and feed each other. They bring us into community where we can serve and listen and pray and worship and turn our intentions into action. Where there are no strangers, only neighbors, and where faith and works are seen as active faith and faithful action. Especially in this moment, the church needs to rise to doing both, to understanding the time is now to meet the challenges we face. May it be so.
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[1] See a fuller discussion of this story in Amy Jill-Levine and Ben Witherington III’s book (pages 295-299): The Gospel of Luke (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019).
[2] Karoline Lewis. Working Preacher. July 15, 2019. workingpreacher.org/dearworking-preacher/now-is-the-time; accessed 3.14.25
[3] https://cac.org/daily-meditations/contemplation-and-action-nondualistic-journey-2016-05-13/; accessed 3.14.25
[1] See a fuller discussion of this story in Amy Jill-Levine and Ben Witherington III’s book (pages 295-299): The Gospel of Luke (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019).
[2] Karoline Lewis. Working Preacher. July 15, 2019. workingpreacher.org/dearworking-
preacher/now-is-the-time; accessed 3.14.25
[3] https://cac.org/daily-meditations/contemplation-and-action-nondualistic-journey-2016-05-13/; accessed 3.14.25