38 As they continued their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home. 39 She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word he said. 40 But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. "Master, don't you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand." 41 The Master said, "Martha, dear Martha, you're fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. 42 One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it - it's the main course, and won't be taken from her." (Luke 10:38-42 The Message)
Happy Monday dear Friend! I am praying that as you receive this you would be blessed by God's awesome word. May this be the start of a workweek in which you bless God's creation with your love and attention. Please remember baby Sophia of Shiner, TX, a 9 month old who is undergoing heart surgery this week. Pray God's calm and peace be with her parents, grandparents, and loved ones. Also, Mr. Sammie Gibson is having back pain and knee replacement surgery. Pray for a successful surgery and a speedy recovery, as well as God's comfort and peace with his wife, Ginger, and all their family. Pray for one another, and for yourselves.
I thank God for the wonderful people who dedicate themselves to kitchen and things of the household. It is a noble task and a very necessary one, key to human survival. I have nothing but great admiration for those who undertake such tasks and chores and who bless so many by their faithfulness. I have to say that the conveniences of today's modern world were not available to the people of Jesus' day. Just yesterday morning as I returned with some groceries from our HEB, I thought about how many different tasks I would have had to do to have what I held in my hands in the grocery bags. All I had to do was take a drive 1.4 miles from home and back the same 1.4 miles. Martha did not have that luxury. Neither did her brother Lazarus, for he would have had to do some of the labor in the garden and perhaps the slaughter of the meat. The challenge was a matter of life or death. So, we can begin to understand a bit of Martha's frustration of being the only one in the kitchen while Lazarus and Mary sat at the feet of Jesus. It was Martha who welcomed Jesus and extended the customary greetings for a visitor. Some of you may have remembered back in the day, when one would knock on a door, the door would open, and after the greeting, you would be offered a chair and the question, "Have you eaten?" We children would get the lecture from Dad or Mom, "If they ask if you have eaten, you will answer yes!" And we would retort, "But we haven't!" "Shhh! Just do what we say!" And in some homes, that would mean passing on some good home cooking!
Jesus' visit meant the welcome by Martha and it may have been that Jesus, not having his mom with him, said, "That would be nice; I am a little hungry." And off she goes to prepare a meal. And probably, Mary right behind her to help her in the preparations to properly welcome a guest. This time we find Mary "hanging on every word He said." Mary knew that this visit was unlike any other, for this man spoke of God, God's love, and promises of a life that would never end, and she did not want to miss a single word. Martha reacts in the way many of us might have; frustration, and rushes in to interrupt the conversation. "Master, don't you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand."
You have to love Jesus' response, "Martha, dear Martha, you're fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it - it's the main course, and won't be taken from her." And the chapter ends there. No word about how Martha took that response. I believe because of the great love she had for Jesus, she received with love and realized that she too needed to listen to what Jesus offered. This modern version says that what Jesus was offering was the "main course," and as such was not to be declined. As a pastor, I have heard the full gamut of excuses some use to justify their absence from worship. In fact, there was a song in Spanish that said, "Excuses? Satan will give them to you." It drove home the point. We always have a choice; it's our free will to choose for ourselves wether we want the main course or a side dish or even dessert; but we must remember that the things Jesus offers to us are the essential nutrients for our spirits and the wellbeing of our souls. We do well in choosing those.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, You are loving and faithful. You continue to provide for us that which nourish and strengthen us. We are bombarded by options that are not all from You; help us to know the difference and to choose wisely that which is from You for us. This we pray in Christ Jesus, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be one who offers the "main course" to someone who has yet to receive that sort of invitation from Jesus!
Blessings of love,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
