Finding the Better Part
By Bishop Chris Giesler
Scripture Text: Luke 10:38-42
Much of what we do at the Moravian Board of World Mission places a strong emphasis on doing something for the good of others. We often emphasize the idea that in the Church, what truly counts is what we DO for Jesus. Some would even go so far as to say that it doesn’t matter what we believe -it’s what we do that matters. After all, last week, we talked about the good Samaritan and how his actions reflected his love for God and humanity. I even quoted Senator Corey Booker, who said: “Before you speak to me about your religion, first show it to me in how you treat other people; before you tell me how much you love your God, show me in how much you love all His children; before you preach to me of your passion for your faith, teach me about it through your compassion for your neighbors” You can’t put it any more plainly than that. Show me how you treat others, show me how you love, and teach me with your compassion for others; those are all action statements, which is exactly what Jesus was trying to communicate to the lawyer who asked him about how he was to achieve eternal life. And the answer was an action statement: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” But the lawyer was not satisfied with leaving it there: “Who IS my neighbor” and Jesus answered with the parable of the Good Samaritan. The Priest and the Levite who passed by the mugging victim were great “knowers” of the Scriptures but not “doers .”The story’s hero was the Samaritan, who knew very little by the standards of religious authorities but acted his faith by caring for a man left for dead. According to Jesus, doing is an essential part of being a disciple. Jesus emphasized this again in Matthew 25 when he said, “when you gave drink, food, clothing, and provided visits to the sick and imprisoned, you did it to me.” Applying that to today, if nobody is doing, nothing gets done in the Church. Sunday School classes, Bible Studies, and VBS programs would not have teachers; Church Dinners would not get served, Boards and Committees would not be filled, Choirs would not sing, and ushering would not be done. If nobody was doing, volunteers for homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and clothing closets would be hard to find. Doing is very important for the mission of the Church locally and around the world. The Church needs doers!
But then we come to our Gospel text for today. Here Jesus tells Martha that Mary has chosen the better part. Yes, Martha (the doer) is told that Mary (the one sitting at Jesus” feet and ignoring the work that needs to be done) is the one doing the right thing. And yes, perhaps these are words that our fast-paced, often-frantic world needs to hear.
The coin of the Christian life has two sides: listening to Jesus and doing for Jesus. Listening to Jesus is the central act of religion and doing for Jesus is the fruit of that relationship. Jesus sets the priority in the Gospel for today. To sit at the feet of Jesus, to experience the joy of personal fellowship with Jesus, and to sense the presence of our Lord is surely the richest privilege and the highest blessing of our faith.
Take the hour of worship on Sunday mornings. For better than half of it, most of us present are actively involved in singing, speaking, or praying. We listen during the announcements, prayer concerns, but when there is a time for silent prayer, we are busy praying for others and the flow of dialog going in one direction; we are filling God’s ears with our words, our needs, our desires. We might listen when the scripture lessons are read but are we actively listening?
Over the years, I have come to expect that when I preach, folks sit and listen. But honestly, some people take a short nap, and others daydream about what needs to happen for the rest of the day. Sometimes when I listen to a sermon, I can get hung up on something the preacher says and ruminate on that without listening to the rest of the sermon. So, even when there is time to listen, we don’t often do a very good job of it.
But here Jesus is telling Martha and us that we must take time to sit and listen to him. Again, there are two parts to the Christian life: the doing part and the listening part. The Sabbath itself, when instituted in the Ten Commandments, was put there as a day of rest so that we can allow God to catch up with the rest of our lives. It is supposed to be a day to sit and listen to God. Some would say that it is the most important of all the commandments because if we don’t keep the Sabbath, we find breaking the other nine much easier.
Each day of the week, we should set aside some time to do nothing but listen; each week, we should set aside a more extended time to do nothing but listen for God’s voice. If we don’t listen, we will lose the heart of Jesus, which motivates us to care for others.
What follows here is a listening prayer form that allows for silence. Use it as a chance to simply sit at the feet of Christ. You may sing the response using the Moravian Book of Worship.
A Prayer of Contemplation on God’s Love
(The response is sung to the tune of #745, “O Lord, Hear My Prayer” in the Moravian Book of Worship)
Psalm 5:11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them, so that those who love your name may exult in you.
Be still, O my soul. Be still, O my soul.
May my heart hear the Lord.
Be still, O my soul. Be still, O my soul.
May I listen for God.
(Pause for a time of silence)
Psalm 57: 1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, until the destroying storms pass by.
Be still, O my soul. Be still, O my soul.
May my heart hear the Lord.
Be still, O my soul. Be still, O my soul.
May I listen for God.
(Pause for a time of silence)
Psalm 51: 1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Be still, O my soul. Be still, O my soul.
May my heart hear the Lord.
Be still, O my soul. Be still, O my soul.
May I listen for God.
(Pause for a time of silence)
Psalm 9:1 I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
Be still, O my soul. Be still, O my soul.
May my heart hear the Lord.
Be still, O my soul. Be still, O my soul.
May I listen for God.
(Pause for a time of silence)
