A Visit at Martha's House, part 22: the Call to be a Mary

But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42 NASB)

There is a notation in my Bible just after this verse that reads: "i.e. "Mary has done what I wanted you to do!" It is a reminder to me of that Still, Small Voice that called me to be more than Martha, to be concerned about more than preparations, more than cooking and cleaning. It is a reminder of the call to start at the feet of my Master before anything else, to treasure His opinion above all others, to seek His words, His truth, His righteousness.  

It is the same call He gives to each of us and it is a call for us to draw close to the heart of God, regardless of the actions or preferences of those around us. It is a call to genuine worship. This is not a call for "fake church", where we are simply there by habit, passing the time until we can go to the restaurant or home to eat a nicely prepared lunch, daydreaming our way through the sermon and worship time. I have done more than enough of that, and the rebuke of God to me was well deserved. When our Lord reprimanded Martha and commended Mary, it was a word to me, as well.  It was a word to us all. 

He calls me, calls us, to the most intimate relationship with the Almighty imaginable. It is one I do not deserve and cannot comprehend. That I would regard it casually is arrogance in the extreme. That I would disdain the coming together of my brothers and sisters in Christ, demanding entertainment rather than seeking truth and worshipping from the depth of my heart, is nothing short of blasphemy. That may seem an extreme statement, but consider this. "Blasphemy is the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God, to religious or holy persons or things, or toward so,etching considered inviolate." (Wiki) 

Dear friends, it is past time for those of us who call ourselves "the church" to become the body of Christ as He intended, knitted together with the strong cords of love, loving The Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving our neighbor as ourselves. As we consider attending worship services today, join with me to worship, to love, to honor the One who conquered our sin and defeated our certain eternal death. Choose with me to be more than Martha. Choose with me the place of Mary, seated at the feet of Jesus, intent on worshipping the One our heart most desires, the One we love over all others.