Proper 11 Series C Notes

 

 

(July 17-23)

 

Genesis 18:1–10a (10b–14)

Colossians 1:21–29

Luke 10:38–42

 

The Word of Christ Is the One Thing Needed

 

“The Lord appeared to [Abraham] by the oaks of Mamre” (Genesis 18:1) and received his hospitality. But Abraham received the gracious promise of a son. Though Abraham and Sarah were very old, nothing is “too hard for the Lord” (Genesis 18:14). 

 

His Word appointed the time and fulfilled the promise. In the same way, the Lord Jesus “entered a village” and received Martha’s hospitality (Luke 10:38). “Martha was distracted with much serving” because she was “anxious and troubled about many things” (Luke 10:40–41), but her sister Mary “sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching” (Luke 10:39). The service of love is no sin, but “one thing is necessary” for both faith and love — the Word of Christ (Luke 10:42). 

 

Thus, the ministers of Christ are sent “to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints” (Colossians 1:25–26).

 

Mary and Martha

38 Ἐν δὲ τῷ πορεύεσθαι αὐτοὺς αὐτὸς εἰσῆλθεν εἰς κώμην τινά· γυνὴ δέ τις ὀνόματι Μάρθα ὑπεδέξατο αὐτὸν.

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.

39 καὶ τῇδε ἦν ἀδελφὴ καλουμένη Μαριάμ, ἣ καὶ παρακαθεσθεῖσα πρὸς τοὺς πόδας τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἤκουεν τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ.

And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching.

40 ἡ δὲ Μάρθα περιεσπᾶτο περὶ πολλὴν διακονίαν· ἐπιστᾶσα δὲ εἶπεν· Κύριε, οὐ μέλει σοι ὅτι ἡ ἀδελφή μου μόνην με κατέλειπεν διακονεῖν; εἰπὲ οὖν αὐτῇ ἵνα μοι συναντιλάβηται.

But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.”

 41 ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ εἶπεν αὐτῇ ὁ κύριος· Μάρθα Μάρθα, μεριμνᾷς καὶ θορυβάζῃ περὶ πολλά,

But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,

42 ὀλίγων δέ ἐστιν χρεία ἢ ἑνός· Μαριὰμ γὰρ τὴν ἀγαθὴν μερίδα ἐξελέξατο ἥτις οὐκ ἀφαιρεθήσεται [m]αὐτῆς.

but one thing is necessary Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Footnotes:

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software

ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Lutheran Sr. Care Reflection

In this day and age, being busy is considered a badge of glory. So many  are obsessed with doing, producing, accomplishing, achieving, and keeping up or getting ahead of those around us. 

Even in the church, people sometimes lose sight of the most important thing needed by looking at how much we know or how much we do. 

The story of Martha and Mary may be a familiar one, but it is always a positive reminder of the importance of resting in God’s presence.

Law/Gospel Theme: The entire Bible can be broken down into two words; “Do’ and “Done” 

The Law often seems to threaten or condemn us if we do not do all things right. The glory of the Gospel is that Christ has done the work for us already. 

We cannot and do not need to earn God’s love in any way. We already have it! All we need to do is receive His grace and rest in His presence.

There are serious questions people are prone to ask. How do we get to Heaven? How do we get God’s love? How do we know God really cares? 

It might sound quite simple. But the answer will always be…Jesus. How do we get to heaven? Jesus has shown is the way. How do we get God’s love? Jesus is the way. “For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son. How do we know God really cares? He has given us His Son Jesus who is always with us. Even to the end of time. 

Do you think we have to do special things to be better Christians? Sometimes we might be tempted to think that we have to do certain things or know certain things in order to be a “just right” Christian or have God love us more. 

Some can get so caught up in hurrying through life and think we will look better if we go to church a lot or do a lot of important things. But you know what? There is nothing we can do to earn God’s love. 

And there’s nothing we need to do to earn His love! He already loves us. And all we have to do is accept His love and know that Jesus died for us. 

Jesus did all the work. And He wants us to just be ourselves and enjoy His presence.

There is a story in the Bible about two sisters who had Jesus over for dinner. One of them was named Martha. Martha was very busy, and she was rushing around preparing for Jesus. She was cooking and cleaning and working, and she got upset because her sister, Mary, was just hanging out with Jesus. 

Mary wasn’t helping do the work but just sat listening to Jesus talk. Martha got upset and asked Jesus to yell at her about it. But He told her Mary was the one doing the right thing. 

It was not as important to do things for Jesus as it was to spend time with Him.  Jesus didn’t want a dusted floor or fresh loaf of bread. He wanted people. And that is how He feels about us, too! 

What’s important is not just what we know or say or do…it’s how we love God. We can breathe and pause and rest in His presence. He is always there for us!

The LORD made us His own.  And He doesn’t require any special activities. He loves us just because we are His children! So remember, there’s nothing wrong with doing things for God. But that is not the most important thing. We can rest in Him and know we are part of His family, no matter what else we do.  That is really  great news! 

Prayer: Thank you, LORD for your love and care.  Thank you for the words of the Bible Thank you for making us part of your family Help us to slow down and breathe. And rest in your presence. 

https://ministry-to-children.com/mary-martha-sermon/