Today's art challenge is:
Well, here goes...
More often than not, my pastor’s messages bring out the best (or at least the best attempt) in me. This past Sunday was not one of those times.
Sigh. Here we go with another message making Martha the bad girl. Does anyone ever look at this situation from her perspective? I feel for her. She’s not evil; she’s doing the best with what she has.
I’ve been part of three very good churches and though they do certain things differently, they do one thing just alike: When they need something done, they don’t ask for Marys; they ask for Marthas! Who’s called on for children’s ministry, hospitality, administration, and all the other “ministries of helps”? The Marthas who can “get ‘er done.” The Marys are too busy sitting on the glory cloud being “too heavenly minded to be any earthly good.” Cliché or not, it’s true. The extreme Mary-types are the ones who can’t be counted on to get anything done or give of themselves. They are too “spiritual” to get their hands dirty or to be around those who might get their hands dirty.
One of the things that stands out is that Pastor Gelinas makes mention of the fact that Mary even being in the room with Jesus to learn from Him was a breach of cultural mores. This was not a woman’s place. OK, so Martha was in her proper place. Perhaps she would have sat at the feet of Christ had He asked for her. She was trying to be the good girl by not being presumptuous or too forward, yet she is always portrayed as the legalistic martyr.
Why does this affect me so much? I long to be a Mary but from day one as a believer was trained to be a Martha. The only time I’m allowed to be a Mary is during worship. Though I miss it, I don’t have to be on stage playing an instrument; as long as I’m free to express my love for the Lord during the worship time, I get to be a Mary. Other than that, the only acceptable place for me is as a Martha—a workhorse—a mere peon whose worth is based on “doing,” not “being.” Again, the church lauds Mary, but in truth, Martha is who they want.
Somebody needs to make up their mind!
It reminds me of the words of Sojourner Truth, “Ain’t I a woman?” Now, just as in Jesus’ day, society—both religious and nonreligious--has confined womanhood in a one-size-fits-all box of wife and mother (or at least mother if nothing else). No one outside of that category gets to be a real woman and a true Mary. Though generally unrewarded, the hard work of those “unreal” women earns them at least a small crumb of humanity…sort of. Martha was operating within her society’s “box of womanhood,” but was not, and is not honored for it. Ain’t Martha a woman?
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