Today’s Readings: Psalm 131; Exodus 7:8-24; Luke 10:38-42; Romans 10:14-16; Psalm 28
The older I get the more I appreciate the scene from the play Our Town where the individual is asked to pick one day from his life so that he can go back in time and re-experience that day. The individual’s guide cautions him not to pick a day that’s too important – for re-experiencing an important day would simply be too painful. Instead, he was told, pick an ordinary day. Even the ordinary day he eventually picked to re-experience proved painful because he was forced to stand on the sidelines and watch the earlier version of himself miss opportunity after opportunity to appreciate the beauty of the moments around him. I think of that scene nearly every time I encounter this morning’s passage from the Gospel of Luke for in today’s passage we encounter another individual who is going along with her day-to-day life in a fog and nearly misses out on a rare opportunity to have an encounter with Jesus. That individual? Martha. When Jesus first arrived, Martha responded by doing what she always did – by playing host. It wasn’t until Jesus finally interrupted her and said, “Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing” that Martha finally stopped and allowed herself to take in the fullness of the moment. Each time I read those words I try to step back and ask myself, “Craig, how are you acting like Martha and missing out on the opportunity to fully live in the moment?” Sadly, I often have many answers to that question. Today I would invite you to ask yourself the same question. How have you become so focused on the tasks before you that you are missing the presence of the Holy right in front of you? If you slow down for a moment, you too might hear those words Jesus spoke to Martha resonating in your ear: “You’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing…” May you and I take advantage of the opportunity to follow Mary’s example and focus today on those things that really matter. Til next time…
The older I get the more I appreciate the scene from the play Our Town where the individual is asked to pick one day from his life so that he can go back in time and re-experience that day. The individual’s guide cautions him not to pick a day that’s too important – for re-experiencing an important day would simply be too painful. Instead, he was told, pick an ordinary day. Even the ordinary day he eventually picked to re-experience proved painful because he was forced to stand on the sidelines and watch the earlier version of himself miss opportunity after opportunity to appreciate the beauty of the moments around him. I think of that scene nearly every time I encounter this morning’s passage from the Gospel of Luke for in today’s passage we encounter another individual who is going along with her day-to-day life in a fog and nearly misses out on a rare opportunity to have an encounter with Jesus. That individual? Martha. When Jesus first arrived, Martha responded by doing what she always did – by playing host. It wasn’t until Jesus finally interrupted her and said, “Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing” that Martha finally stopped and allowed herself to take in the fullness of the moment. Each time I read those words I try to step back and ask myself, “Craig, how are you acting like Martha and missing out on the opportunity to fully live in the moment?” Sadly, I often have many answers to that question. Today I would invite you to ask yourself the same question. How have you become so focused on the tasks before you that you are missing the presence of the Holy right in front of you? If you slow down for a moment, you too might hear those words Jesus spoke to Martha resonating in your ear: “You’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing…” May you and I take advantage of the opportunity to follow Mary’s example and focus today on those things that really matter. Til next time…
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