Sermon C34 18-Jul-10
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Brodhagen
Text: Genesis 18:1-10a and Luke 10:38-42
Theme: Mary & Martha
Mary and Martha are close to the people at St. Peter’s.
We hear them every week and at many other special events at St. Peter’s.
I like you to cast you minds back to January, 1867, Do you remember that time?
Well no – back then the congregation of St. Peter’s worshiped in School
house Number 4. But in January 1867 that schoolhouse, were the
congregation worshiped, burn down. So the congregation built the first
church on this very site and it was dedicated on dedicated August 25th,
the same year.
It was a white frame building, 60 feet by 30 feet and
constructed at a cost of $1,200 Two large bells, cast in Cincinnati,
Ohio and dated 1889, were installed in the tower. The larger bell was
named Mary and the smaller bell Martha.
On April 3rd, 1921 the final worship service was conducted in the old
church building .The following day volunteers started to tear down the
building. On May 22nd that same year, the cornerstone was laid with two
thousand people in attendance. In November the basement was dedicated.
Worship services were held there until the rest of the structure was
completed.
Mary & Martha were later installed in this church and still
call us to worship.
The larger bell is Mary and the smaller bell Martha. What does that say
about our theology and especially in light of Luke passage we just
heard. Is there an implied larger and small role?
In the story it is Martha that welcomes Jesus – isn’t that what we would all like to do?
Can you imagine Jesus is walking from the center of our Lutheran
identity (that is Kitchener and Waterloo ?), out along Erb Street ;
dog-legging north onto Perth Line 44 as he heads out the one of his
favourite spots – the lake shore – only this time he is heading for
Lake Huron – and not Lake Galilee. So here comes Jesus and our Martha
rings out and welcomes Jesus in to have a meal with us.
I can’t imagine a more hospitable act – and we would offer up
our best egg salad and salmon salad sandwiches – and there’d be plate
of delicately cut up vegetables with carrots and celery and a plate of
pickles to go along with those sandwiches. And when Jesus had his fill
of egg salad on whole wheat bread – He would be offered coffee and
squares and cookies and some fruit. It would be quite the banquet.
And this offer of hospitality – by all the Martha’s – follows
that ancient understanding of hospitality. In our Genesis story - the
Lord appeared to Abraham as three men dressed in white – and nothing
more would do – except that Abraham called out to his wife Martha –
sorry I mean Sarah – to cook up something special for these guests. The
guest always has the honour and the code of hospitality means you
always put yourself out for the guest even to your own great cost (just
read the next story in Genesis about Lot offering his daughters to the
crowd in place of the two angels in Sodom). That’s how far, in the
ancient world, the code of hospitality would expect you to go. All the
Martha’s of St. Peter’s are offering our modern – if some what watered
down – version of hospitality to the guest.
Come in;
You are a most honoured and respected guest;
Let me take you hat and coat;
Sit – grieve – mourn – celebrate – worship with us;
Let me get some lunch we have prepared for you
Eat all that you can.
You are welcome.
That is part of the Martha understanding of
discipleship. There are few Greek words that inform our understanding
of discipleship – Here the word is diakonos – meaning “to serve” – from
which we get our modern word Deacon. Martha was distracted by much
service – diakonos. She was serving the Lord in a most literal way. We teach about service to others – and to serve those who
have less than we do – and to honour any guests who come to our door.
That is Martha’s contribution to our theology today – to love God is to
work in service to others.
But yet after the best lunch that all the Martha’s of St.
Peter’s could possibly serve, many, most or all of the Martha’s would
like to sit, Mary like did, at Jesus feet and to learn. If Jesus walked in this morning – we would offer him a feast
– offer water for his thirst and food for his hunger … but then we
would love to sit and learn.
The direct Greek word for disciple “mathetes” comes from the verb “to
learn”. And it gives us our word mathematics. A disciple is some who
learns and is willing to follow the way of the teacher. Our teacher is
Jesus of course. And sister Mary directs her self to this work in our
gospel story today. Mary sits to take in Jesus’ spirituality, his
teaching, and maybe even just his very presence. That too is an
important part of discipleship. Jesus says to the complaining Martha –
Mary has chosen the better part What I hear in that statement from
Jesus, - the man from God who came to serve and not be served - is that
service is good – but it must also come with study and learning of
God’s word. Discipleship needs to contain both parts; service and learning.
On June 23 I received this email from the National Office of the ELCIC
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Title “A Letter to the Church from ELCIC National and Synod Bishops”
Dear Friends and Colleagues in Christ:
Last week, we were incredibly saddened to learn of the decision by the
ELW national board to dissolve Evangelical Lutheran Women, Inc. and to
immediately conclude their operations. This decision has come as a
shock to many and left a host of unanswered questions regarding the
future for women’s ministries in the ELCIC.
Since the time it was established, Evangelical Lutheran Women has
played a significant role in the life of this church. They have been a
valued partner, whose resources and programs have encouraged Lutheran
women to grow in faith and mission. Moreover, ELW has also made a
substantial contribution, each year, to the operation of the national
church.
Perhaps ELW’s greatest gift, however, has been in the opportunity it
provided for Lutheran women, from across Canada, to be joined together
in common cause.
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The Evangelical Lutheran Women have been both Mary’s and Martha’s across Canada and most evidently – here at St. Peter’s
When I spoke earlier of Jesus being welcomed here by all the Martha’s
I was thinking of the ELW who have been that constant source
of hospitality especially to those who have traveled from
places far and near to be here for funerals.
Each one of the mourners that have come here to grieve,
have received comfort and received the gospel of Christ
through the hospitality of the ELW.
Each person that came here was the face Christ being welcomed
as we would welcome Jesus himself.
That is the discipleship of hospitality and service
that the ELW have been offering for many many years.
I would also like to acknowledge all the other Marthas
– both male and female
– that have worked along side the
Evangelical Lutheran Women in offering
that St. Peter’s hospitality in the name of Christ.
The ELW Martha’s have done so much more that funeral lunches,
but I would say that those egg and salmon filled delights
are the essence of hospitality to the guest.
It always delights me to come into the busy kitchen on
the mornings of a funeral and see the smiling faces,
the busy hands,
and the humble hearts of all those ELW members and otherwise here preparing the welcome for the guest.
And there is more too - each year – I am given a list of events that ELW
prepares for opportunities to learn.
Also I am asked every year to prepare a session for the ELW –
the first year I talked about the two Genesis stories,
last year I talked about prayer,
and this Fall I will be talking about pastoral visiting.
The ELW have been doing Mary’s work too –
they have bible studies and worship and learning together.
So I celebrate – along with you all,
the Martha and Mary work of our St. Peter’s ELW group.
It is with sadness that we acknowledge the end of the National Church’s organised leadership of the Evangelical Lutheran Women.
It is with hope – that we encourage our dedicated Martha’s and Mary’s to continued to in their calling of service and learning.
But it is my greatest and highest prayer that all the Martha’s
and Mary’s can continue to be what they are called to first … sisters
in faith.
May the good Evangelical Lutheran Women of St. Peter’s and of
the London conference continue to be the sisters in the faith, which
they hold so dear.
Amen
The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:7
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