Monday, July 12, 2010

Word as a Wordle - 7th Sunday After Trinity

Here's the Wordle of this Sunday's Gospel reading from Luke 10:38-42...

Jesus Visits Martha and Mary

Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’



Highlights having wordled the reading...

Named, Martha and Mary - to know someone's name is to know more about someone than what they are called, but says much about their parentage, social standing, and family trade. When God reveals to Moses His name - I am that which I am - on Mount Sinai, God reveals everything conceivable about himself to successive generations. What's in Martha's name? Martha means 'Mistress' and her sister is Mary. There is a noble tradition that places the sisters with their brother Lazarus living in Galilee, possible Magdala. Was Martha the sister of Mary Magdelene?


Distracted - Martha is distracted by household duties. Hospitality to visitors was an essential part of correct social etiquette of the day. How often do we have Jesus to ourselves so to speak, and instead of taking the opportunity to learn from Jesus, to experience the love of God through him, to be a disciple, do we instead confine Jesus to an hour or so of worship on a Sunday morning?

Lord - Martha, like the Gospel writer, refers to Jesus as Lord, Adonai, the title used in place of the name of God in the Old Testament scriptures. She and we are left in no doubt that we are being asked to discover what Martha and Mary came to know - that the same God who brought all things into being is at work in and through Jesus.

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