"Are we Mary’s heart or Martha’s hands?" | By Rev. Dr. Jack R. Miller
 
Here is a question for all of us to ponder: Are we Mary’s heart or Martha’s hands? Think about that for a few minutes. How do we express our gifts to God? As the heart of Mary or the hands of Martha?
 
There is a story told about a father who would take a long walk with his teen-age daughter each day after he returned home from work. Their time together meant a lot to him. Suddenly, she began to offer almost daily excuses as to why she could not go with him. He missed her company on his daily walks but did not say anything. On his birthday, his daughter presented him with a sweater that she had knitted herself. It was then that he realized she had done her knitting while he was out of the house on his walks. He said to her, “I do love and appreciate this sweater, but I value your company infinitely more. I can purchase a sweater from almost any store, but the gift of your companionship is a truly priceless treasure."
 
Jesus often stayed at the house of Martha and Mary in Bethany. The sister’s actions in our Gospel reading mirror the two expressions of how we should share our gifts from God: loving service to others, as exemplified by Martha, and prayer and contemplation, as exemplified by Mary. Both expressions are wonderful gifts of joy and love, but as Martha comes to realize, Jesus needed companionship more that day; it was the treasured gift, the “better part.” As Joseph Donders put it (I’m paraphrasing here), “Mary knew Jesus needed company that day. He didn’t need a housekeeper; he needed a listener.”
 
Discipleship requires a balance between hearing the Word and putting it into action. The Book of James makes this clear. We should aim to be both “Hearers and Doers” as disciples, balancing work, prayer, contemplation, and good deeds; recognizing that we often fall into the trap of focusing on one at the expense of the others. American evangelist R.A. Torrey said it well: “If we are too busy to pray, we are too busy.”
 
We are all like Martha in our anxiety over details; we often worry too much about the “doing” part of discipleship at the expense of the essential and lasting “hearing” part. It is “the better part” that Mary embraces in our reading, transcending the practical concerns of everyday work and stress that have overwhelmed poor Martha.
 
Are we Mary’s heart or Martha’s hands in our service to the Lord? Either form of devotion is a wonderful gift, but Jesus is looking for a balance of both in our lives. I think the chorus to Jack White’s song about Mary and Martha sums up Jesus’ expectations of you and me when it comes to expressing our gifts. The chorus says, “I want Mary’s heart and Martha’s hands; you gotta serve the Lord and do the best you can. I want Mary’s heart and Martha’s hands; you've got to follow the master’s plan.”
 
So, are we Mary’s heart or Marth’s hands? Hopefully, we are the best of both.
 
Amen? Amen!