The period of ordinary time traditionally Sundays after Trinity, now termed Pentecost to emphasize its significance, is the longest in the liturgical church year. It has traditionally been a time for an extended examination of Christ's ministry and the nature of the Christian Life. In this, the third of our pericope's three-year-cycle the theme seems to be specifically the nature of Christian Service and we appear to be working our way sequentially through the book of Luke and selected Epistles. As is often the case today's Epistle doesn't seem to tie into the day's other lessons.
In Genesis God appears to Abraham in the persons of three men who appear near the entrance to his tent where he is sitting. As is custom Abraham is at pains to welcome them, see to their physical needs and have his wife Sarah feed them.
Heb 13:2 Remember to welcome strangers in your homes. There were some who did that and welcomed angels without knowing it.
The message these strangers bring Abraham is that his barren wife will bear him a son in 9 months' time.
The Psalm's emphasis is on the need of those who would enter into worship to continue their worshipful attitudes during their quotidian lives outside the Temple.
In today's Epistle the writer embarks upon some extremely heavy Christology.
The Gospel introduces us to Mary and Martha who live with their brother Lazarus in Bethany just outside Jerusalem. Although Lazarus is not mentioned in this passage he and Jesus were friends and Jesus and the Disciples dropped in on this family often and were always made welcome. Martha it would seem is the older sister and took on the responsibility of maintaining the household. It is she who welcomes Jesus to her home and sets about the tasks needed to see to his and the Disciples' needs. Mary is unusual in many ways. A woman who insinuated herself at Jesus' feet while he was teaching the menfolk in the central courtyard.
The story sets up the iconic Mary and Martha paradox. May I say that as a Martha by nature I side with her in this matter. While Martha slaves away in the kitchen seeing to the preparation of food for at least 30 people, for surely they had servants, Mary shirks her duties as hostess and like a tomboy sits with the menfolk. Martha doesn't think she should get away with this dereliction of duty and appeals to Jesus to abraid her sister on it. We know the famous reply.
I would emphasize that Jesus does not tell Martha she should stop cooking and come sit with him. In fact I blame Lazarus for letting his sister Mary get away with it. If Martha had abandoned her kitchen and joined the menfolk in the courtyard grumbling stomachs and burning odours from the kitchen would have spelled quite a different story. Without the Martha's of this world no volunteer organization could continue to function. Now who would like to defend Mary? Perhaps saying that Martha could very well have left the work to the servants once the tasks were set and joined her sister at Jesus' feet.
In Genesis God appears to Abraham in the persons of three men who appear near the entrance to his tent where he is sitting. As is custom Abraham is at pains to welcome them, see to their physical needs and have his wife Sarah feed them.
Heb 13:2 Remember to welcome strangers in your homes. There were some who did that and welcomed angels without knowing it.
The message these strangers bring Abraham is that his barren wife will bear him a son in 9 months' time.
The Psalm's emphasis is on the need of those who would enter into worship to continue their worshipful attitudes during their quotidian lives outside the Temple.
In today's Epistle the writer embarks upon some extremely heavy Christology.
The Gospel introduces us to Mary and Martha who live with their brother Lazarus in Bethany just outside Jerusalem. Although Lazarus is not mentioned in this passage he and Jesus were friends and Jesus and the Disciples dropped in on this family often and were always made welcome. Martha it would seem is the older sister and took on the responsibility of maintaining the household. It is she who welcomes Jesus to her home and sets about the tasks needed to see to his and the Disciples' needs. Mary is unusual in many ways. A woman who insinuated herself at Jesus' feet while he was teaching the menfolk in the central courtyard.
The story sets up the iconic Mary and Martha paradox. May I say that as a Martha by nature I side with her in this matter. While Martha slaves away in the kitchen seeing to the preparation of food for at least 30 people, for surely they had servants, Mary shirks her duties as hostess and like a tomboy sits with the menfolk. Martha doesn't think she should get away with this dereliction of duty and appeals to Jesus to abraid her sister on it. We know the famous reply.
I would emphasize that Jesus does not tell Martha she should stop cooking and come sit with him. In fact I blame Lazarus for letting his sister Mary get away with it. If Martha had abandoned her kitchen and joined the menfolk in the courtyard grumbling stomachs and burning odours from the kitchen would have spelled quite a different story. Without the Martha's of this world no volunteer organization could continue to function. Now who would like to defend Mary? Perhaps saying that Martha could very well have left the work to the servants once the tasks were set and joined her sister at Jesus' feet.
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