mary and martha: patronesses of hospitality

last sunday at st. paul's during the birthday and anniversary prayers, two women came forward as they begin their third year together. their names were mary and martha, and they celebrate the anniversary of their union on july 29, the feast day of the women of bethany who so often provided hospitality to our lord. talking to them afterward i found they were delighted to have this coincidence because much of what they wanted to model in their own household was hospitality.

it seemed to me quite wonderful to be in a worshipping community in which they felt comforted and supported in their life together in christ jesus. it also seemed appropriate that people who are in some way or another marginalized most often are models of hospitality to those of us who are either in the comfy middle of things, or are able to present the image that we are.

many sermons and much ink have explore the relationship between these two sisters and their gifts. these days the majority of speakers seem to be saying that mary could not have chosen the better part without martha's constant and loving work. this sort of comparison, i think, misses the essence of their relationship and of jesus' statement that mary had chosen the better part. i am always reminded when i read the bethany sisters' story of two beloved aunts, nell and blanche, who during my childhood provided the household of hospitality for family gatherings and feasts. blanche, during such a gathering, would seem very much like mary, while blanche would be doing the kitcheny sort of martha business. at other times, however, nell was the bookkeeper for the local chevrolet dealership, working to pay for the bread that nell would slice while the nephews would sit around blanche in the living room and listen to her stories. (and indeed some of the legends from the early church suggest that mary of bethany was a working woman, too.)

that the two sisters together provided hospitality seems to have much to say to us in the church as we try to provide hospitality today. all too often our work of evangelism, our work of worship, and our work of social justice and alms, get separated. indeed i have evangelical friends who suggest that my social justice friends are tainted by "works-righteousness." of course true healing hospitality--think of the connection between "hospitality" and "hospital"--requires both action and contemplation, and the experience of the church over the centuries is that mary has chosen the better part, that action not based on a deep experience of godlove is fruitless.

the sequence of the jesus' summary of the law is essential: "thou shalt love the lord thy god with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. this is the first and great commandment. and the second is like unto it; thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."

i am happy to find this sequence reflected in the collect for the day:

"o god, who bestowest divers gifts and grces upon thy saints: we give thee humble thanks for the examples of thy servans mary and martha, the friends of our saviour jesus christ; and we pray thee to give us grace to love and serve thee and others for his sake, who with thee and the holy ghost liveth and reigneth eve, one god, world without end. amen.