After our Bible-Study group had met up in person for the first time on Thursday last week, we received a message that one of the members had tested positive. Therefore, we all had to isolate over the last week...
The week before, things got a bit tough with my host mum. Different expectations led to misunderstandings and missing communication led to some arguments. That is why I had already decided to move out a little bit earlier than planned. (The plan was for me to move out in July, because my host mum is going on holiday). After a clarifying conversation with her I was looking forward to move back in with my supervisor and her husband. But due to my isolation I was meant to stay with my current host family for another week. To be completely honest with you, that wasn’t easy. But then I am a person who always tries to make the best out of situations and somehow God had different plans for me. SoI was looking forward to the things He might be teaching me over the time. And He did speak to me. So in this blog entry I thought I’d share some of the things I learned especially in the last few days.
First of all, I spent a lot of time on my own this week. I was used to that during lockdown in the first three months of this year. But since Youth Work is back in person, I haven’t had as much time on my own which I actually didn’t mind. However, I enjoyed having time to call friends and family at home and to read some books. One of them is called “God on mute.” This book by Pete Greig deals with the issue of unanswered prayers. He comes up with 16 different reasons why God might not be answering our prayers (-yet!). But he also makes clear that making sense of unanswered prayer is seldom simple because the factors at work in our situations are complex and sometimes even painful. The young people too have asked questions like “Why doesn’t God answer all our prayers?” and “Why does He allow suffering?” This book helped me to get some answers to those profound questions of faith.
Secondly, the week in isolation has given me a lot of time to prepare the sessions for the upcoming week. I managed to plan almost all the sessions that are left before the summer holidays and I am therefore hoping to have more time to do other things when being out of isolation.
But the most important thing: God was present in the people who cared for me. Knowing that I might feel a little bit lonely over the week, my supervisor had spoken to some people to come and drop off some meals for me. So once a day I either got something delivered on the doorstep or even had a short conversation with people in the garden with approximately four meters distance. I not only got really delicious meals, but also chocolate, cake, books to read, materials to do some crafting, flowers and lots of lovely words. All of this means a lot to me because it made such a huge difference for my time in isolation. Also, some of the young people were writing messages wondering how I was doing. Two of them even came by and dropped something of for me. Especially now with the end of my stay coming closer and closer I feel like God has shown me the people I might continue having a relationship with after my time here in Heswall.
This week has also shown me what it means to be part of a church community. Just like in a family, it is natural to care for each other and look after each other. You don't always have to see each other in person. Praying for one another also strengthens relationships.
Tomorrow in six weeks, my plane leaves. Having a look at the upcoming events such as my birthday (:D) and our big outreach event in the end of July I feel like the time will probably pass quickly. This is somehow a strange feeling but I am alreday so grateful for all the things the last months have taught me and I will definitely try to sum it up in another blog entry at the end of my service. For now, I leave you with the talk I will give in church tomorrow, talking about the story of Mary and Martha and how we can show our faith in serving and listening.
Mary and Martha - faith in listening and in service - Luke 10 v 38-42
After hearing today’s story, you might say that the message is clear: Martha is doing something wrong. Mary is the good girl. Do you agree? Well, then I’m already done. But let’s be serious: this isn’t a Cinderella story with a good and a bad sister.
Before I start talking about what the story is telling us and how we can involve this message in our day-to-day-life, let me give you a little bit of background knowledge: Jesus wasn’t a stranger to the two women, there are multiple bible passages in which Jesus is a guest in their home. So one can definitely say, they are friends. He especially chose to spend time with them. This account of Mary and Martha follows Luke's account of Jesus telling the story of the Good Samaritan where Jesus makes it clear that by serving and loving others, we serve and love Him. But here in verses 38 to 42 he makes his priorities clear: God is first. Our love for him is first. Then this love for God results in action.
Let’s take a closer look into the story by getting to know the two characters. The two sisters are really different. But again: neither of them is the better person. They are both wonderfully made, created in God’s image, like you and me. And they both have gifts, like you and me. Mary and Martha both love Jesus and on this occasion they are both showing their faith, even if in different ways.
Martha is a homemaker. In the story she opens her home to Jesus and makes Him feel at home. Martha isn’t doing something wrong. Hospitality was very important in the Jewish culture, a gift to your guests. And let us not forget that she was doing what was expected of a woman in her time. Women weren’t supposed to listen and learn but to serve in the kitchen.
In Matthew 25, a passage we read in Life Group the other week, Jesus tells us: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” So let’s be clear: there’s nothing wrong in serving others. In fact, by serving others, you serve the Lord.
After a while Martha gets exhausted. She feels like she is working out of her own strength, doing everything on her own and she searches for help. She complains about the whole situation and asks Jesus to tell Mary to help her.
How does Jesus respond? He calls her by her name. And I do believe that this isn’t said in a moralizing or judgemental way with a raised forefinger. No, like always, Jesus is responding in a loving way. It's significant to note, that Jesus gently admonishes Martha for being "worried and upset," not for serving. He makes clear: Martha isn’t doing something wrong. In fact, Jesus says that Mary has chosen what is better, and it is something that will not be taken away from her. What does He mean by this last bit?
Let’s have a look at what Martha’s sister is doing in the passage. Whilst Martha is busy worrying about her responsibilities, Mary worries about her relationship with Jesus. She sits at his feet listening to what He’s saying, experiencing His love.
I have definitely related to Martha's behaviour. During parties, I tend to be doing busy work. Maybe preparing the food or doing the dishwashing. And sometimes I even catch myself asking: Why does no one seem to appreciate all the hard work I am doing? Don’t they care? Why is no one helping me? And not just at parties. Also in my prayer life I was always focused and distracted by earthly things. While I prayed, I didn't focus on God. I got distracted by the to-do-list in my head, worrying about all the things that still needed to be done and therefore rushing through my prayers. And that still happens sometimes. But when reading this story, I realise that I want to be more like Mary, especially in my prayer life. What a great inspiration is Mary's desire to be with her special guest instead of rushing around. Being able to pray and not be rushed is so important. Because only then we get to do what is even more important: sitting with Jesus and LISTEN. In listening and reading the word, I prioritize my life in accordance with His plan, not mine. And that’s what the story is all about: Prioritize God. Always.
There might be times where you have a lot on your to-do list and you may be inclined to let your busy lives of service, or the pressures of school or college life, distract you from spending time with Jesus and listening to his word. But we have to put God first. It’s okay to be busy, but we shouldn’t forget to take time for our relationship with God, to listen and to learn from him. Prioritize your time with Him. Sometimes our service becomes self-serving and we end up forgetting why we're doing it. Or we are so intent on getting the top grades in our exams, so that Jesus gets pushed out! It becomes about us and not about him. Our service for Jesus can be reduced to busy work as well. Maybe you find yourself worrying about leading worship, welcoming here, giving the talk, leading the service….etc.) But let us not forget that we are doing all of this as a devotion to God!
John 15:4 says: “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” We have to stay close to Jesus to let our service be fruitful! And this is something that can’t be taken away from us. Mary is doing the better part because she is prioritizing God and that is what we’ll be doing for eternity. Jesus says to her: Mary, your place is with me. And He says to you: Your place is with me. Our place is with God.
Some of us tend to be more like Mary, while others resemble Martha. If you are more like Martha, don’t get offended by this story. Much more, use it as a reminder and an inspiration to put God first. It's likely we have qualities of both within us. In the end, I think it's a matter of attitude. What's the motivation of your heart? Do you put God first?