My name is Martha

By Kelly
I missed something in the Bible, and only realized it this week.
Classes began at Austin Seminary on Tuesday, and like my fellow students I have been struggling to hit the ground at a run.  It is time to focus and go, and it's hard to take those first couple of steps into a new semester.
Mary and Martha have been following me all week.

I am aware of how strange that is.  I helped lead chapel this week by reading the New Testament lesson for the day.  It was the story from John 11 of Jesus raising Lazarus.  (Which by the way, is hard for me to say.  It sounds like Laz-er-ith)  In it Jesus comes to Bethany too late to heal his friend and is met by Lazarus' sister Martha before he gets to the house.  "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." How good is that line?  How many times has something bad happened in our lives and we've shouted to the heavens, "This is crap and it's all your fault!"  (especially in grief)  How awesome is it that a girl says this right to Jesus' face?  I imagine it to be, "Hey slowpoke, this one is all on you."


Presbyrista Krystal, pointed out to me that Martha also calls Jesus the Christ and how strange it is that Martha's proclamation is sort of forgotten, while Peter's is front and center in everyone's minds.  Anyway....
Martha goes to find Mary and when Mary sees Jesus she says... the exact same thing.  "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."  Again, gutsy move.  They know who they're speaking to!  I wonder if they sat up the night before in angry-sad tears and repeated to each other, "If Jesus could have gotten here in time, none of this would have happened."  We do these things, we talk and blame others when they're not around but the step from stewing to confrontation is a large one, and I'm impressed both women made it independently of each other.  (It's a very Karl Barth example)


But no, this is not the only Mary and Martha experience I've had this week.  I'm taking a class called Women, Voice, and Preaching and one of our assigned books is Saved from Silence by Mary Donovan Turner and Mary Lin Hudson
In one of the first chapters, the book recounts the story in Luke 10 when Jesus visits Mary and Martha in their home.  This is the story I'm most familiar with.  Martha is busy making preparations, seeing that everyone is taken care of, basically playing hostess.  Instead of helping her, Mary has sat down on the floor with the other guests and is hanging out with Jesus.  Martha is mad and Jesus tells Martha that Mary is the one who's doing what's right and that Martha should calm down.  (basically)


This story used to tick me off.  I thought, here Martha is, working hard, trying to take care of everyone, and Jesus is just fine with the lazy sister not doing squat to help.  This story was SO biased against responsible people!  Except, I think I was wrong.  You see, it's not a party.  Jesus is teaching, preaching, or doing whatever holy thing he does to impart knowledge to his followers.  Mary isn't helping with anything because she's learning... from GOD directly, which should be a higher priority than domestic duties.  Plus, there's a bit more to this story.  Here's where I'd like to apologize to anyone who witnessed the skit of this story that my sister and I performed for VBS 5 years ago where we portrayed this as a personality clash.  That's not the point.  Martha is not a control freak... she's a woman.  She's a woman in a male dominated society doing exactly what she's "supposed" to be doing, domestic duties.  She's not just mad at Mary for shirking her share, she's embarrassed because Mary is acting "inappropriately".  Mary's not supposed to be with the men while they're doing their man-thing.  (And being a disciple, is a man thing) Martha's not being responsible, she being relegated to the kitchen!  


Martha believes that her place in the Nazarene movement, as a follower of Jesus, is to help the men do what needs to be done.  She thinks she can only work behind the scenes.  Mary, on the other hand, wants to be a follower.  Jesus affirms Mary.  Jesus is saying to Martha, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."  He is also saying, "Your place is out here, not hiding in the kitchen."


This was a completely new idea for me.  So this week, I thought about the women who have been sent to the kitchens, in the past and also in the present.  I think about the women who worship in traditions that give them no voice, but also the women who unknowingly prioritize unimportant things over worship.  (Like the women who don't get to participate because there HAS to be enough lemonade for the luncheon after service)  I think that we still live in a culture that encourages this type of thinking in women (although, I think very often it is unintentional).


I realized, I am a Martha.  I'm that girl who thinks it's more important to make sure everything is "taken care of" than "everyone has the chance to worship".  My goal will be "participation not perfection".  Marva Nettles Collins said, "I cannot change the world, but I do not have to conform to it."  This will be my new motto.


To my fellow students, I wish you a productive school year.
To my fellow Christians, I wish you patience, understanding, and the presence of the Holy Spirit.
To my fellow women, I wish you strength and determination to do what you need to do and say what you need to say.


Questions
-Are you a Mary or a Martha?
-Was it strange that I didn't make this connection sooner considering that our tagline for the blog is "out of the kitchen and into the pulpit"?  
-How are you getting "out of the kitchen"?