As Jesus and His disciples were on their way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed — or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42
“It is not ridiculous to be so meticulous about bodily things when the feast [of Christmas] draws near, as to get out and prepare your best clothes days ahead… and to deck yourself in your very finest, all the while paying not the slightest attention to your soul, which is abandoned, besmirched, squalid, and utterly consumed by desire.”
John Chyrsostom in Homily 6; PG 48, 276.
In my Advent devotional, Waiting, I wrote this about today’s Scripture.
“Mary and Martha illustrate how to wait and how not to wait.
Mary models waiting by taking a posture of listening at the feet of Jesus. She waited for Jesus to speak to her. What a great example for us! Martha, on the other hand, learns that waiting on Jesus leads only to distraction and missing
sacred time with Him.
How often do we wait on Jesus, like Martha, instead of waiting for Him, like Mary? As He needs nothing from us, our busyness only causes us to miss what He has for us. Notice the posture associated with these examples. The one who waits for Jesus sits peacefully at His feet. The one who waits on Jesus scurries and worries.
What about you? Are you waiting for Jesus or waiting on Him?”
All that said, while it’s great to “Deck the Halls” as the song goes and make our homes look festive. And it’s great to put on special clothes or even Christmas pajamas. Yes, my wife has me togged up in functional and festive sleeping apparel.
But we must not neglect the decking of our souls. That’s why I write these posts. To sit at the feet of Jesus daily to learn and share what I discover with others, lest my own soul, and yours waste away due to spiritual malnourishment.
In case you missed the devotional, you can download it here. I wrote it for Advent and anytime in the year as we all benefit by studying the topic of waiting, exploring how it shapes us, and ways we can make the most of waiting opportunities.