Friday, February 24, 2023

 

Friday, February 24, 2023


Psalms 130; 131; 133

Genesis 37:25-38:11

Luke 10:38-11:4


Observance: Matthias, apostle and martyr [May be observed on May 15]


“Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing.”


It would not be controversial to claim that all Christians would agree that Christ should be at the centre of our lives. But what does that look like in practise?


One teacher suggested that many of us see a Christ-centred life as having a shelf full of Jesus, with a whole bunch of other shelves mostly empty, and when we do engage with those other things, we feel a bit guilty for looking away from the Jesus shelf. He suggested we should instead honour Christ by filling all those shelves – that is, having a full and rich life – while keeping Christ at the centre of all those things we do.


Martha is frazzled – we all know the type who flagellate themselves at the end of a dinner party by taking the lion’s share of the cleaning. Jesus draws her back to the important things, and uses a word He likes to use all the time: “worry”. He is not necessarily teaching her to drop the dishes, sit at His feet, and let the kitchen go messy. Rather, He is continuing a theme of His teaching that He has brought up many times: that we are not to worry so much.


It is to our benefit that this time Jesus connects worrying with distraction. They do so often go hand-in-hand. Jesus reminds us there is need of only one thing; or, rather, one Person: Himself. He is control of all things; He will ensure that all things are well.


This is what Christian freedom looks like. We are free to run and play in the world, in our work, our relationships, everything we do, without worry, as long as we remain conscious of the fact that Jesus is guiding it all, back to Him, for our own benefit.



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