18 July 2010

Welcome to  St Alban’s Anglican Church  

Today's Scripture:  Genesis 18: 1-10a               Colossians 1: 15-28                 S. Luke 10: 38–end

Today: 9.00 a.m. Matins; 9.30 a.m. Holy Eucharist; 6 p.m. Evening Prayer. 

This Week: Tues - Fri  12.30 p.m. Midday Prayers; Thurs (S. Mary Magdalene) 5 p.m. HC

Next Sunday: 9.00 a.m. Matins; 9.30 a.m. Holy Eucharist; 6 p.m. EP

Seventh Sunday after Trinity

Lord of all power and might, who art the author and giver of all good things; Graft in our hearts the love of thy Name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of thy great mercy keep us in the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

FAITH IN FOCUS: HOW TO AVOID GOD

We have defined ourselves by what we do, not by what we are. When first meeting a person we often ask “What do you do?” And we seem to be impressed by how busy they are. Somebody with a full diary, with a frenetic lifestyle and a backlog of texts on their mobile phone is considered a success. To have no time is thought of as a status symbol. But we may still not know who we are.

It’s easy to hear the episode about Jesus visiting Martha and Mary and to come out on Mary’s side. She was the one who sat and talked while Martha was going frantic in the kitchen. The gospel tells us that Martha was “distracted” by all the work that had to be done for the meal and the entertaining.

But both Martha and Mary were needed. The guest did not come just for food but for company too. Mary played her part by entertaining Jesus and by allowing herself to be enriched as she listened to what he had to say. Martha’s role was to get everything just right so that the meal would go without a hitch.

It might be a bit harsh to say that the whole occasion smacked of devotion on Mary’s part and of duty on Martha’s. But what is certain is that Martha allowed herself to be “distracted” by important things that could have waited until she’d shown the basic courtesies. Maybe she’d got into the habit of doing everything in the kitchen and then feeling sorry for herself and blaming others? She wouldn’t be the first!

In our relationship with God, do we feel that we have always got to be doing something? Always active, proving our love of God? A faith without any sign of good works would be a lazy one. But if we never slow down enough to talk to God, to rest in God’s presence and to listen for what God is trying to tell us, then we will end up running on very low batteries. And we might find that what we thought was crucial just turns out to be a way of distracting ourselves and avoiding God.

 

WORD OF GOD

Martha, it is Mary who has chosen the better part; it is not to be taken from her. (Luke 10:42)

 

WORD FOR TODAY

We sometimes have a pathological fear that if we are not busy doing things then we are somehow failing. Martha and Mary’s story reminds us that it is not just what we do that is important but what we are. And if we are to know what we are, then we have to stop and think.

 

PEOPLE EXPECT us to be busy, overworked. It’s become a status symbol in our society: if we’re busy we’re important; if we’re not busy, we’re embarrassed to admit it. Busyness is where we get our security. (Stephen Convey)

 

A BUMPER STICKER said, “The one who dies with the most toys wins.” Well, the answer for that one is, “The one who dies with the most toys, still dies.” God will not ask on judgment day, “How busy were you?” Rather, he will ask, “How much like Jesus did you become?”

 

THIS WEEK’S BIBLE READINGS 

Mon: 1 Sam 10: 1-16, Luke 22: 24-30, 2 Cor 11: 1-15

Tues : 1 Sam 10:17–end, Lk 22: 31-38, 2 Cor 11: 16-end

Wed: 1 Sam 11, Luke 22: 39–46, 2 Cor 12

S. MARY MAGDALENE: Song of Sol 3: 1-4, 2 Corinthians 5: 14–17, S. John 20: 1-2, 11-18

Fri: 1 Sam 13: 5–18, Luke 22: 63-end, James 1: 1-11

Sat: 1 Sam 13:19 – 14:15, Luke 23:1-12, Jas 1: 12-end

NEXT SUNDAY (S.JAMES, Ap) : Jeremiah 45: 1–5, Acts 11: 27 – 12:2,   S. Matthew 20: 20–28