Many of you know that earlier in my ministry I work for Bishop Mary Ann Swenson. One of the joys of serving as a denominational executive is the privilege of speaking to groups in many places. One year, I get to speak to the Methodists in Alaska.

I arrive at the guest lodge in Anchorage about mid-afternoon. I am to speak at 7:00 that evening. A young woman meets me as I drive up. She comes out onto the porch. She takes my luggage and says, “Do you prefer to eat before or after you speak?” “I prefer to eat after but I don’t want to be a problem”, I say. “It’s no problem,” she says. “We’re set up for either way you want it.” “Well, after would be better.” “Good. Then go to your room and rest. You’ve had a long journey.” Up comes a cup of coffee, some fruit. And I rest. At 6:45, they escort me to the auditorium.

Afterwards, I go back to the lodge. And this same woman comes to me and says, “We have baked chicken or pork chops.” I say, “Baked chicken.” “Now, we have a nice gravy to go on it, if you want.” “No, thank you. No gravy.” And soon she brings a plate of food: baked chicken, some new potatoes that are browned just a bit, green beans that are seasoned well, not the little sticks that you get in some places, and a salad. It’s very good. In a few minutes, she comes with coffee, fresh peach cobbler, and ice cream.

Is this bothering anybody? I’d better quit. I’m losing everyone

I am reminded of my first solo experience as a preacher, ten years earlier. My seminary offers a summer internship program that places students in churches in rural Tennessee, mostly pulpit supply so the main preacher can take a vacation. I travel south from Nashville to the little towns of Mooresville and Culleoka. I am met by Millie Pearson, an elderly woman, thinning hair, pleasant face, large apron. “I’m to welcome you to my home. I take care of the preachers,” she says. In the mornings, I teach the children. In the evenings, I preach in the little Methodist churches. In the afternoons, I visit. Miss Millie says to me, “You have to rest in the afternoon. The Lord’s work is hard, especially when there is precious little to show for it.”

And so, she brews iced tea and I rest a little each afternoon. For two weeks, Millie Pearson cares for me in that way.

These memories flood my mind when I listen to Ed read.

I bristle a little bit when people criticize Martha.

Jesus comes to a certain village, no name is given. John says that this family lives in Bethany. Jesus comes into this village and, as he instructs others, accepts hospitality where it is extended. There are these two women, Martha, and her sister, Mary. They open their home to Jesus and the Twelve. Martha begins to prepare the food to welcome them. I don’t know what they have, probably not Italian spiedies like we will enjoy today.

I don’t know what she has prepared; but, she is preparing it for Jesus and his followers. Then, a lot of tension arises, hard feelings, serious disagreements. And it’s a very unhappy moment.

What’s the difficulty? Martha is doing what so many people have done for me and for which I am always grateful. So, what’s the source of the tension?

There is something between these sisters that remains unsettled. I don’t know the history of it. The Bible doesn’t say much about these two women. In fact, this is the only story in Luke. There are two stories in John, one of them, the raising of their brother, Lazarus. But, if you remember that story, Martha goes out and meets Jesus when he comes, “Oh, if you had been here, our brother would not have died.” And Jesus says, “Martha, I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. And whoever dies, will live again. Do you believe this?” And she says, “I believe that you are the Christ.” And she runs to get her sister, Mary. Apparently, they are alright. Mary comes out and Jesus blesses both of them by raising their brother.

Later in the book of John, there is another story. They are all at dinner. Lazarus is there. And again, Martha is serving. Mary takes a jar of perfume, anoints the feet of Jesus, and dries them with her hair.

These women are very different. Not an unusual thing. Sisters can grow up in the same home, with the same parents, eating the same food, sleeping in the same bed, exposed to the same education, and yet, turn out as different as day and night. That’s not unusual. So, what’s the problem?

“Jesus, my sister has left all the work for me to do. Tell her to help me!”

And he says, “No.” Telling Jesus to tell somebody to do something doesn’t work. Some of you may have noticed that by now.

He certainly doesn’t do what Martha wants. “Make Mary do what I do,” she says. “No. Mary is her own person. You are your own person. And it’s not going to help for Mary to be just like you, anymore than it would help for you to be like Mary.

Then, what is the problem? The problem is this: Mary is in the living room, sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to him teach. Martha is in the kitchen, soap suds to her eyeballs, in a sweat, in a dither. She is upset, not because of Mary, but because of herself.

I want you to notice that this is not the case of a generous person, full of hospitality, welcoming Jesus and his followers into the home, and providing a meal. That’s a beautiful picture! There is a ministry of food that nobody should speak against. We are grateful to Lynda Fickling, Lisa Lehnus, John Mann, Dave Rhodes and their teams for our Ministry Fair lunch.

This is Martha’s problem. Jesus says three things to her: your life is cluttered with a lot of stuff. Second, you haven’t made up your mind who you are. You are anxious! The word, anxious, means trying to be two things at once, to do two things at once, to go in two directions at once. The word simply means, split.

“Martha, your life is cluttered, your mind is split. And now you are causing a commotion.”

It’s not her sister. Martha has not made up her mind who she is and what her ministry is.

She has settled into what her culture and tradition says that a woman should do: be in the kitchen, fix the food, “and would you like gravy on that?” That’s her job. And she hasn’t even questioned it, probably until Jesus enters her life. And now, she doesn’t know what to do. Shall I continue in the life that my culture says? Or should I choose to go with Jesus as Mary has done.

And in her split mind, she causes a commotion because she hasn’t made up her mind!

Now I want to say this. Whether it’s cultural expectation or whatever, Martha could have a wonderful life of ministry by serving and helping and doing the dishes with gracious hospitality and saying, “This is my vocation. This is my calling,” if she decides to do it.

She’s undecided. Shall I do this? Shall I not do this?

“Martha, Martha, you are all cluttered and divided. Now your sister has made up her mind. Your sister has decided to be one of my followers.”

Luke says that Mary is sitting at Jesus’ feet. This is a technical term for being a disciple, of which there are no women. Count the woman at the feet of Jesus. Well, let’s see. Oh, there’s Mary! She goes in there where the men are. Jesus commends her for her courageous decision.

Eventually, she is joined by a few others, Salome, Joanna, Mary Magdalene, but not many. And they’re going to have a rough road. And they’re going face a lot of criticism. And the men are going to look at them and say, “What are you doing in here? This is for disciples.” Jesus commends her for the courage of what she does, but especially for making up her mind and living her life.

Martha can stay in the kitchen until she retires and have a wonderful ministry, if she decides for herself, rather than letting her culture decide for her. “Martha, your mind is split and you are causing a commotion.”

I personally would celebrate if Martha decides to be a cook for God. I wouldn’t make any distinction between that ministry and Mary following Jesus all the way to Jerusalem. I wouldn’t make any distinction at all.

The point is that you have to make up your mind. What is the life that you give to God? There’s no reason to criticize anyone else. There’s no reason to imitate anyone else. There’s no reason to envy anyone else. Make up your mind.

Frankly, I cannot make any distinction between someone who holds the frail hand in the nursing home and somebody who is preaching to overflow crowds. They are both ministry if the person decides that this is what God wants. That’s it!

We have some friends in Grand Junction, Colorado who have an amazing ministry. And nobody pays any attention. If there is a death, the rest of us are wondering whether to take angel food cake or apple pie?

What do they do? “Now, let’s see. They have pets. We’ll take care of the pets. They’ll probably need to have the lawn mowed. They’ll need an extra car because of the extra company. We’ll take our second car over there and leave it. Maybe someone is flying into the airport.

The rest of us are saying, “Angel food or apple pie.” Now there’s nothing wrong with apple pie. But what they do is make a ministry of thinking about what needs to be done in a time of loss. And they do it with grace and good humor.

And at the reception, people talk about the pastor’s eulogy. But he isn’t the only minister on the scene. There are others, not noticed, but they don’t need to be noticed, because they have made up their minds.

I think this may be true of some of us. I can’t speak for you. I know that some of us do a lot of good, accidentally. Others do a lot of good but cause a lot of fuss about it because nobody is helping. “Jesus, tell somebody else to come in here!” No!

Every person in this room needs to make up the mind. My experience, my education, my financial ability, my age, my background, my training, my gifts add up to one thing. This is what I ought to be doing for Jesus and for the church.

That’s it. It may be fixing a meal. She says, “My name is Millie Pearson. I take care of the preachers.” And she does. She is as clear about that as Billy Graham is when he stands up in a stadium to preach. This is what God wants me to do.

And what about you? Are you pretty clear in your mind? Or are you still rattling the pots and pans, creating a commotion? “Jesus, tell my sister…!” “Martha, it’s not your sister.”

The image in the Bible of “making up the mind” is a beautiful one. We translate it, “making up the mind”, but it means gathering up the flow of one’s garment. Whenever you want to go someplace, you have to gather up the extra garment that is in the way and fix it tight with a belt around the waist. And it’s called, making up the mind.

Sounds simple.

Takes some prayer. Takes some reflection in the Lynda’s class, “Servants by Design”. Takes some conversation at the Ministry Fair.

But when you decide…when you decide, you’ll be free.