Be More Like Mary


Today’s Verse:

Luke 10: 42b ESV

(Jesus said to Martha) “Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”


Today, during our church service, we read about Martha and Mary. Jesus visits them, and Mary sits down near Jesus to listen to His teachings. Meanwhile, Martha, her sister, is busy cooking, cleaning, and preparing for the occasion. This task upsets Martha, and she complains to Jesus, asking Him to remind Mary that she should be helping instead of lounging around. To her surprise, Jesus responds that He will not intervene, as Mary was in the ideal position to be: listening to Jesus.

Let’s be honest, Mary should have helped her sister. It would have been the kind thing to do. However, according to Jesus, Mary was in the best place as she listened to Jesus’ teachings.

Today’s Gospel reading offers us a blessed direction that guides us to understand the significance of hearing God’s Word during worship. When we gather with our brothers and sisters in Christ, our faith is strengthened by hearing the teachings of God read and preached in the sanctuary. While some people have chosen to forego church and instead stream a church service occasionally, Jesus reminds us today that our lives are enriched when we set aside our daily activities and spend time in the pews, just like Mary.

I look forward to seeing you this wonderful Sunday at Saint Matthew’s in New Milford or Holy Trinity in Garfield!

Prayers

A Prayer for Today:

On this Sunday, Heavenly Father, open my heart to hear Your Words like Mary. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Apostles’ Creed:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Luther’s Morning Prayer:

I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen. 


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A Song for Today


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