“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”” (Luke 10:38-42 ESV)
Christmas is a busy time. There are presents to buy, to wrap, and eventually to open, to play with, to try on. There are meals to fix for family that is visiting, which is why you had to clean the house. There are traditions to be upheld: the hanging of stockings, the lighting of the tree, the tension among family members. There are church services to attend, or to plan and produce. Christmas is so busy that we can fill every minute of every day with some task which is “absolutely required” to pull off Christmas.
But are we so busy that we fail to spend time with Jesus? Where is that in our holiday planning? I think Christmas might be a good day to leave a few things undone and to sit at His feet for a while. We have the chance to celebrate the birthday of our Rescuer, our Redeemer. And we get to spend it with Him. Let’s not pass that up this Christmas.
Thoughts?
Todd
P.S. Credit and thanks for this blog topic must go to one of my mentors, Joe McKinney. Much love to all the McKinneys and a very Merry (and Mary) Christmas.
Well said Todd. Well said! May you find time to rest in the presence of your Savior.
One of the perks of getting older and not having the responsibility of raising a family or a full-time job is having more “Mary” time to spend with Jesus. It is so sweet! I wish I had made it more of a priority when I was younger. Thanks for the reminder during this season.
Yes, yes, Todd–right on target! Thanks for the timely reminder that is good all year round. We spent many years in that mode. Now that it is just the two of us, it is even more a pleasure to sit at His feet.
And, BTW, we are still being richly blessed by your Christmas album, Do You See What I See?–many thanks!
Wishing you a God-blessed year in 2013!
Terry & Patricia/WA
I have found a way to embrace my inner “Martha” without losing my “Mary”. I love to cook and entertain, but I don’t want to miss out on the good stuff, so if you’re at my house, you’re probably going to have to be in the dining area off the kitchen so we can communicate and fellowship while there is cooking and cleaning being done. My mom taught me at an early age that washing dishes goes well with singing! And if you’re at my house, I have a servant heart, but I’ll also treat you like family and let you get some of your own stuff – like a drink, say, because we all want to eat good food and get on with other activities.
It really doesn’t matter what we’re doing, it matters where our hearts are while we’re doing it. If we get caught up in the motions of fulfilling holiday obligations rather than seek out ways to worship and serve through a carefully chosen (or crafted) present, for example, then we’re missing the point of the holiday anyway. Personally I celebrate Jesus birth during feast of Tabernacles and let Christmas be a time for family and be like a parable that the world uses to meet it where it lives, and its all good! Kids grow up too fast, and moments become memories all too soon, so whatever we do, we need to live in the moment as children of the Most High God.
If someone is giving you a hard time being joyful, that is what playing football is for after lunch! [jk, but seriously…]
Thanks for letting me share.