Constance: Pioneer, Pastor, Preacher

But at this point, Jesus says that Mary has chosen the better way. It’s good to take time to sit and listen and reflect.

If we dig behind the scene, we can see that it was normally the men who sat and listened to the rabbi.

We might have expected Jesus to listen to Martha and to tell Mary off on two grounds. One, that she was letting Martha do all the work. Two, that it was a man’s job to sit and listen to the teacher. But Jesus does neither of these. Instead he affirms Mary, and in so doing treats her as equal to the men.

These two women give role models for the Church today – and role models which are offered not just for women, but equally for men and women.

What’s interesting is that the story of Martha and Mary addresses the perennial human issue of the balance between action and reflection in the life of the Christian and the Church.

I can remember when I served in Milton Keynes, in the days when it was very much a new housing area, and had the privilege of being part of a team, building a new ecumenical church. I had several experiences of visiting some people who had moved into the area from another part of the country, who would say rather hesitantly, ‘Well, I was so worn out by my last church, I decided to give church-going a break.’ I learnt to refer to WOCS – the worn out Christian syndrome.

There is a time for action, and it is important for Christians to be involved in many different areas of service, especially amongst those who are most marginalised, as are so many in our country today.

But the story of Mary and Martha comes as a reminder of the need for balance between action and reflection. What’s interesting is that it isn’t just a reminder that there are active people and there are reflective people. It’s a reminder that within each one of us – male or female – there are drives towards action and drives towards reflection, and that we need to discover the most fruitful ways to balance these out in our own lives.

Scriptural role models of women speak of the way in which God has always raised up women in his service. These role models speak not just about women, but are addressed to men and women together, to our common humanity.

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