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Words From the Middle

At the intersection of Sacred and Profane

2016/07/17

Another choice

This Sunday we are looking at another choice; the choice between “being” and “doing.” Now I’m sure some of you out there are snorting and saying, “Look! Another false dichotomy.” and you wouldn’t be wrong. This is a false dichotomy or at the very least, a unnecessarily forced choice. The sermon comes from the well known story of Mary and Martha, taken from the book of Luke (Luke 10:38-42). In the story, Jesus stops at the house of Martha and while he is speaking / teaching, Martha’s sister Mary sits and listens to him. Martha tells Jesus that he should command Mary to come and be helpful and Jesus replies that Mary has made the better choice. The direction I wanted to explore was that the choice Mary and Martha faced was between “being” and “doing” and it is a choice that all of us face virtually all the time.

Knox Presbyterian Being or doing?

https://wordsfromthemiddle.ca/wp-content/uploads/160717_Knox.mp3

St. Mark’s Presbyterian Being or doing?

https://wordsfromthemiddle.ca/wp-content/uploads/160717_St_Marks.mp3

I couldn’t come up with an illustration for the top of the page this week; being and doing don’t lend themselves to visual representation when your artistic skills are as limited as mine.

Blessings,

Barry

 

 

 

 

PS If you ever want to see the full list of Lectionary texts, don’t forget that you can always get them but going to the Knox / St. Mark’s page, click here, and clicking on the “Services” page. If you do that you can see the hymns we sang too!

Article by Barry / Pentecost, Preaching, Year C / being, choice, choosing, doing, Martha, Mary, Mary and Martha, preaching 2 Comments

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Comments

  1. Jim Frost says

    2016/07/20 at 10:55

    Thanks Barry—good thoughts, good words. I especially liked your illustration of your Mom coming into the front room to join the visitors. I’ve seen her do that more than once.

    Love, Dad

    Reply
    • Barry says

      2016/07/20 at 14:57

      Thanks Dad. It was very nice for me to remember that about her too. I know many people combine the gift of hospitality with the talent for entertaining but in my, quite likely biased, view she was the best at it.

      Reply

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