Let us pray: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable to you, O God and may they tell of your way. Amen.

Sometimes a really good book title can tell you all you need to know about its contents. Or at least that's the way it might seem. The only problem with that affirmation is that you really need to read the book anyway to make sure that the title fits the contents. I mention this because of the title I stole for this reflection. We had a book by the same name sitting in the “reading room” for a few years except that it had a subtitle as well. It went this way: Don't Sweat the Small Stuff: And it's all small stuff. Given the title I didn't really feel the need to read the book, because I thought I knew what it was all about. In some ways I figured it was an expansion of that well known passage from Matthew's gospel where Jesus tells the disciples not to worry. Perhaps you know it better as the “lilies of the field” passage – you know – consider the lilies of the field and how they grow – even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these... In other words, don't worry, don't sweat the small stuff. Well I carried through on my sub-conscious promise not to read the book, so I don't know whether the book matched the title or not. It did however provide a good title.

It came to mind this week in connection with the reading we just heard from Luke's gospel. It's a curious little story. Martha is the busy and anxious host – scurrying around in the kitchen making sure that everything is just so. I'm sure there are many of us here who can totally relate to her busyness and her concern that the place is presentable. In some ways it tells us of the importance of the visit of her guest. You know how it is – we spend way more time doing housework depending on who is coming over to visit. I vividly remember a scene from my working days for a Calgary oil company. There was a board room right across from my office and we had word that the CEO of the multi-national resource and transportation company of which we were a subsidiary (which sounds like the kind of thing a Wheel of Fortune contestant would say to describe the company they work for!) was coming for a meeting. I can still remember the Manager of our department who would normally delegate the room preparation to someone else in the department, fussing about in the board room before the anticipated visit – adjusting the pads of paper and placing the supplied pens just so, so that they lined up in exactly the same place at each seat around the table. It struck me funny at the time, although I managed to avoid letting my mirth be known, and obviously has stayed with me as both an object lesson in the way that important visitors can change our behaviour and the importance that form can have over function. Unfortunately I was not invited to the meeting, so I cannot say whether the CEO actually noticed or commented that the pens were all perfectly lined up, but I suspect that the whole thing completely escaped his notice.

I imagine a similar kind of scene in the home of Martha and Mary. And the story has gone beyond its biblical source to enter into our common culture. I'm sure you've heard reference to Mary and Martha more than once – Martha the busy homemaker and Mary the doting groupie.

In many ways, I expect most of us can identify with Martha. After all, they have a visitor – and based on the busyness described in the story we can assume that Martha felt that this was an important visitor. Actually both sisters in their own way showed just how important this visit was. Martha – because she wanted everything to be just right. And Mary because she did not want to waste a moment by running around picking things up, putting things on the stove, tossing a salad or two, or making sure that the washroom was spruced up.

The situation obviously peeved Martha – for she made the point with her guest Jesus – who had obviously shown himself to be someone who could be consulted for wise counsel, that she was busy making ready for his visit while her lazybones sister was just sitting there.

Always one to give the surprising answer, Jesus disappoints us all by siding with Mary. Well perhaps not all of us – maybe he gives some credibility to the option of just letting things be – and making use of the time available to engage in what's important for the moment.

In effect, Jesus says to Martha – don't sweat the small stuff. I don't think what followed was exactly true to the book I mentioned from our past. I don't think he was saying that it was all small stuff. I think he did say that in the passage from Matthew, but in this one he clearly says there is a choice between the things that matter and the things that are not all that important. Mary has chosen the latter.

As was mentioned in Lloyd's introduction to the reading, there is a curious juxtaposition between this story and the one that immediately precedes it. The story of Martha and Mary comes right after the parable of the Good Samaritan. In that story Jesus is praising both action and compassion – holding the Samaritan up as an example of neighbourliness. But then the twist comes, when he suggests to Martha that she is fussing too much with unimportant details.

We might want to ask: So which is it Jesus? How do we know when action is the best course to take? The story of the Good Samaritan is clear with its answer to that question – the only possible answer is to stop and help. But the story of Martha and Mary is less clear. Of course the consequences are far less dire – a bit of a messy house, and something to eat that is less than fit for an esteemed guest – but still it seems that Martha's response is in tune with the story that Jesus has just finished telling to the Pharisee and everyone within earshot. But no, it is Mary that gets credit. Mary who just wants to spend time sitting with Jesus.

To me it is kind of reminiscent of the type of reflection that we hear from time to time when people look back on their lives. You know the question that tries to put life's decisions and activities in a type of perspective. When you look back on your life will you wish that you'd spent more time at work, or spent time with good friends? Will you wish you'd dusted the house a few more times, or travelled to intriguing places and met interesting people? Will you remember all the times you cut the lawn, or the occasions when you took a step outside of your comfort zone and helped someone or learned about their situation. We all know that the latter types of situation lead so often to teachable moments when we are able to expand our understanding of life and turn to new definitions of our role and purpose as human beings – creatures created by the Creator.

That's what I think Jesus was getting at. But I hope you don't think that Jesus is saying that the choice should always be the way that Mary chose. Yes, in that situation, we should choose as Mary chose, but other situations call for different answers. That is made clear by the story of the Samaritan.

If we could sum up the teaching and preaching of Jesus in his Galilean ministry it is that he helped people discern the way of God. Always he helped to point the way to God's way – raising an alternative point of view, putting things into perspective, affirming faithful choices, and making sure that the way people chose to live their lives were ways that kept God foremost and that those choices were life-affirming.

So the book title which I used as resource today is only partly right. The main title says it for me, but not the sub-title. Don't sweat the small stuff – but it's not all small stuff. The situation determines just what is important at the time and it takes a bit of discernment to decide which way to go – and that discernment will always include a consideration of the way that God would have us choose.

Conclude with the story of picking the bulletin cover