By Father Ted

This Sunday, our gospel reading is the familiar story of two sisters, Mary and Martha, and the different ways they attend to Jesus. Martha busied herself to feed and entertain Jesus and his disciples, while Mary took her place at Jesus' feet and listened to his every word. When Martha complained about Mary for not helping her, Jesus shook his head and replied, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her." Actually, the text doesn't say that Jesus shook his head, but I'm pretty sure he did.

The classic question that clergy ask when preaching on this story is: Are you a Martha, or are you a Mary? There are ways of asking the same question that clearly favor the Marys: Are you distracted, or are you devoted? Do you worry, or do you wonder? But then again, there are ways of asking it that are a little more ambiguous: Are you a doer or an adorer? Are you a servant or a student? When you ask the Martha/Mary question this way, the quandary becomes more difficult because we know there is work that needs to be done and there are people who need to be served. We need doers and servers as well as adorers and students. So why does Jesus say that one part is better than the other?

I know that people have strong feelings about this question, particularly the Marthas among us; it sounds like Jesus is being dismissive of all their hard work. But I believe that Jesus is right about which is "the better part," and I think that I have a timely illustration this: Foyer Groups.

Foyer Groups are one of Transfiguration's most vibrant and thriving ministries, and I like to say that they are the best way to get to know other parishioners slowly. Foyer Groups are open to single people and couples, and there are around 100 participants at present. Participants are assigned to groups of usually eight people, and they meet once a month for six months. Participants take turns hosting a meal either at their home or a restaurant. Most groups meet for dinner, but they could also choose to meet for brunch or something like that. After six months, the groups are shuffled and everything starts over.

Of course, hosting a dinner party is a lot of work, even if your guests are bringing the side dishes and desserts. It would be possible to spend the entire evening like Martha, fussing with things in the kitchen, worrying about the timing of your dishes, making sure everyone's drinks are topped off, constantly on your feet and moving around, while your guests get to know one another. But it's also possible to be like Mary, doing most of the work ahead of time so you can spend the evening sitting and enjoying the company of your guests. If the whole point of Foyer Groups is to get to know other parishioners, then who chose the better part: the host who was worried and distracted or the host who sat and interacted the guests? I think the answer is pretty clear.

If you are interested in meeting other members of Transfiguration, then I encourage you to join Foyer Groups. For people who did not participate in the most recent Foyer Groups, the deadline to sign up for the next round is August 3, and the new groups will be announced at the kickoff on August 17 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm in Roper Hall. Look for the notice to sign-up in this E-news.