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Martha - Hostess of Hostesses
Mark 5:1-9
Matthew 8:28-34
Luke 8:26-39
As hostess to the Savior, Martha had
Distracting thoughts that on her mind did weigh,
Procurement of the goods for board and bed,
And if deliveries were on their way.
A paradigm of hospitality
That with great dedication overflowed,
She served with self-effacing fervency,
The Lord, and His disciples' hungry crowd.
A refuge haven sweet was Bethany
For worn-out Jesus needing peace and rest,
From wearing labors of His ministry,
To well enjoy with friends a homely fest.
Mary and Martha were the sisters, and
They had a brother, Lazarus by name,
These siblings would our Blessed Lord attend
When weary and stressed out at night He came.
Lo! Martha, hostess of all hostesses,
Would see to it food was superior
For the beloved guest to surely bless
Her cooking and her many a household chore.
Perhaps a simple dish, such as a stew,
With lots of garlic, leaks and onion
To fill the stomacs and would surely do
For freeloaders and merry hangers-on..
Did Martha hug Perfection needed not ?-
Or the enormous and excessive toil ?
Perfection of the Herring, Pike and Cod
'Just right',- and fried in finest olive oil.
Lo! Martha wanted everything 'just right”.
As any hostess would without a doubt,
Mixed with the shadow of unconscious pride,
That curtailed what the Lord’s words were about.
And Mary sat by Him absorbed and still,
She hung on Jesus lips and would not move,
While Martha labored hard to make a meal,
As empty stomachs often threaten love.
A party must be perfect and the meal
Be consummate to well delight the guest,
The anxious hostess' pride and eager zeal
Will be aroused to serve the very best.
With mounds and heaps of work yet to be done
T'is grim when hostesses are left alone,
To hug the oven and the fire place,
And line up dishes and the bowls apace.
To Jesus now turned now Martha to complain,
Her cheeks aglow with oven steam and heat,
While Mary like the coolest chatelaine
Let Martha toil and sat at Jesus' feet.
Yet Jesus voiced for Mary's choice support
Who chose and opted for the better part,
By listening and learning from the WORD,-
Superior to culinary art.
And Jesus, woman's champion held out
Discipleship claim's superiority,
To flawless party dinners for a crowd
However excellent the meals may be.
But Martha learned her lesson for she sped
To the delaying Saviour full of trust,
While Mary home with mourners shiftless sat,
When their dear brother Lazarus had passed.
'Had you been here Lord Lazarus would be
Alive with us, and never would have died,
But 'EVEN SO' I do believe in Thee:
'You are God's son, the Lord of power and might!'
To Martha's words of faith the Lord condigned
To speak the words that quicken life and breath:
'I am the resurrection and the life,
And who believes in me will not see death'.
It is to Martha, hostess, that we owe
These words of Jesus, uttered in reply
To (WOMAN Peter) since she did avow *
Like him the revelation from on high.
Lo! Martha's range of vision did expand,
By Spirit fed in luminosity,-
That stretched her ken to deeply understand,
And to perceive the Lord's divinity.
And Martha hostess of all hostesses
Trounced high ambition-laced anxiety,
And felt no longer over-anxiousness,
But served with confident serenity.
Saint Martha served- served with fidelity,
The legends tell , but without anxiousness,
Served lovingly, but with serenity-,
Bow to this hostess of all hostesses.
*Words spoken by Peter in Caesarea Philippi when Jesus asked His disciples who they think He was, and Peter's avowal which made him the head of the church (Matthew 16:13-15) Note
Martha had the identical insight as Peter. (A Woman Peter) who was given to perceive (Christ's divinity.)
(Copyright) Elizabeth Dandy
July 29 - Feast of Saint
Martha
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