Date: 16-10-22
Preacher: Sim Yoke Hwee
Title: Mary Before Martha

Mary Before Martha

In our world of work/study and life responsibilities, we often find ourselves delegating God to second, third, fourth etc place and we think we have good enough reasons for doing so. After all, we have to support a family and loans to pay among other equally important commitments.

So in the midst of our doing, ‘Satan has a way of whispering things in our ears that agree with our flesh’ and we end up like Martha doing all she could, to be hospitable to her guest, Jesus, instead of satisfying her spiritual appetite like what Mary did.

And I especially like the poem shared by Sister Hwee below:

I've gone for a drink & sharpened my pencils,
Searched through my shelves for forgotten utensils,
I reset my watch, I adjusted my chair
I've loosened my tie & straightened my hair,
I filled my pen & tested the blotter
& gone for another drink of water.
Adjusted the calendar & raised the blind
And sorted erasers of all different kinds,
Now down to work I can finally sit.
Oops, too late, it’s time to quit!

As a student I was often guilty of doing all of the above instead of the actual studying and no wonder I never did up to expectations. The worst part was I thought I was studying!

Sister Hwee then concluded her sermon appropriately by saying it’s not Mary vs Martha but Mary before Martha. 

We must get our priority right.