There are moments in Scripture when something familiar becomes new again, not because the words have changed, but because we finally see what was there all along.
This week’s message began with that kind of realization. The story of the Good Samaritan and the story of Mary and Martha sit right next to each other in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 10:25-42). Many of us know both stories well. Fewer of us have stopped to consider why Luke places them side by side.
In one, Jesus tells us, “Go and do likewise.” Love takes action. It moves toward the neighbor in need.
In the other, Jesus gently tells Martha that she is “worried and distracted by many things,” while Mary has chosen “the better part.” Love becomes attentive. It listens. It stays present.
At first glance, those can feel like competing directions. Do we go, or do we sit?
But as we reflected together, the answer isn’t one or the other. It’s both. Just not in the way we might expect. The deeper question is not simply what we are doing, but what is driving what we do.
The priest, the Levite, and Martha may have been trying to be faithful. (If you haven’t thought of the priest and the Levite that way, consider that they were both probably headed to Jerusalem to fulfill leadership responsibilities at the temple, and would have been unable to do so if they had become unclean through interacting with the victim of the thieves.) And yet, “sometimes when we seek to do the right thing, we may miss the moment.”
That’s where this idea of “love rightly ordered” begins to take shape.
When love is driven by anxiety, obligation, or expectation, it can become disordered. We can find ourselves doing all the right things, but missing what matters most. But when love begins with attention to Christ, when we slow down long enough to listen, what follows is different. It becomes action that is not frantic, service that is not anxious, and love that truly sees.
The most faithful next step may not be doing more. It may be pausing long enough to listen so that what you do next is truly an expression of love.
That’s not always an easy shift to make. Many of us carry real responsibilities. Many of us feel pulled in a dozen directions at once. But even in the midst of that, Jesus’ invitation remains the same: pay attention.
You can listen to the full message for a deeper reflection on how these two stories shape one another, and how they might reshape the rhythms of your own life.
We’d love to see you in person at Lincoln Park-Lynnwood United Methodist Church, 3120 Pershing Street, Knoxville, TN. Come as you are. We’re not in the judging business. We’re in the welcoming business.
