All Saints' Orpington

Letter From The Vicar

February 2012

Dear Friends

"Martha had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, so she came to him and asked 'Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help m'’. But the Lord replied 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part...'". [St. Luke 10: 39-42].

The great spiritual writer Henri Nouwen was once asked if there were times when we were called to be both Mary and Martha. Henri said that both people are in a way representing the human spirit. Action was very important – "What you’ve done for the least of mine, you’ve done for me".  But if our activity comes from our own insecurity about our identity, it might not serve the Kingdom, as we could be on the road to burn-out, engaging in activity without faith.

Henri interpreted Jesus as saying that Mary had chosen the better part because we must be intimate with God, we must listen to God. Our identity is rooted as the children of God. We must keep reminding ourselves of that, and to trust that, out of our prayer life, we will know to what action we are called.

In another story in St Luke, Henri pointed out that Jesus prayed at night, in the morning he called together the community of disciples and in the afternoon he went out with them to minister and to preach [St. Luke 6: 12-19]. The action in the story was rooted in intimacy with God.

As we prepare for Lent, I invite us to share more in the opportunities which All Saints’ offers for intimacy with God at worship on weekdays and at weekends. Can we find a time each day to listen to that voice which calls us the beloved? I am counselling myself as much as you!

God bless
Brian