Surviving Holiday Entertaining: Lesson #4

Lesson #4 from Mary and Martha's Holiday Survival Guide: Make it your goal to facilitate other people’s worship this season, even if it is only by quietly doing your job without complaint. I find it interesting that at the second dinner where we meet Mary and Martha (John 12:1-3), the only thing the Bible tells us about Martha is that she served—-no details, no discussion. It seems that this time Martha served without worry, without drawing attention to herself and without caring that certain others were not helping her.

At this second dinner, Martha’s sister Mary was once again not helping in the kitchen. But apparently this time Martha didn’t complain and didn’t try to force Mary into doing some work. Martha’s restraint left Mary free to engage in an extraordinary act of worship. Martha’s willingness to serve the dinner without Mary’s help actually facilitated Mary’s worship. Interesting to think that Martha’s complaining could have wrecked the spirit of worship created by Mary. Instead, her background presence in the kitchen enhanced it.

My goal this Thanksgiving is to create an atmosphere that allows others to worship more fully. I’m not quite sure how I can affirmatively do that but, at minimum, I know that complaining about being in the kitchen is NOT the way to go about it. I know it is easy during the holidays to begin to feel that you are doing all the work while others have all the fun, but it may help to realize that your quiet service, your lack of complaint, and your peaceful spirit may actually enhance others' worship during the holidays. Have you been praying for a spouse, a parent or a child to somehow enter in to a deeper relationship with Christ during these holidays? Your attitude during the hubbub this Thursday may be a key to how your loved one responds to Christ this season--and here you thought all you held in your hands was an oven mitt and a bowl of mashed potatoes!

How good and pleasant it is when brothers [and sisters, parents, children, in-laws, aunts and uncles] live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head....Psalm 133:1-2