St Margaret's Church Prestwich

This sermon was given by Rev Sue on Sunday 20 July. Here it is for you again:

One of the most unusual and engaging books I have read in recent years is Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce. It’s the story of Margery Benson, a lonely and bored middle-aged teacher weighed down by years of unexpressed grief. When she was a child, she read a book written by her father called The Amazing World of Insects. She is fascinated by the mention of a golden beetle, possibly native to New Caledonia, a group of islands in the South Pacific. The beetle may or may not exist, but her father promised that one day they would go and look for it, but they never did. Instead, Margery’s childhood was shaped by tragedy: her brothers died in the war, and her family fell apart. The beetle became a lost dream, buried under decades of duty, loneliness, and disappointment.

Then one day Margery snaps. She steals a pair of boots from the school lost property box, empties her meagre savings and advertises for an assistant to join her on an expedition to New Caledonia. Only one candidate applies: Enid Pretty, talkative and flamboyant, dressed in tight pink clothes and pom-pom sandals – not an obvious choice for a companion on a dangerous jungle expedition. But off they go.

They encounter treacherous landscapes, tropical storms, and bureaucratic nightmares. meanwhile, coming to terms with their own grief and trauma, and putting aside their assumptions about each other to become true friends.

At heart, the book is the story of a quest – like searching for the Holy Grail – where journey is as important as the goal. It is also extremely funny!

Turning to today’s gospel, at first glance, we would be forgiven for thinking that the message is that Mary has got it right and prayer is more important than service. But only last week we heard the story of the Good Samaritan, and we were left in no doubt about who was the hero of the story. The message is that we should go out of our way to look after each other, especially the people on the margins of society. The week before that, we heard how Jesus sent out 70 disciples to proclaim the good news. Today’s gospel is from the same chapter in Luke as those two previous readings, which are about very active ways to serve God. Is Luke now saying that they are second best?

Let’s take a close look. Mary is sitting at Jesus’ feet, the traditional way of expressing discipleship, and she is listening intently. Martha, meanwhile is in the kitchen getting the meal ready.  We don’t know how many guests were expected, but it’s quite likely that friends and neighbours would be invited to come to meet Jesus. Anyone who has ever cooked for a group will recognize that moment at which we begin to wonder if we have been too ambitious, planning more than we could fit in the time available. The clock is ticking, there’s still a lot to do, and it seems that no one is offering to help. The anxiety and resentment can build up as we are getting tired, hot and flustered while others are sitting in another room chatting.

So Martha bursts in and demands that Jesus asks Mary to help. She’s asking him to take sides and choose between two different, but both good, ways to spend the afternoon: listening and hospitality.

Jesus responds, “Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things. But only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the better part.”

Is he saying that the meal is over-elaborate and a simpler meal would have been fine? Perhaps, but there is a deeper meaning, too. Mary is single-minded in her devotion to Jesus. Martha’s attention is scattered, and she is distracted by focusing on not just the cooking but also on what Mary is or isn’t doing. A common theme in the gospels is this: focus on the work God has called you to do. Don’t concern yourself with someone else’s calling.

Yesterday I spent a Quiet Day with my Franciscan brothers and sisters in the lovely village of Edale. We were reminded how Francis had two spiritual advisers – his priest Sylvester and his friend Clare. He told them he wanted to give up preaching and become a hermit – but they both said, “no” he needed to preach as well as to pray. Each October we each write a report to say how we personally have balanced our lives over the last year, keeping prayer as a priority, while also focusing on serving others in our families, our work and in our communities. Some spend more time in prayer – especially our older members – others have active and busy lives. We all have our own part to play in the order, and the order as a whole balances prayer, study and work, everyone doing a little of each in different proportions.

Not too long ago, I was training as an ordinand and study took up a large part of my time. Now my ministry is more active. One day, I will slow down and be able to devote more time to prayer. Each year, I am held to account not as to whether I have ticked boxes by putting in hours of prayer, study or service, but I am asked whether I have remained dedicated to following Jesus after the example of St Francis. Have I been single-minded and tried to avoid distractions?

St Margaret of Antioch certainly wasn’t distracted. She was a young woman whose devotion to God was unswerving. She had vowed to remain a virgin and refused to marry a Roman governor, even though she was imprisoned, tortured, and finally beheaded. That’s true single-mindedness.

Miss Benson, too, is an inspiration. Although the novel is not explicitly Christian, it’s a parable of a woman giving up everything to follow one’s dream, like the merchant in the story Jesus told, who sold everything to buy the pearl of great price. She risks everything in the pursuit of scientific discovery and in the process becomes her authentic self, the person who God has called her to be. And to her surprise, it is not a lonely journey, as she finds companionship and love in the most unlikely person.

A paradox of the Christian life is that if we stay focused on the task which God has set before us, without worrying about what others are doing, we find we are given the joy of companionship and fellowship as we work and pray side by side. Jesus said that we cannot grow a single inch taller by worrying. Nor can we add a single member to the congregation by worrying about the future. God asks of each us a single-minded devotion, prayerfully seeking his will, working side by side for his kingdom. That way St Margaret’s will be the church that God wants it to be.