Let me confess to you: I have never much liked the story of Martha and Mary. Maybe it is because there is a part of me that likes “to do,” to see measurable progress, and know we are moving ahead. Don’t get me wrong, I treasure my quite time, but… Most of my life I have heard that the point of this story was that Mary’s attention to Jesus’ teaching is better and more important that what Martha is doing – the work of hospitality. The women in Kenya heard it that way and it rubbed them the wrong way. They quickly pointed out the biblical importance of their work: “Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.” (Hebrews 13:2) They also could have just stayed here in the Gospel of Luke were hospitality is evangelical. In the end, these women felt that they story undervalues or dismissed their efforts to be welcoming, hospitable and to serve. Continue reading →