Last Sunday, my atheist friend and I arrived at church late. We missed a clip from the movie The Nightmare Before Christmas, the "theme" of this series (I use quotes because the sermon had nothing to do with the movie besides clipart from it being on some slides). The pastor opened with a few Christmas music jokes and saying last week's sermon was on finances. How the hell do they talk about money so damn much and it's always the same patronizing advice....
Today's sermon is on Luke 10:38-42. Cue the Martha bashing #womencan'twin. His first point is Martha was "distracted by all the preparations." He relates this to Christmas preparations distracting "us" from the true meaning of Christmas.
If the significance of Christmas is so easy to miss, how significant is it? Me wrapping presents will prevent me from the true meaning of Jesus' coming? And that's my fault, not Jesus' for being not a big deal? Martha prepping a big meal like a good hostess should do in Ancient Israel took her away from the significance of Jesus. Is Jesus not that powerful?
I agree with his first point, slow down. It's incredibly important to intentionally schedule carefully during holiday stress. He keeps saying "Be Still" without realizing he is advocating for meditation.
Ecl. 10:15 GN is so shaming and hypocritical bullshit. He doesn't shit on capitalism for making it practically impossible to live without working a ton, he shits on the people "so stupid" to wear himself out with work. Now he's shaming people who go "overboard" on Christmas house lights. God forbid someone have a hobby or passion to decorate their house.
Point two is help out. He opens by saying "Martha bad Mary good" isn't true but that's what he's taught me my whole life! "Send me some Marthas!" He cried out. Fuck you. I've been shamed my whole life for being a do-er like Martha instead of still like Mary (ironically, at my peak of Christian obsession, I was very much a good balance of both women but still felt wretched for not reading my Bible longer everyday or "letting" my bra strap fall in front of boys).
Now he's arguing Mary already did her chores before Jesus showed up. He lists a bunch of chores she could have done, including vacuuming LOL. Boy bye. "I don't know that for sure but the key to the Bible is context, context, context." You rarely if ever consider historical context, including gender power imbalances.
Wow he actually gave a caveat on seasons and how some people can't serve because of their season, including health restrictions and new mothers. "I'm not trying to get on your case. You know me." Bruh, you can't say this and counteract your previous shpel on serving more.
Point three is prioritize. The pastor paints a scene of Martha making a huge, lavish dinner spread including apple pie because "Jesus loves apple pie." I just. Ancient Israel didn't have apple pies.
"We shouldn't just blindly bash Martha!" he said before bashing her for making too complicated a meal, this claim has no textual evidence. "You could have gone out to Little Caesar's and I would have been fine with that!" He said, pretending to be Jesus. Little Caesar's wasn't an option nor are your jokes funny. Martha was using her gifts. Making a big meal for Jesus and his followers. How dare she want to use her skills. What a bad bad woman. She should have just gone for fast food.
Okay so here's the pastor's "proof." He thinks Jesus saying "indeed only one" refers to Jesus saying only one dish was important. But that verse is pretty explicitly talking about how Jesus is the only one that was important. Not fucking food dishes.
The next point was a clip of Arnold Schwarzenegger saying "stop whining." "Jesus gets on Martha three times for her attitude!" On the screen it said self-pity, fault finding, and anger. I would point fingers at my lazy ass sister if she left me to prep the meal alone!! That is not a fucking sin. Mary should have been carrying her weight. Also worry is not an attitude, fuck wad.
"There's a place to confront people, but you gotta watch your tone." This obsession with tone policing shuts people with legitimate concerns down.
Point five is get close to Jesus because Mary sat right at his feet. He went on another not Biblical rant about "Most of the Jews were not happy with the census." ANCIENT JEWISH PEOPLE not Jews. Then he went on about the innkeeper, who is never mentioned in scripture, and how the innkeeper was Jewish and missed out on his savior's birth by sending Mary to his stable, cause all Jewish people definitely joined the Christian train and the innkeeper who is never mentioned in scripture is definitely Jewish. Also, Jesus wasn't born in a stable.
The atheist wrote down, "Don't be like the innkeeper" could be used to encourage people to support refugees. But of course, this conservative white man doesn't care about refugees (or at least doesn't do anything besides thoughts and prayers).
"Think of a time you were spiritually closer to Jesus. Who moved? Not God. You are as close to God as you choose to be." This shaming theology ruined me in high school. Made me believe my almost constant anxiety was not trusting god enough. Or hating myself for being "prideful." It was always my fault. I'm so tired of this bullshit one sided relationship where everything was my fault. If I was in a relationship with someone and all the fights were always my fault, I would break up for them being manipulative. I'm done letting god manipulate me and not put any work into the relationship he supposedly wants me to do.
The atheist and I got up and left after the ending prayer. Two white men, one being the associate pastor, came up on stage and began rapping. I am so tired of conservative white people vilify rappers and rapping but use it for themselves to be "funny" and "edgy" when they really look ridiculous and tactless.
A group of my friends are going with me in two days... at least I won't be alone. Maybe it'll be another sermon on smiling more like last Christmas.
-Rachel