Good Morning Friends,
Today we have a devotional on Luke 10:38–42, woven into Pentecost and shaped around the Moorings Presbyterian Church stained glass depicting Jesus, Mary and Martha. It is centered on the Gospel and asks this simple question: What Is The One Thing We Need?
Scripture: As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42 (NIV)
Message: When you stand in the sanctuary of Moorings Presbyterian Church and look up at the stained glass of Mary and Martha, you see more than a biblical scene—you see a window into the human heart. Martha stands in motion, hands full, face intent. Mary sits at the feet of Jesus, still, receptive, open. The glass glows with a quiet tension: two sisters, two postures, one Lord. Luke tells the story simply. Jesus enters their home. Martha welcomes Him, but becomes “distracted by many things.” Mary chooses to sit and listen. Martha protests. Jesus answers with tenderness: “Martha, Martha… you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the better part.” This is not a rebuke of service—it is an invitation to reorder the heart. Interestingly, Pentecost is the day the disciples learned the same lesson Mary learned in Bethany when the Church learned to sit before it stood. Before they preached, before they healed, before they crossed borders and languages and cultures, they were told to wait. To sit. To listen. To receive. They gathered in an upper room—much like Mary at Jesus’ feet—open, expectant, still. And then the Spirit came like wind and fire, not because they were busy, but because they were ready. Pentecost is the moment God shows us that power comes after presence, and presence comes through attention. The stained glass of Mary and Martha is, in its own way, a Pentecost window. It reminds us that the Spirit does not fill frantic hearts. He fills surrendered ones. Every church has a bit of Martha in it—especially a church as active and generous as Moorings. There are ministries to run, people to serve, programs to sustain, needs to meet. These are good things. Necessary things. But they can become “many things,” and many things can crowd out the one thing. Pentecost reminds us that the church is not built on human effort but on divine presence. The disciples did not build the church by their strength; the Spirit birthed it through their surrender. Martha’s busyness is not her failure—it is her temptation. And it is ours. Mary’s posture—sitting, listening, receiving—is the posture of Pentecost. It is the posture of: dependence, not self‑reliance, presence, not distraction, worship, not worry, Spirit‑power, not human striving.When the Spirit came at Pentecost, He did not reward their productivity. He honored their availability. The stained glass at Moorings captures this beautifully. Mary’s stillness is not passivity—it is preparation. Her listening is not inactivity—it is alignment. Her posture is the soil in which the Spirit grows fruit.
And So, on Pentecost, the Spirit formed a new kind of community—one marked by peace, unity, courage, and joy. But it began with a simple truth: You cannot give what you have not received. Martha wanted to serve Jesus. Mary wanted to be with Jesus. Pentecost teaches us that the second must come before the first. So today, as we celebrate the Spirit’s coming, let the stained glass preach to us: Sit before you serve. Listen before you speak. Receive before you give. Rest in Christ before you work for Christ. The Spirit still comes to those who make room. This is the one thing we need today.
Pray our Lord Jesus, make us like Mary—still, attentive, open. Pray our Lord make us like Martha—faithful, generous, willing— but only after our hearts have rested in You. Pray God bless us with the Holy Spirit again. Pray God let Moorings be a place where the “one thing needed” shapes everything we do. Pray God’s presence be our power, Your Word our anchor, Your Spirit our life. Amen.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 