Week: Hospitality - Mary and Martha
Each day we will simply pray (P.R.A.Y.) together.
P: PAUSING to be still.
R: REJOICING with a Memory Verse and REFLECTING on some verses from the Bible.
A: ASKING God to help us and others.
Y: saying YES to God’s ways.
We start by pausing and taking a deep breath:
In and out.
In and out.
We remember that God is here, and so together we prepare ourselves to be with God.
Pause
God of hospitality, thank You for inviting us into Your family. As we sit at Your table and taste Your words to us, may they give us all the strength we need.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Eli
1 Peter 4:9
Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.
1 Peter 4:9 (NIVUK)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today, we’re returning to the same Bible passage as yesterday to REFLECT on the extraordinary way that Jesus was welcomed when he went to visit Mary, Martha and Lazarus.
Read by Eli
John 12:1,3
Six days before the Passover Feast, Jesus went to Bethany, where Lazarus lived. (Lazarus is the man Jesus raised from the dead.) There they had a dinner for Jesus. Martha served the food, and Lazarus was one of the people eating with Jesus. Mary brought in a pint of very expensive perfume made from pure nard. She poured the perfume on Jesus’ feet, and then she wiped his feet with her hair.
John 12:1, 3a (NCV)
People who study the Bible aren’t sure if it was actually Martha’s sister, Mary, who poured the perfume on Jesus’ feet, or a different Mary. Or maybe the same thing happened on two occasions? We don’t know for sure.
What we do know is that Mary’s perfume was worth a LOT of money (probably as much as a brand new car!). When Jesus arrived, Mary welcomed Him in the most extraordinary, extravagant way – she gave the best that she possibly could.
John writes that the smell of the perfume filled the whole house. Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: What things do we just LOVE the smell of? (Maybe it’s the smell of the ocean, maybe it’s freshly cut grass, or maybe peanut butter?)
And now, let’s ASK God to help us and others…
Lord Jesus, Mary gave the best that she possibly could. We ASK You to help us give You our best too – the best of what we’ve got, and the best of who we are.
Let’s make this really practical.
Let’s pause for a moment and ASK God… what have we got that we could generously give away to someone else?
As we read the Bible again, let’s listen for a word or a phrase that the Holy Spirit might want to say to us from today’s verses.
John 12:1,3
Six days before the Passover Feast, Jesus went to Bethany, where Lazarus lived. (Lazarus is the man Jesus raised from the dead.) There they had a dinner for Jesus. Martha served the food, and Lazarus was one of the people eating with Jesus. Mary brought in a pint of very expensive perfume made from pure nard. She poured the perfume on Jesus’ feet, and then she wiped his feet with her hair.
John 12:1-3a (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Father God, everything we have belongs to You anyway. We say NO to tightly holding onto the things that we own, and YES to being generous and hospitable instead. Help us to be extraordinarily extravagant towards others.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
1 Peter 4:9
Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.
1 Peter 4:9 (NIVUK)
Let’s put a hand on our heart.
Father God, fill us with Your love. Help us to love You, and everything that You’ve made.
Let’s point to our eyes.
Lord Jesus, help us to see You, and to see others the way that You see them too.
Let’s point to our ears.
Holy Spirit, help us to hear You, and give us courage to do what You say.
Unathi lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, with her husband and 5 kids; and has a passion for seeing families thriving.
You’ll most likely find her homeschooling the tribe, reading, writing, or dreaming about the next DIY project.
She also loves good coffee, dark chocolate and hiking.
Eli lives in Melbourne, Victoria with his mum, dad and two younger sisters. He enjoys music, reading, riding his skateboard and playing soccer.
