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.
Shortly before Jesus was tried and killed, He went back to Mary and Martha’s house. Today, we’re REFLECTING on the different ways that his friends welcomed him.
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)
When Jesus went to Mary, Martha and Lazarus’s house, they each welcomed him in their own special way. Lazarus welcomed Jesus by giving his time and attention. Martha welcomed Jesus by giving him the best food. And Mary welcomed Jesus by giving him an expensive gift.
And there are other ways to welcome people too… like giving them encouraging words, or giving them help with something, or giving them a big hug.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: Which ways do we like to welcome people? Here are some ideas… giving time and attention, giving food, giving gifts, giving encouraging words, giving help or giving a hug.*
Let’s each think of someone who has welcomed us in one of those ways recently. As we whisper their names now, let’s thank God for them.
Loving God, we thank you for the friends and family in our lives who know the best ways to welcome us and show us that they care. We ASK you to show them how much you care for them too.
Sometimes we welcome other people in the way that we would like to be welcomed and we forget to think about how they would like to be welcomed. For example, we might give someone a gift because we like gifts, when what they’d really like is for us to say something encouraging to them.
Loving God, we ASK You to help us to be more aware of how best to welcome and care for other people. Speak to us right now – who can we welcome and care for over the next few days, and what’s the best way for us to do this?
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.
Loving God, we thank you for the many different ways that You welcome us and demonstrate your love and care for us. We say YES to doing the same for 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.
* For some parent/carer tips on what’s commonly known as ‘love languages for children’, see https://www.careforthefamily.org.uk/parenting/kids-love-languages/. (We’ve added food because we think it might be a sixth one.)
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.
