Up or Down?

You know that song, “The Grand Old Duke of York?” He had ten thousand men; he marched them up the hill and then he marched them down again. And when you’re up, you’re up, and when you’re down, you’re down, and when you’re only halfway up, you’re neither up nor down. Every time you sing “up” or “down,” you stand up, or sit down. That song never fails to leave my daughter in a breathless fit of giggles on the floor.

I feel similarly breathless after a run through chapter 10 of Luke’s gospel. Last week, the Good Samaritan story left us with a command to go and do. This week, Jesus visits Martha and Mary’s home, and chastises Martha for doing too much. So, which is it? Up or down? Are we supposed to be up and running off to serve our neighbor? Or down on the floor at Jesus’s feet, listening for the word of God?

What do you want from us, Jesus?

The answer, I think, is: both. Sometimes we have to get up and act – especially when there’s something happening right in front of us that we can do something about. Sometimes we have to sit down and rest – especially if our work has us so distracted that we’ve lost sight of the Christ sitting in our own living room. It means paying attention, every day, to see if God is calling us to go and do, or come and sit. This is a think-on-your-feet kind of faith we practice, one that demands a different response to whatever situation we’re in, one that requires agility and patience and grace. It’s enough to leave you breathless at the wonder of it all.