The Carols of the King - Pt 3

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42 ESV).

Today we’ll look at a wonderful Christmas carol, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” It is not one that would be sung in “high church,” but none-the-less an important contribution to the inspiration and encouragement we ought to be reminded about at this time of the year. Josh Groban sings today’s carol: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjGd3eAgCL8. Songwriters Hugh Martin and Ralph Blaine wrote the classic song for Judy Garland's 1944 movie, Meet Me in St. Louis. Hugh Martin said in a 1989 interview: “The original version was so gloomy that Judy Garland refused to sing it. She said, ‘If I sing that, little Margaret will cry and they'll think I'm a monster.’ I was young then and kind of arrogant, and I said, 'Well, I'm sorry you don't like it, Judy, but that's the way it is, and I don't really want to write a new lyric.' But Tom Drake, who played the boy next door, took me aside and said, 'Hugh, you've got to finish it. It's really a great song potentially, and I think you'll be sorry if you don't do it.' So I went home and I wrote the version that's in the movie." He certainly was right. It has become a classic recorded by hundreds of artists over the last 65 years. One other thing that is right is the fact that Christmas can seem like a rat race at times. There is all of the hectic last-minute shopping at crowded malls, struggling to find the perfect gift for someone, the decorating of the house (including checking every single bulb on the strand of lights to find the one at the very end that shorted out the rest), wrapping present after present after present, or preparing for your extended family to take over your house for the day. It is easy to get lost in the busyness of Christmas, and to miss the things that are really important. This is the story of our reading today. We see this happen in the book of Luke, when Jesus went to eat in the home of two sisters, Mary and Martha. Martha spent her time running around cooking, serving dinner, and cleaning. These were all very good things, but “busy” things. It is great that you are willing to be like Martha, and make sure that all of the popcorn is strung up, but it is not worth missing the opportunity to have a real conversation with a family member you don’t see often, or when your child’s face lights up because Santa indeed got that letter and delivered exactly what they asked for. It is not about all that we have to do, the list of things we have check off, but it is all about the moment. This year, don’t miss out on what is better. Take the opportunity to enjoy the time you have with friends and family. Take time not to worry about the things you have to do, but to enjoy the people you get to be with. Be present where you are, because that is what is better, and have yourself a merry little Christmas.