One spring morning two friends met for coffee. “How was your Easter?” one asked the other.
“Well,” she replied,”it was awful. We went to Aunt Martha’s house for dinner. She’s been inviting us for years but we’ve always been too busy to join her.”
When I was a girl, we went there every Sunday for dinner and it was always such a fine affair. The table was set with the finest linens, the family china and the silver she was given as a wedding gift.”
“It all sounds lovely.” Remarked her friend.
“Oh, it was!” She said. ” And we all wore our best clothes.”
“So what was different this time?” Her friend asked.
“Well, to begin with, since there were fewer of us for dinner, Aunt Martha sat us in the kitchen and we used ordinary placements and paper plates! Not only that, but she didn’t serve half as many dishes and some of them were frozen prepared side dishes.” Sighing, she added, “Aunt Martha said she just didn’t have the time to do more but she was so glad to have us join her. It seems a shame that neither of her daughters had been able to lend a hand.”
“I guess we might go again next year if we’re invited, but I’m afraid it might just ruin all the happy memories I have as a child.”
“What a shame.” Said her friend. “It sounds like your Aunt Martha could use some help. Maybe you could stop and see her more often and lend a hand.”
“Oh no,” she replied, “My cousins can do that, after all, she’s their mother!”
What a shame indeed. In the next two weeks, many nameless faces will attend church services, some for the first time in many years. Some will find their churches easily maintaining long-held traditions, while others will have changed the way things are done.
Aside from changes in music and responses, many will find the bloom is off the rose. The altar cloths may look a little shabby and maybe even some of the services will run a bit off kilter.
If you happen upon my parish, you will find an aging congregation with very few “Martha’s” left with the energy to tend to more than the bare essentials.
Still, we continue to be excited by the number of visitors we received during these very Holy days, and will welcome you whole heartedly, and truly hope you like us enough to come back again and again.
Be kind your regard for us. We are doing the best we can with the gifts we have. If it looks like we need help, it’s because we do.
Maybe you could give us a hand?
So very true!