Contemplatio:To Seek or To Serve…That Is The Question

By Jeff Slaughter
Director of the European Worship Institute
This blog is part three of a five-part series.

As worship ministry leaders, we don’t want to be ‘Sunday morning worshippers’, only giving God His due from the platform once a week. We want to live in His presence every day. But often, life gets in the way and we forget that. What might help us remember to walk more closely with Him?

Here’s a thought:
To live in His presence we have to prioritize.

Luke 10: 38-42
38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one.[f] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

What’s more important? To serve others or seek Him? To be busy for the Kingdom or spend time with the King? According to Jesus, it’s better to seek rather than serve. “Few things are needed – or indeed only one.” Jesus seems to be telling us here to prioritize living in His presence over anything else – even service to Him (which for most of us means service in the church.) It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t serve Him, it just means that serving Him should replace sitting at His feet like Mary.

Sometimes, to sit is better than to serve. We want to prioritize His presence over anything else.

It’s true: to seek or to serve…that is the question!