Luke 10:38-42

This Sunday Elizabeth Korver-Glenn shares of the dearth of information she was able to find about early Black and Brown Mennonite leaders, with an even greater lack of any details about Black and Brown Mennonite women. She found brief information about Phoebe Sheela Bisahu Solomon and Rowena Lark in the archives of Mennonite history.

The Gospel reading for today is part of a very long tradition of creative disordering and creative retelling. Jesus upends the established historical archive and the making of an archive by centering the stories of poor and otherwise marginalized people. People who would have been otherwise omitted. The story of Jesus' presence in Martha's home is an example of that reordering. Martha is portrayed and positioned as the head of the house. Mary has adopted the position typically reserved for men: the place at Jesus' feet where she can listen unencumbered by other distractions.