Be a Mary, Not a Martha This Christmas
How to Avoid Christmas Distractions and Choose the One Thing Needed
In the midst of the busiest season of the year, Jesus still whispers the same gentle invitation:
“Come and sit at My feet.”
The Christmas season is filled with beautiful traditions—but also endless distractions. Decorations, shopping lists, parties, meals, and expectations can quietly pull our attention away from the very One we are celebrating.
If we want to avoid Christmas distractions, we must learn again what Mary discovered long ago.
A Tale of Two Sisters
“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations…”
— Luke 10:38–40 (NIV)
Martha was doing good things—important things. She was serving Jesus. Yet Scripture tells us she was distracted. Mary, on the other hand, chose something radical for her time: she sat at Jesus’ feet, listening, fully present.
Jesus’ response reveals heaven’s priority:
“Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
— Luke 10:41–42 (NIV)
The Christmas Connection: Presence Over Performance
Like Martha, many of us exhaust ourselves preparing for Christmas—striving for perfect decorations, flawless meals, and memorable experiences—yet risk missing Christ Himself.
To avoid Christmas distractions, we must remember this truth:
Christmas is not about perfection; it’s about Emmanuel—God with us.
The first Christmas didn’t include elaborate preparations. There was no grand table or flawless home—only a manger, worship, wonder, and surrender.
This season, Jesus still invites us:
Come. Sit. Listen.
The One Thing Needed
Only one thing is truly necessary: unhurried fellowship with Him.
When we choose Mary’s posture—stillness over striving, presence over performance—anxiety loosens its grip. Peace, joy, and love begin to flow. Mary’s choice was not passive; it was active worship. It was an eternal investment.
Gratitude for a Faithful Community
Dear CMM Partners,
Thank you for your faithfulness throughout 2025. Your prayers, devotion, and generosity have advanced the Gospel in powerful ways—feeding the hungry, healing the sick, educating children, providing clean water, and bringing hope across more than 70 nations.
You embody what it means to be Mary first—prioritizing intimacy with Christ—and then serving from overflow, not exhaustion.
A Christmas Invitation: Worship That Overflows
As the year comes to a close, we invite you to consider a special year-end gift to bless the vulnerable around the world. Your support provides food, medical care, education, clean water, and the Gospel to those who have never heard the name of Jesus.
This is Mary’s choice lived out—worship that overflows into compassionate action. It redeems Martha’s service by rooting it in intimacy with Christ.
“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”
— Philippians 4:19 (NIV)
This Christmas, Choose Mary
Make time to sit at Jesus’ feet. Let the imperfections wait. From that place of worship, give generously and serve joyfully.
The waiting world needs the hope found only in Him.
“For to us a child is born… Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
— Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)
May you rest deeply in His presence and respond with radical generosity this Christmas.
With gratitude and eyes fixed on Jesus,
Jorge and Anna Marie Parrott
and the entire CMM Ministry Team
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace…”
— Luke 2:14 (NIV)
