Holy Communion for the fifth Sunday after Trinity: celebrant the Revd Tola Badejo.

First reading: Colossians 1. 15-28
Gospel: Luke 10. 38-42

At first sight, today's readings are not only unrelated in content but utterly different in style: the passage from Colossians is a densely-written theological argument about the divinity of Christ and the Gospel appears to be a straightforward story about Jesus's visit to the family of Mary and Martha. Both, however, focus on the unique nature of Jesus. Paul outlines Christ's absolute identity with God - he is not in any sense subordinate to God - and in the Gospel he is not merely an important visitor, as perhaps a priest or another rabbi might have been.

Both Mary and Martha (along with their brother Lazarus) were beloved friends of Jesus, and for this and many other reasons, including the value placed upon hospitality in biblical times, we should not see his words to Martha as a sharp rebuke. They are more of a firm but gentle reminder that although practical tasks are important - and the Gospels leave no doubt that practical generosity is central to Christian faith - they should never become an end in themselves, or a distraction from a worshipful life. The brief story of Mary and Martha gives us a privileged insight into a private Jesus, gently guiding a beloved friend back to the sense of proportion that most of us lose from time to time; what Jesus most desires from us is not an elaborate meal but our careful attention.