¿Quién soy yo para criticar a Marta? Yo, hombre, quien tiene tanto privilegio no tiene el derecho de criticar a una mujer que trabaja muy duro como Marta. Celebramos la fidelidad de Marta:
quien invitó a Jesús en su casa
quien limpiaba y cocinaba para Jesús y los discípulos
quien cuando tenía inquietud con su hermana fue a Jesús para ayuda
y quien aceptó el consejo de Jesús con mente y corazón abierto.
¡Que sean más Martas en el mundo!
También celebramos a María, la hermana de Marta. Ella rompió el cielo de vidrio separando hombres y mujeres por sentando a los pies de Jesús. ¡Qué buena mujer!
Por supuesto celebramos a Jesús como imagen y símbolo de Dios. Celebramos que estamos salvados por la gracia a través de la fe y no por obras buenas. No hay el dios que reprima o condena según nuestras acciones. Estamos totalmente libre para trabajar o no trabajar. Lo que necesitamos es tener fe. Fe es aprovechar el momento, cada momento que tenemos con los seres queridos. No hay segundas chanzas. Solamente hay una vida. Por eso María escogió mejor: porque alcanzó su oportunidad estar con Jesús y enriquecer a su vida. ¡No dejes que tu oportunidad se vaya; agarralo con fe; agarra a la gracia de Dios! Amen.
The Season of “Lint” Last Saturday I had the pleasure of servicing the clothes drier in the parsonage. For some time Sheri had been dropping hints and comments that it needed attention. It finally came to a head when my parents came to visit and there were even more comments made, and then I was reminded we had friends visiting from Minnesota who we would be hosting, and who might have to do laundry.
So I watched a few videos online, read some tutorials, called the head of buildings and grounds, who assured me I could handle it, and talked to the parts department at Cagle’s in Ontario. There was but one thing left to do: take it apart and figure out what was wrong.
If you’ve ever fixed things at home or gotten wrapped up into DIY (Do it Yourself) projects you know that it never goes quite like they say it will in the video, book, or blog. But little by little I was able to take apart the drier and found out that a drum roller, its shaft, and the felt seal had all gone bad. This meant a LOT of lint had filled the inside of the dryer. So I vacuumed, cleaned, and then vacuumed and cleaned some more! I also gathered a handful of change!
Next was a trip to Cagle’s. I was given some encouragement and sympathy when the technician helping me found out we were a family of seven. He gave me some tips and I headed back up Euclid with the replacement parts riding shotgun. He also told me their techs charge $100 an hour, so I felt renewed motivation to complete the project! As the children splashed in the pool I replaced the shaft, roller, felt seal, and carefully placed the other parts and screws back where they belonged. Now the dryer hums quietly and peace has been restored.
Thank you for the privilege to serve with you and live at the parsonage! It gives us joy and satisfaction to exercise stewardship, and be able to host and entertain people. Hospitality is a service of love and sacrifice, and it is worth it. Abraham and Sarah hosted angels unaware and as a result received a prophetic blessing, finally Sarah would bear a child.
The friends that we hosted were our friends Jill and Gretchen. They are both pastors and recently adopted four children. I am humbled by their faithfulness, and we were blessed and honored that they would stop and visit with us. We enjoyed getting to know their kids and catching up with our friends.
It was also in a spirit of hospitality Marta and Mary received Jesus. Who am I to criticize Marta? I, a man, who has so much privilege, does not have the right to criticize a woman who works very hard like Marta. We celebrate Martha