Mary and Martha

Luke 10:38-42King James Version (KJV)

38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.

40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

The story of Mary and Martha is especially interesting to church women.  For many years, congregations have looked to the women in their number to manage the kitchen, serve the dinners, raise money through bake sales and rummage sales, send care packages to overseas missions, and polish the silver.  It wasn't until 1967 that the Presbyterian Church in Canada began to ordain women.

But while women have assumed more teaching roles in the church, they still run the kitchen and the bake sales too.  

We had our own version of the Mary/Martha paradox last Tuesday.  Fifteen women showed up in the kitchen to give it a good scrub.  Every drawer, every shelf, the stoves, the fridge, the floor, the counters, cupboards and tables were all scrubbed down to hospital standards. 
 At the same time, four other women gathered in the minister's office to plan for worship over the summer months.

In Luke's account, Jesus said that Mary chose the better part. But in 1 Corinthians 12 Paul reminds us that --

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

So, thank you to all the women of SPPC, the Marys and the Marthas and those who wear both labels.  

The importance of Today

 

This week I'm drawing on my favourite anonymous source for inspiration.  Since it's summer, and 'the livin' is easy' I though we could do with a reminder of the importance of each day.  Whether we're at work, on vacation, at school or at camp, each day is drawn from our bank of time.  How we spend it is up to us, but once it's gone, we won't get it back again.

    The message below was used as a children's story.

The importance of today

Another week has gone by - seven days since last week. Do you think you will ever have that week again? 
No, it is gone for ever.

Look at this match - I’ll strike it. Now I will blow it out.
 Suppose I say to the match“Get unburned!” Isn’t that silly? I can’t possibly replace the part that has burned out. I’ll never be able to strike this match again

Now I’m sorry I struck it. I wish I had waited until tomorrow.  Is that going to replace the match? No. 
Or maybe I could just think I didn’t use the match. Is refusing to think about it going to change the fact it is burned?

It’s done and there is nothing I can do about it.  I should have thought about this before striking the match.

Life is like the match. Once a day is over you cannot live it again. Do you see how important it is for us as Christians to live for Jesus Christ every day? Being sorry for mistakes may teach you a lesson but it will not let you live the time over again.

We must all form the habit of asking Jesus every morning to help us live that day for Him and make it count for Him. In that way you will be able to do things for Him and you will have no regrets about the way you have lived. Ask Him and He will guide you.                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Celebrations

We've had cause for celebrations over the past few weeks, at SPPC.

Irene had a 96th birthday.  The cake was delicious and she looked lovely.

Two of our students have graduated from High School.  Congratulations Max and Felicity.  We are so proud of you and wish you continued success.

So hard to get them both looking good in one picture!

The last celebration is tinged with a hint of sadness.  Elizabeth, who has graced our worship with her music over these past three years, is moving on to pursue her studies in Michigan.  We congratulate you Elizabeth, we wish you well, and we'll miss you.  Please come back and visit.

Summer School

There is an end of term feeling about the congregation these days. The choir is off for the summer, (we had a party last week), Sunday School is on holiday for the summer, and on Wednesday, we had our last Bible Study until September.
But, just like in school, for those who need to improve their grades, or want to get a jump on the next term, there's always summer school.  Here's Linda to tell you how.

Something Old/Something New

by Linda Cliff

Many of us desire to read the Bible from cover to cover.  If you are like me you may have had many starts but very few finishes.  By happen-chance or with the Holy Spirit's guidance I discovered The Bible Project.    This is an organization that creates videos to help explain the Bible.  Their goal is to develop a short video, usually of 6-8 minutes, for each book of the Bible, and for the themes of the Bible.  The videos are animated and give the watcher an overview of each book and how it was crafted by the writers to deliver God’s message of redemption.

The creators of this project believe that the Bible has been crafted with a message that starts with Genesis and ends with Revelation and that each book builds on the story that God wants us to understand.

Now for the read the scripture plan.  The plan takes you through the entire Bible in one year.  The scriptures are divided up into sixteen chapters and organized in a semi-chronological order.  One Psalm is listed each day for you to slowly pray through, making its words your own.  By the end you’ll have prayed through the book of Psalms 2.5 times.   Sound familiar? I have tried to use these plans in the past and have become bogged down in the genealogies, census information etc. of the early books and have found it difficult to continue.  This is where The Bible Project enhances the reader’s journey through the scripture.  There is a video which introduces each book your are reading and explains the structure of the book and how it fits in God’s plan for the Bible.  As well as the videos for each book there are the theme videos which cover such topics as Atonement, Holiness, and The Law.  Now when I start a book I am aware of how the book fits in the overall plan of the Bible and I find that I tend to read more than was allotted for the day. 

The web site for the project has posters that can be downloaded about each book and the themes covered.  I do believe that I will be able to read the Bible from cover to cover with the help of this reading plan and I am finding that the multimedia approach is helping me to understand what I am reading so I can remember what I have read. 

Even if you are not interested in a reading plan, I encourage you to visit the web site.  You will be glad you did!