MARY HATH CHOSEN THAT GOOD PART
The end of the eleventh chapter of
St. Luke’s Gospel contains a poignant account of Jesus’ visit to the home of
Mary and Martha, in Bethany . Mary sits at Jesus’ feet, listening to his
word, as Martha is distracted and troubled with serving. Finally Martha can take it no longer. She calls out to Jesus, “Lord, dost thou not
care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she
help me.” It doesn’t take much reading
between the lines to get the sense that Martha is beside herself. She has so much on her mind, so many things
to do, no doubt to make the occasion as perfect as she can for so great a guest
as Jesus himself. Martha is irked, even
angry; one almost gets the sense that she is almost angry with Jesus himself
for failing to notice the failure of her sister to help with this gargantuan
task of getting everything ready.
Imagine the scene: Mary is just sitting there, doing nothing!
It is at this point that Jesus uses the occasion itself to
teach: “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: but
one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be
taken away from her.” There is a
gentleness in these words toward Martha, who needed correction, as well as an
unwavering defense of Mary, who needed support.
So much we
can learn from this account about life!
It is easy to suppose that the ‘part’ of Mary is pointless. She is sitting idly, her hands are still. And this is precisely the point of praying
hands at worship: hands help palm to palm are ostensibly hands that are not
working. But Mary is not altogether idle
here: she is listening carefully, intently.
She “sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.” Would that we might all learn such stillness!
Just what
were those reasons you had for staying
away from worship? Work? Family?
The need to do something else, or to rest because you have been doing
something else? But who was right here,
Martha, or Mary? Answer this question
and you will know where you belong when it is time for worship.
I am
convinced that Mary of Bethany is herself none other than Mary Magdalene. If this is so, it means she is the very
person out of whom Jesus had driven seven demons. No wonder she is so intent on hearing Jesus’
word! She had been delivered from the devil and from her own sins. She had received mercy in abundance.
This Gospel says Martha was
“cumbered about much serving.” One might
say she was distracted. But now consider
Mary: it appears to me that she was
actually just as distracted. That is, it
is likely that she failed to notice her sister’s plight, for the simple reason
that she was overcome with the delight of having Jesus in her home.
We need to
be distracted in the way that Mary was, and not in the way that Martha
was. Come: sit at Jesus’ feet. Hear his word. Listen.
Learn of him. And that good part
will not be taken from you.
+ Pastor Eckardt
Congregation Decides to Roof School
In a special voters’ assembly held on May 26th,
the congregation voted to have a new roof put on the school. The roof had been leaking, and the trustees
informed the congregation that after three failed attempts to patch, it seemed
necessary to take the step of re-roofing, at the cost of approximately
$30,000.
Part of the discussion had to do with the importance of
keeping the school in good condition for our tenants, Head Start.
A new loan has been taken out to pay for this, and steps are
being taken to cut out expenses, so that we can meet the payments and pay back
the loan.
The new roofing began on Tuesday, June 25th and
was finished the next day.
Chief among the steps taken to reduce expenses was the shift
of Pastor’s health care plan to a consumer-directed high-deductible plan
(CDHD), accompanied with a Heath Reimbursement Arrangement Plan. This change will lower premiums significantly
while at the same time assisting Pastor in paying the high deductibles in this
new IRS-approved plan. Concordia Plan
Services advised us in June that we have been approved to begin this new plan
immediately rather than waiting until the new year as is the usual case. The total savings to the congregation should
be at least $7,000 annually.
Nevertheless our budget was already strained significantly,
even before making this change, and now we are seeking to do all we can to pay
our bills, hoping and praying that we can manage our new arrangement.
Elders meeting
July’s
meeting is moved to the second Tuesday
(July 9th), and back to first Tuesday for August.
July, August Anniversaries
July:
7/1/1951 John and Emilie
Ricknell
7/23/1955 Donald and
Carol Kegebein
August:
8/1/2009 Chris and Trista Dooley
8/2/1975 Raymond and Carol Robinson
8/21/1998 Daniel and Jill Powers
July
and August Birthdays
July:
7/2 Jean Russell
7/2 Dana McReynolds
7/4 Sarah Kraklow
7/4 Jacki Boswell
7/5 Sandra
Verplaetse
7/7 Stephen Harris
7/10 Otis Anderson
7/10 Dale Baker
7/13 Gayle Beauprez
7/14 Pastor Eckardt
7/16 Robert
Schoen
7/20 Julie Janik
7/23 Donna Harlow
7/20 Anna Baker
7/30 Peggy Janik
August:
8/2 Shania
Kraklow
8/2 Joyce Long
8/9 Donald Kegebein
8/11 Sam Fisher
8/11 Judy Thompson
8/13 Donald Murphy
8/16 Trista Dooley
8/17 Steven Peart
8/21 John Sovanski
8/24 Becky Russell
8/27 Steve Peart
Save Your Metal
Linda Rowe is collecting metal to take for cash, to help pay
for the new propers books. Please save
yours, and let her know.
Robert Bock Memorial Held June 27th
Faithful member Robert Bock passed away on June 18th
in Oshkosh , Wisconsin ,
and was given Christian burial on Monday, June 24, in a family plot near Oshkosh St. Paul
Crystal Stoll Funeral Held June 29th
Faithful former member Crystal Stoll passed away
on June 25th in Kenosha ,
Wisconsin St. Paul
Choir Rehearsals
Regular choir
rehearsals will resume Wednesday evening, August 14th, as we prepare
for Oktoberfest. This gives us a mere
month and a half to get ready, so all choir members are urged to mark your
calendars and do your level best to make all rehearsals. We’ll have some new music, and, as always,
have lots of fun.
Altar Guild News
Several of us went to the Quad Cities in early June to choose material
for a new frontal. This will be
discussed at our next meeting, scheduled for the second Tuesday in July (July 9th).
No mass Saturday, June 29th (unity service June 30th):
SS Peter and Paul (color: Red)
Color reverts to Green after July 1st. Green throughout the rest of July.
No mass Wednesday, July 3rd.
No mass Saturday, July 20th, Wednesday, July 24th,
or Saturday, July 27th (pastor on vacation)
During August, all is Green, except that Wednesday, August 14th
is white (Domition of the B.V.M.), and August 28th is red (The Martyrdom
of St. John the Baptist). St. Laurence
(Aug. 10th) and St. Bartholomew (Aug 24th) will not be
observed.
July
Ushers: Steve Peart, Grant Andresen, Larry Campbell
August Ushers: Otis Anderson,
John Ricknell, David Ricknell, Bill Thompson
Shut
ins
Mary Hamilton at home; Mark Baker at home; Anna Baker at home; Mirilda
Greiert at Kewanee Care; Ruth Snider at Hillcrest Home in Geneseo; Emmy Wear at
Williamsfield Home in Williamsfield.
In
Our Prayers
Our
current list of prayer intentions at mass includes the names on the lists here
following. To update the list, please
inform pastor.
In our parish:
Emilie Ricknell, Linda Rowe,
Don Murphy, Sue Murphy, and our shut-ins: Mark Baker, Ann Baker, Ruth Snider,
Mary Hamilton, Emmy Wear..
Outside
our parish:
David Dakin [re Harris]
Anna Rutowicz [re Harris]
Julie Ross [Svetlana Meaker’s daughter, cancer]
Caleb Cleaver [re Ricknells]
Pam Mansnarus [re Ricknells]
Christian Johnson [re Kemerlings]
Madison Lindsay [re Andersons
Tom Fornoff [Jean Russell’s brother-in-law]
Rev. Don Chambers [from Manito]
Stacie Liese [wife of Rev. Michael Liese ]
Lisa Gustafson [with Thyroid
cancer - Harlow ]
Michelle Steuber [re Fischer]
Marilyn Johnson [relative of the Kemerlings]
Richard Day [re Harden]
Jill Matchett [re Shreck]
in
the military:
John Eckardt
Donny Appleman [re Ricknells]
Thomas Kim [re Shreck]
Jaclyn Harden Alvarez
Michael Creech [re Murphys]
in trouble:
especially any unborn children in danger of abortion, and those suffering from
unrest, persecution, and imprisonment in India, North Korea, Pakistan, and
elsewhere.
For details of this persecution,
see back page.
Persecution details (from
prayer list). Website: www.persecution.net.
It is reported
that a Christian man was beheaded in Teliamura town, West Tripura, India
Since the marriage, Gobinda had been
pressuring Tapas to abandon Christianity and join his tribal religion. When
Tapas persistently refused, Gobinda decided to kill his son-in-law with the
help of a shaman, Krishnapada Jamatiya (no relation). Police arrested the
42-year-old shaman but were unable to find Gobinda who works at the West
Tripura Science and Technology Department and is thought to be on the run.
Jentuly, now the widowed mother of a
one-year-old child, told police that her father did not recognize their
marriage and had pressured Tapas to convert. What is more, "My father
might kill me and my son too," she fearfully admits. Commenting on the
incident, an area church leader states, "Christians in Teliamura are
facing discrimination and problems because of their faith in Christ. We have
ceased all kinds of Christian activities in the area."
Kenneth, described as a devout
Christian, is the owner of a North
Korea North Korea
Thousands of Christians in Punjab had recently taken to the streets in protest at
the alleged torture and murder of a teenager who was held in police custody.
Eighteen-year-old Adnan Masih died at Sharaqpur Sharif city police station in
the district of Sheikhupura on June 10th, after being detained for six days. More
than 4,000 Christians staged road blocks on the day of his death, demanding
justice and the immediate arrest of the police involved. Three police officers
have since been arrested.
Adnan, a fridge and air-conditioning
mechanic who worked in nearby Lahore
The Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and
Settlement (CLAAS) was summoned by villagers to help them register a case with
police against Adnan's alleged attackers. They believe that Adnan was targeted
because of his faith as other non-Christian suspects were released within a
day.
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