The break between Christmas and New Year’s is normally a bit of relaxing with family and celebrating the great things that God has done. This year was quite different in one respect. We attended a very moving funeral. We met Martha shortly after we moved to South Carolina and were immediately struck by her passion for the gospel, her love of Jesus, and her desire to teach God’s word. Over the years we had several occasions to sit under her teaching. One time was as the evening speaker on a youth missions trip. Another was at a high school retreat in which she beautifully unpacked the book of Ruth, pointing to it’s significance to the gospel. Back then, Martha had already been well known for her passionate teaching of the Bible. She was the wife of a priest who served in several small town parishes. In each place she touched the lives of many a parishioner, shared the gospel with people at every chance, and supported the work of her husband. Over the years our paths crossed frequently. Eventually Martha felt called to be ordained and proceeded through a process that lasted far longer than she ever imagined. After seminary she served as a deacon for a several years before finally getting ordained a priest a few months ago. I recall my last conversation with her was in my office where she was awaiting an answer on her ordination. We chatted about Bible commentaries and she glowed as usual about teaching God’s word. Yet in recent years she was diagnosed with cancer and fought it bravely. It rarely slowed her down and she would bounce back from chemo in order to get back into the work of ministry. Her husband was also diagnosed with a form of cancer and the two of them were a fighting pair. However, rounds of chemo and the damage of the cancer eventually weakened her heart and she went to be with the Lord. There is an amazing article about the two of them here
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