Open your Spirits Epiphany 4, Year B--Bilingue

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While we were on vacation, Alene and I had a great idea to try a new adventure.  We decided to try kayaking out to see the whales!  Alene y yo decidimos de ir en un viaje de kayak para ver a las ballenas.  Y después de un poco, me cansé mucho—yo estaba en frente y estaba remando mientras Alene estaba  conduciendo en la parte detrás.  So a little ways into the trip, I was exhausted, because I was the one up front paddling while Alene steered, but here’s the kicker—I really got tired because my paddle was broken!  ¡Realmente me cansé porque mi pala estaba rota!  So I had to take a break every so often, and while I did that Alene tried to paddle for both of us, but basically we were facing so much wind that we just stayed in place until I began again. 
Con las dos remando, íbamos adelante, pero con solo una persona remando, nos quedamos en nuestro lugar.
We began to reflect that this is a bit like the church.  Es un poco como la iglesia.  We all need to put a paddle in the water in order to move forward with the kingdom’s work in the world.  If only half of us keep working, that is just enough to keep us in place, pero si tenemos los esfuerzos de todos, podremos estar moviendo con confianza y dirección hasta nuestra meta.
So today is a bit about all putting your paddle in.  Whether it’s your two cents about what it has been, both a blessing and sometimes a burden, to be a part of this community of faith, or whether it is truly listening to your brothers and sisters in Christ, I invite you to put your paddle into the water today. 
Les invito a participar hoy día en el dialogo de como ha sido ser una parte de esta congregación, y les invito a poner cada uno su pala en el agua para el causa de Cristo en esta comunidad.   Not for me, but for Christ and for the sake of this community.  Because in knowing our history, we can see what God might be doing with this community in the future.  Nuestro pasado nos dice algo bien importante sobre nuestro futuro.
And all of this talking will be about sharing knowledge, but not the puffed-up kind of bluster that Paul is worried about with the Corinthians.  Hoy no tenemos que preocupar sobre el sacrificio de carne a los ídolos, como esta preocupado Pablo. 
Today we have different concerns than meat sacrificed for idol worship, but knowledge shared in a community still must be shared in love and not in a sense of having heightened knowledge.  Todo lo que es compartido en una comunidad Cristiana debe venir de amor y con un enfoque en la salud de la comunidad.  We share our stories of community, both those that are exultant and those that are painful, not in order to lead others to stumbling, but in order to build up this community in Christ.  This is because love builds us up!  Porque el amor nos edifica.[1]  This time of sharing can cast out the memories that plague us, even if it isn’t as obvious as a demon that we can see.  We can also remember the pleasant times.  Tenemos que sacar todas las memorias que nos atacan, aun si no son un problema tan obvio como un demonio que ataca el hombre en el evangelio de hoy.  Tambien podremos recordar los momentos buenos.
This is healing work that we do today, healing like Jesus’ powerful touch.   Este trabajo de hoy es un trabajo de sanación y en esto Jesús nos puede tocar y sanar.  This kind of work can be life-changing; este trabajo de compartir puede cambiar su vida, porque le puede ayudar a dejar de las cosas que todavía quieren detenerle. Some here might get a chance to let go of things that held us back in this community, and those things will no longer have a hold on you.  
So open your spirit in Love; Abran sus espíritus en amor.  Y comparten con sus amigos en Cristo hoy en día.  Share with your brothers and sisters in Christ today.  Y que estemos sorprendidos, may we be surprised by God’s love that is building this vibrant community of faith here in Oxnard— que estemos sorprendidos por el amor de Dios que esta haciendo una nueva creación aquí en Oxnard!

[1] Steven J. Kraftchick, “Exegetical Perspective: 1 Cor. 8:1-13,” FOTW Year B, Vol. 1.

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