As we celebrate “The Gifts of Women Sunday,” it’s easy for some to take the honored role of women leaders in the church for granted. I never have and never will. Some of the best women I know have been Presbyterian women. In particular, there have been four extraordinary Presbyterian women (my grandmother, my mother, my mother-in-law, and, of course, my wife) that helped shaped my life and my faith. I will be forever grateful for their love and for the examples they set for me.
So, I think it’s not only appropriate, but essential, that we honor the gifts of women in our church, because women did not always have an honored place in churches. In some churches, women are still not allowed to be elders, let alone pastors. Throughout human history—and even in far too many parts of the world today—women have been considered less than men.
As it happens—in Jesus’ day—women were second-class citizens, ineligible to testify in a Jewish court of law. Historian Josephus said that even the witness of multiple women was not acceptable “…because of the levity and boldness of their sex.” Celsus, the second-century critic of Christianity, mocked the idea of women as alleged resurrection witnesses, referring to Mary Magdalene, in particular, as a “hysterical female, deluded by sorcery.” This background matters because it stands as a reminder that the kingdom of the Messiah turns the system of the world on its head. In doing so, Jesus radically affirmed the full dignity of women, and the vital value of their witness.
But while there remain those, who would silence the voices of women in ministry, many more affirm the deep importance of the ministry of women. In writing about the testimony of the women on that first Easter, prominent New Testament scholar N.T. Wright said that, “The first person to be commissioned to take the news of the resurrection of Jesus to others is Mary Magdalene. Now, that is so counter-intuitive in the ancient world, in the ancient Jewish world, in the ancient pagan world! And this is God choosing what is weak to shame the strong. It seems to me that in the resurrection there is a radical re-evaluation of the role of women.” Author Rachel Held Evans concludes: “That Christ ushered in this new era of life and liberation in the presence of women, and that he sent them out as the first witnesses of the complete gospel story is perhaps the boldest, most overt affirmation of their equality in his kingdom that Jesus ever delivered.”
The Church’s task is to continue to be a place where women can listen for God’s call, as well as the means for them to discover their gifts for ministry. Once called and equipped the task is then for us to encourage and support these ministries. Jesus understood this and He brought respect and appreciation for women to a new level while in His time on earth. The fact that He welcomed and respected them—remember, they were the first witnesses to His resurrection—and that they accepted leadership roles in the early church makes it clear that women’s contributions are a big part of God’s plan. My thanks to the women at Gardens Presbyterian—thank you for all you do!