pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: female


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All Are One

Readings: 1st Timothy 2:11-12, 1st Corinthians 14:32-35, Ephesians 5:22-25, Galatians 3:26-28

Galatians 3:27 – “All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself in Christ.”

Photo credit: Wylly Suhendra

As we wrestle with the challenging parts of the Bible this week, today we turn to Paul’s words about the place or role of women in the community of faith. As we do so, it is important to remember that these words were written in a specific context and culture, in a time different from our own. This filter can help us greatly in our understanding and application of these words.

In 1st Timothy 2:11-12 Paul begins by stating that women should “learn quietly with complete submission.” This is followed by a prohibition against a wife teaching or controlling her husband. These words are rooted in two beliefs of Paul’s day: women’s minds are weaker than men’s and it was Eve who caused the original sin to occur. Clearly the men should lead and be the decision-makers. Within this context and time.

1st Corinthians 14 echoes these themes. Women are to be quiet in church and to ask their questions at home. Most of the Ephesians 5 passage sounds similar: wives submit to your husbands in everything. These parts of these passages have been and are still quoted in patriarchal settings. Dig deeper though. In Corinthians this is Paul’s practical response to a specific issue in an individual church: the women are curious, they are asking questions as they seek to grow in their faith. The questions, however, are disrupting worship. In Ephesians Paul is talking about submitting to Christ. These verses today apply this to marriage too. The overall theme: submit to one another as you submit to Christ. Don’t miss or skip verse 25: Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church, giving yourself up for her.

In Galatians 3:26-28, Paul declares total equality between male and female in God’s church. All baptized into Christ are clothed in Christ. All means all. That’s clear as Paul goes on to remove all lines and barriers, including the statement that there is “no male and female” in Christ. All are one in Christ. May this be so in all ways – in our homes, in our churches, in our society and culture.

Prayer: Lord God, as we read, ponder, think and wrestle through these passages, help us to do so within the overarching core tenets of our faith: love, grace, peace, hope, humility, service. Guide us then to understand how culture and norms influence writing, as does context. Center us always on the calls to love you and others above self. Amen.


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The Lord Made Us All

Reading: Proverbs 21 and 22

‭Proverbs 21:15 – “Acting justly is a joy to the righteous, but dreaded by those who do evil.”

Photo credit: James A. Molnar

The contrast between good and evil, between righteousness and folly – they are on clear display in today’s readings. We are called to pursue righteousness and kindness and to live with humility and the fear of the Lord. We are told that these yield life, honor, and wealth. We are called to guard our mouth and tongue. Doing so we guard ourselves from trouble. We are called to act with justice. God values this more than sacrifices. We are called to train up our children in these ways. Good training and discipline sets them on the right path in life. And we also receive a warning: We might think our path is straight but it is God who weighs our hearts. God judges our motives…

Those with prideful eyes and arrogant hearts, those who walk in the ways of the wicked – they are sinful and their lamp will go out. They sow injustice, harvest evil, and close their eyes to the poor. These will receive no answer when they call out to God. The “rod of their fury” will come to an end. Those who steal from the poor and oppress the needy, God will “press out” their lives. The wicked will be swept away by God.

We find a bit of ancient relationship advice too. The sage advises us that it is better to “live on the edge of the roof” or in the “wilderness” than to live in a house with a contentious and angry wife. Perhaps today we too should remember that the Lord weighs our hearts too.

And the closer today, my favorite: “The rich and the poor have this in common: the Lord made them both.” Same goes for male and female, black and white…, friends and enemies, those alike and those different from us… The Lord made us all. May we see and love one another in this spirit.

Prayer: Lord God, you know I want to pursue you and your righteousness, justice, kindness… You also know that I struggle with arrogance, pride, judging others… I seek your wisdom, the words of life, the voice of the Holy Spirit. And the lies of Satan and this world also ring in my ears. Lord you made me and did so for a purpose. Strengthen and empower me today to be who and what you created me to be. It is only possible through your power and presence. May it be so. Amen.


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Light

Reading: Psalm 36: 5-10

Verses 7 and 9: “Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings… in your light we see light”.

Where I live and in many parts of the world we are about half way through the season of darkness that comes every winter. The darkness builds to December 21 and then slowly recedes. We often go to work in the dark and come home from work in the dark. The dark affects us all – rich and poor, black and white, male and female. We long for more light.

We experience darkness in other ways too. Some of the time it is spiritual – sin has gotten ahold of us or we have become lazy in our spiritual disciplines and we feel as if the source of light and love in our lives is distant. Sometimes it is caused by life – the loss of a loved one puts us in a funk or illness runs us down and we pull into ourselves. In all these cases, we sense the darkness and we long for light.

The psalmist reminds us where to turn. He writes, “Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings”. Because we all experience seasons of darkness, both spiritually and physically, we all have times when we need the refuge found in God. It is offered to all – high and low, rich and poor, black and white, male and female. We are all God’s children and God loves us all deeply. God desires to be our refuge and more. God wants to be our peace, our hope, our strength, our comfort, our all.

When we reach out to God our darkness fades. In our Psalm today we also read, “in your light we see light”. God relieves our darkness with His light. God’s light and love shines into our dark places. God’s light lifts us up and we begin to be the light, sharing the light with others. May we call and wait upon the source of light every day. May we then be filled by the light so that we can be the light for those struggling with or living in darkness. May it be so. Amen!

Prayer: Lord of light, may I walk in the light. You are the light. Draw me in as a moth to a flame. Draw me in with your love. May the light in me shine out, lighting the way for others. Amen.