In Her Image

On Mother's Day in my congregation, we celebrate Gifts of Women Sunday, giving thanks for ALL women, not just mothers! Today's sermon highlights some of the important women in both Old and New Testaments who were not mothers, but who shared gifts in very important ways. I invite you to give thanks for all the women in your life who have shared their gifts with you!

My granddaughter, Grace, is a budding scholar. That’s not because she knows everything; but because she DOESN’T know everything, and she asks really good questions. She is especially inquisitive about the Bible; and whenever she comes up with a question that her mother can’t answer, she’ll say, “Call Dammaw! She’ll know the answer!” Usually, I do know the answer; but last week, she stumped me. She started with an easy question. She wanted to know who gave birth to the first baby in the Bible. I told her that the first mother was Eve, and that her children were Cain and Abel. But then, she threw me a curve. “So, Dammaw,” she asked, “who had the first girl baby in the Bible?” I have no clue, because the Bible doesn’t record the birth of any girl babies. Of course, she wanted to know why; so I told her that the people who wrote the Bible didn’t think that girls were as important as boys. With every ounce of 6-year-old indignation that she could muster, she announced, “Well, they were wrong!”

Yes, Grace, they were wrong. The first chapter of Genesis (1:26-28a) insists that both women and men were created in God’s image; and women have been every bit as important as men in the biblical drama that has unfolded from creation until now. It’s true that women of the Bible don’t get as much press as the men do; and the ones that do are mothers of famous men. We all know about Sarah, who gave birth to Isaac; or Hannah, who gave birth to Samuel; or Mary, the mother of Jesus. If you search through the Bible, though, you’ll see that women have played a much larger role than just being mothers! Let me give you a few examples.

We don’t have to turn many pages of the Old Testament before we find the first women who defy expectations, refusing to be submissive and do what they are told. In the very first chapter of Exodus, they defy the Pharaoh himself! Shiphrah and Puah are midwives to the Hebrew women, and when the Pharaoh instructs them to kill all the Hebrew baby boys as soon as they are born, they ignore him. When he calls them on the carpet, demanding to know why they aren’t doing what they were told to do, they simply shrug and say, “The Hebrew women give birth too quickly, and we can’t get there fast enough!” It’s the first instance, but not the last, of a woman who refuses to follow unjust orders. Civil disobedience, at least in the Jewish-Christian tradition, began with these two women.

In the very next chapter of Exodus, we find Moses’ sister Miriam. Baby Moses in the bulrushes gets all the press, but it is his sister Miriam who stands guard over him, and then offers to get a nurse for the baby when Pharaoh’s daughter adopts him. The nurse is, of course, Moses’ own mother. Miriam appears again in an even more important role after God parts the Red Sea, allowing the Hebrews to cross safely, and condemning Pharaoh’s army to a watery grave. Exodus 15:20-21 tells us this: Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing. Miriam sang to them, “Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted! The horse and rider he has hurled into the sea!” In these two short verses, Miriam led the community in worship four thousand years before our controversy over ordaining women, singing and dancing with joy over the salvation that God had given them! Our tradition of community worship began with Miriam.

After the Israelites enter the Promised Land, we meet one of my favorites, Deborah. Her story is told in chapters 4 and 5 of the book of Judges. The Hebrew text calls her an “ishah lappidoth.” Because Hebrew is ambiguous, that can be translated “a woman who comes from Lappidoth,” “the wife of Lappidoth,” or “a fiery woman.” Although this text is traditionally translated “the wife of Lappidoth,” I like “a fiery woman” much better. That is what Deborah was: a fiery woman! She led the Israelites in battle against the Canaanite general Sisera and his nine hundred iron chariots. Even the Israelite general Barak didn’t think that she stood much of a chance; but against all odds, Deborah’s army won the day, and Sisera was defeated. The Song of Deborah, chapter 5 of the book of Judges, tells of her victory! Deborah shows us that women can be military leaders who are just as good as men – and in some cases, even better!

Another one of my favorites is Esther. She has her own book in the Old Testament; and it is richly deserved! It tells of her rise from being only the orphaned daughter of two Israelite refugees to being the Queen of Persia herself. That story is enough of a marvel in itself, but the real marvel is the way that she saved her people from annihilation. When the evil Haman persuades the king to allow him to massacre all the Jews living in Persia, Esther risks her life by going to the king without being summoned and making him aware of the situation. In the end, Haman is the one who is executed, and Esther is honored with a holiday in her honor: Purim. It is a joyous holiday that is still celebrated by Jews today. Esther was a risk-taker who set an example for all of us!

So, is it only in the Old Testament that we find women in roles other than that of “mother”? Oh, my, no! In the New Testament, for example, in Acts 16:13, we meet Lydia. Lydia is introduced to us as “a dealer in purple cloth.” Purple cloth was incredibly expensive, because the dye was only available in very small quantities. Today, Lydia could be compared to a diamond merchant. She had her own business, and she was independently wealthy. So, why was Lydia worthy of being included in the book of Acts? She hosted Paul and his companions in her home in Philippi, and was one of the founders of the church there. She donated out of her wealth to feed and house Paul and his friends, and to get the church there started. She is one of the first philanthropists in the Jewish-Christian tradition.

Shiphrah and Puah, Miriam, Deborah, Esther, and Lydia. All of them are examples of women who reflect the image of God through their lives. And we reflect their images when we live in a way that values love of God and love of others. You all know of women who reflect the lives of these women; but you might never have thought about it in just that way. Here, I’ll show you what I mean.

Rosa Parks reflected the image of Shiphrah and Puah, the midwives who defied Pharaoh. We all know what Rosa Parks did: she defied the law that said Blacks and Whites must be separated in public places. By her civil disobedience on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, she helped to usher in the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s.

Phyliss Latour Doyle reflected the image of Esther, the woman who risked her life on behalf of her people. When she was only 23 years old, Phyliss parachuted into Normandy in May, 1944, to gather intelligence about Nazi positions in preparation for D-Day. (Did she make it back out? Oh, my, yes! She recently celebrated her 100^th birthday!)

Harriet Tubman reflected the image of Deborah, the military leader. We all know about her work on the Underground Railroad; but what most of us don’t know is that she organized a vast espionage organization during the Civil War. Based on her information, she helped plan and carry out a raid to free slaves from plantations along the Combahee River in South Carolina in June of 1863. She knew where the Confederates were hiding along the shore; and knew that they had placed torpedoes -- barrels filled with gunpowder -- in the water. Ultimately, her group, several hundred soldiers on three gunboats, freed over 750 slaves, and did not lose one soldier in the attack!

Noella Coursaris Musunka is reflecting the image of Lydia, the philanthropist. She is the founder of Malaika, a non-profit organization that operates a free school for 230 disadvantaged girls in Kalebuka, a village in the Southeastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Noella has committed her life to helping empower a generation of young leaders who want a better future for their country.

And who is reflecting the image of Miriam, the first person to lead community worship? I could point to Antoinette Brown who was ordained in 1852, the first woman to be ordained in the United States (and by the way, a member of a Congregational Church); but I don’t have to go that far back. I am reflecting Miriam’s image right now, and I am proud to be doing it!

And what about all of you? I hope that you, too, reflect the images of these women in large or small ways. I hope that you reflect Shiphrah and Puah and defy unjust authority. I hope that you reflect Esther and risk something on behalf of the greater good. I hope that you reflect Deborah and take action against an unjust system. I hope that you reflect Lydia and give of your time and talents in the name of Jesus Christ. And I hope that you aren’t afraid to reflect Miriam if you are asked to lead a prayer or offer a devotion to a group. When we reflect the images of these women today, we reflect the image of the One who created all of us; the One who calls us to keep the greater good in mind as we live our lives. On this Gifts of Women Sunday, I invite you to reflect on all the women who have influenced your lives for the better as they themselves reflected the lives of the women who have gone before them. And I invite you to thank God for them – not only today, but every day!