Way before the Spice Girls announced the advent of “Girl Power” in the 1990s, the Bible was making its own powerful case for female mightiness. But unlike Ginger, Posh, Scary, Sporty and Baby, the women of the Bible were not part of a wider feminist movement.
The whole of the Bible was written in an era and cultures of entrenched patriarchy. Women were second- or third-class citizens, little more than the property of their fathers or husbands, not even trusted as witnesses to crimes they might have observed happening.
And yet, time and again, God raises up women for his purposes, places them in positions of influence and prominence, and includes them in his plan for the redemption of humankind.
Even though the Bible was probably written entirely by men (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit), women are repeatedly highlighted for their faithfulness, ingenuity, and courage.
Of course there are also some female anti-heroes like Jezebel, and we also see the same human frailties in the Bibles’s women-folk as we do in the men. But that aside, for a book written during the centuries it was, the Bible is incredibly positive about ‘the female of the species.’
This autumn, at our Sunday morning services, we’ll be looking at the stories of some of the less well-known women of the Bible. Some of these characters have only a verse or two about them; others are not even given a name.
And so, beginning this month, we’ll be looking at the stories of eight fairly obscure women of the Bible; Rahab, Hannah, Abigail, the widow of Zarephath, Naaman’s servant, Mary Magdalene, Lydia, and Pheobe. Three of these were not Jewish, two were possibly women of ill-repute, and one was ‘only’ a girl. Yet God used each of them mightily.
Then, at Open this autumn, we’ll be looking at three more prominent women; Deborah the Judge, Esther the Queen, and – during Advent – Mary the mother of Jesus. There will also be an Open service in November when we’ll be looking at those passages that appear to reinforce patriarchy. What are we to make of verses like “wives submit to your husbands” and “I do not permit a woman to teach or assume authority over a man”? Can these really be in the same book that is otherwise so affirming of women? Come along and find out!!
We’ve also invited our actor friend Matt Britton to bring us his retelling of the story of Ruth; this time he will be coming with Emma Mould, a singer / songwriter who will perform songs written especially for this performance. By the end of the year, I hope we’ll be experts on the women-folk of the Bible. But then we’ll be without excuse – if we have discovered that God can use wives, mothers, widows, prostitutes, children, foreigners, and the childless for his glory; he can most certainly use us too!! Ian