I have a few routines that I’ve been trying to maintain over the past few months. One of them is watching professional football. This year has been very fascinating. Like baseball, cutouts have replaced real people in several stadia. A limited number of fans have been allowed in a few arenas. Mixed with the taped crowd noise, it’s as if each game was still host to 50,000 or more devoted fans.
On the occasion when the camera finds the cheerleading squad, their mask covered faces are a reminder that this is not a typical season. Once the game begins, the cameras focus on the players and officials. As I was watching a game on Sunday, I finally saw Sarah Thomas, the only full-time female official. She was first hired in 2015, and her debut was well documented. Last Sunday, I’m not sure either of the announcers mentioned her at all. Earlier in the season she was featured for the Washington – Cleveland game, where she was one of three female NFL officials. Each team has hired their first female coach.
These women are trailblazers and pioneers, reshaping what NFL staffs will look like in the future. And yet, I hoped that the accomplishments of Sarah Thomas, Callie Brownson (Cleveland), and Jennifer King (Washington) would receive more attention. In only 5 years, Sarah’s achievement has become a minor note in the annals of football.
When I was an undergraduate student, one of my mentors gave me a book called I Dream a World. It is a series of photographs and interviews of African American women who were and are pioneers and trailblazers in the worlds of medicine, literature, science, politics, and the arts. Their stories helped to inspire me on my journey toward earning a Ph.D. and answering the call to ministry.
There are also women in the Bible who have been part of my spiritual journey. I don’t share their stories as often as I should. Of course, there are the matriarchs: Sarah (Sarai), Rachel, Rebekah, and Leah. Deborah was a judge and Anna was a prophet. Jochebed and Hannah were the mothers of Moses and Samuel. Miriam, the sister of Aaron and Moses was one of the leaders of the Exodus. Mary, the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the sister of Martha bear an Aramaic version of Miriam’s name.
Most of the women described in Scripture are unnamed. Still, their stories are a part of our Christian heritage. Elisha and the Shunammite woman, Jesus and the Samaritan woman, the adulteress, strong women, and Elijah and the woman at Zarephath are an affirmation of the way the Lord touches us and moves in our lives. The stories of our sisters, mothers, and daughters in the Bible are an inspiration for how you and I answer God’s call upon our lives. The songs of Miriam and Hannah, along with the Magnificat are expressions of praise, as profound as the psalms attributed to David. I hope that you will consider including the stories of these and other women in the Bible in your messages, Bible studies, devotions, and reflections. And Amen.