March is Women’s History Month. Each day I have read a few paragraphs about women who have made a difference in our lives and are part of our heritage. I can’t possibly list all of the women who I admire. One of my mentors gifted me a book called I Dream A World which shares portraits and brief biographies of African American women who changed America. From Johnetta Cole to Leontyne Price, Maya Angelou and Maxine Waters, and so many more, these women inspire me.
There is another book, our Bible, which is full of women who for a moment or a lifetime were and are a part of our faith journey. Many women, some we know by name, others who are only known by the events which shaped their lives, make up our Christian story.
I want to share a few of the women who have impacted who I am and how I answer God’s call upon my life. I love Ruth’s story, the whole Book of Ruth, but especially the first chapter. In it we learn how a woman, a foreigner, and a widow dedicated herself to her mother-in-law’s life and family, (Ruth 1: 16-17) ensuring that Naomi was able to return to her homeland and be restored in body and spirit. Ruth, a Moabitess, is one of a few women named in Jesus’ genealogy.
When Hannah, the mother of Samuel dedicated him to the Temple and God’s service, she lifted up a prayer of praise and thanksgiving. Our gratitude for all that the Lord does in and for our lives resonates in these verses from 1 Samuel, Chapter 2. Like Miriam’s song and the Magnificat, Hannah’s words affirm our Lord’s miraculous and wondrous work.
The Samaritan Woman passage holds new meaning for me each time I read it. In so many ways she was an outsider and an outcast. Through her conversation with Jesus, she discovered and affirmed her worth and value. Jesus shared with her that He was the Messiah. She received living water, without even realizing her thirst. Her life was transformed by the time they spent together. Although we never learn her name, we know how her willingness to see and hear with her heart and soul, forever changed her life.
I am also drawn to the passage about Jairus’ daughter and the hemorrhaging woman. In the Gospels, these two healing miracles are juxtaposed. We know very little about what happened in their lives for 12 years. They meet Jesus on the same day. In Luke Chapter 8, we are offered some history about what the woman endured for 12 years. Like Jairus, she took a chance to meet Jesus and reach out to him for help. An unknown, unclean woman found the courage to defy the laws of the day to seek true healing and restoration. The same can be said of Jairus. He was a synagogue leader who knew about Jesus’ reputation. Jairus believed that Jesus would and could heal his daughter. He probably risked his livelihood and his status in the community to meet Jesus and bring him to his house.
Each of these passages and many more, add to the tapestry of our faith. Which women speak to your hearts and souls? Which mothers, sisters, and daughters inspire you to share how God’s love continues to transform our lives? May we be blessed by the Miriams, Deborahs, Elizabeths, Marys, and the unnamed women who are part of our journeys of faith. And Amen.