REMEMBERING & CELEBRATING WOMEN’S MINISTRY
Let us pray.
Loving Heavenly Father,
We have come to worship you today. Lord, teach us the hidden wonders of your Holy Word. Help us to concentrate and focus on your voice without distractions. Put in us an open receiving heart. In Jesus Name we pray. Amen.
1. A middle aged woman cleverly killed the opponent with a nail and hammer.
2. A rich woman with her friends was found visiting a graveyard around 3.00 am to 4.00 am.
If this was the headline of a newspaper or an exclusive coverage in a news channel, it would send out weird and spooky vibes I am sure.
The topic assigned by the Diocese of Madras to be delivered today is “REMEMBERING & CELEBRATING WOMEN’S MINISTRY”.
The bible has around 1254 characters approximately, both named and unnamed.
Among whom only 185 approximately are women.
Sarah, Miriam, Rahab, Ruth, Esther, Deborah, Jael, Abigail, Shunamite Woman are the most predominant women of ministry from the Old Testament.
Mary, Elizabeth, Mary Magdalene, Eunice, Lydia, Joanna, Susanna, Junia, Lois, Phoebe, Dorcas are names of few women of the ministry in the New Testament.
We can’t go about discussing all the women in half an hour. So we will remind ourselves in detail the ministry contributions of two women.
One from the Old Testament and One from the New Testament.
Jael
Judges:4:17, Says Jael is the wife of Heber the Kenite.
Deborah, prophesies to Barak about death Sisera in the hands of a woman.
Now that Woman is Jael.
Jael believed in the living God. And was the key cause of freedom for the Israelites from the Canaanites.
How did Jael contribute to this freedom of Israelites?
1. She acted on the opportunity presented to her.
Judges: 4: 18 Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Come, my lord, come right in. Don’t be afraid.” So he entered her tent, and she covered him with a blanket.
She invited Sisera and made his trust her enough.
2. She used just the tools she had with her
Judges:4: 21 But Jael, Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.
Anatomy of Human Skull is in such a way that it requires the weight of 2000 kg on 1 cm to break it.
Imagine the amount of pressure that Jael must have implied!
It was not only the pressure but her determination and best use of the opportunity.
1. BEING A WOMAN ALL ALONE IN A TENT DID NOT STOP JAEL FROM USING HER OPPORTUNITY WELL
2. SHE WAS WILLING TO USE THE RESOURCES AT HAND AND EXECUTE THE TASK.
3. JAEL BEING A WOMAN, DID NOT RESTRICT GOD FROM PROVIDING HER WITH THE WISDOM TO ACT WISELY AND PERFORM AT THAT TIME.
As a woman! Do I use all the opportunities that God put in front of me?
1. Or do I say, oh I am a girl/woman; I can’t be expected to do this!
2. Or I am only a woman, what am I capable of doing? Is that our attitude towards God’s ministry today?
3. Or are we ready to utilize even the smallest opportunity that God provides us as women and stand out!
As a man, do you allow the women in your life to use all their resources for the ministry of God?
Or do I consider that men are superior and dominate the women of my house?
Our God is the forerunner of feminism and women rights. You know how?
Look at how God created woman!
Genesis : 2 : 21, 22
21. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
• Neither from the head to be superior to man.
• Nor from the feet to be inferior to him.
• But from his rib so that she would be his equal.
As a man, do you allow the women in your life to use all their resources and talents for the ministry of God?
• Being involved with the Ministry in church, I am very much thankful to God for my husband Stalin’s supportive role.
• He never complains about not being able to eat his favourite non vegetarian home cooked food, on a Sunday afternoon.
• It might look as the simplest of things.
• But imagine the pressure it might put on me on a Sunday?
• All I would be forced to think would have been about the mutton curry that I might have to cook when teaching a Sunday School Song.
• By the grace of God, I never had to think of mutton curries during my ministry, only because my husband was supportive.
4. Today, We just need to make the decision of dedication and God will provide us a way to do it. He will make a way, even when there seems to be no way.
Joanna
Who is this Joanna?
Luke: 8: 1- 3
1. After this, Jesus travelled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 3 Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.
So she was the wife of an employee of Herod the King.
We need to understand the possible life style of Joanna here.
• Her husband had a prestigious position and fortune.
• But since Joanna was healed from an unnamed disease, she went on to support Jesus’s ministry and also follow him in his travel to neighbouring villages.
• This Joanna had all the life circumstances to be a different somebody. She was more closely associated with the Royalty.
• But she did not associate herself with them but dedicated her life and riches to being Jesus’s Somebody.
Imagine a pinamee of a MP or IAS. Or even a driver or peon. What kind of attitude will that person have?
But in spite of being with the royalty, Joanna did not associate herself with them but she dedicated her life and riches to being Jesus’s SOMEBODY.
In return she was blessed into becoming one of the approximately 185 women in the bible to be named.
Not only that, but because she chose to be God’s somebody, she was one among the women who first delivered the good news of the resurrection of Jesus.
Luke: 23: 55, 56
55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. 56 Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes.
If we continue reading onto the next chapter, Luke 24: 1: says
1. On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.
So the women were not scared to venture out very early in the morning, before sun rise in the dark to a graveyard. Must have required lot of courage and determination and definitely abundant love on Jesus.
Now verses, 2-8 go on explain about the women meeting with the angel of God who proclaimed that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead.
If we continue reading verse 9 and 10.
Luke : 24:9, 10
9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles.
So here goes Joanna’s name again. She was among the three women who were the first messenger of the good news.
Joanna was gifted with this experience only because she chose to be somebody for Christ than being an idle rich woman.
As a woman, what kind of interests kindles me?
1. Do I want to be a somebody for God?
2. Or am I caught up in my personal commitments and lose being part of God’s bigger plan?
As a man, what kind of interests do we have for the women in our lives?
Without the acknowledgement and support from her husband Chuza, Joanna couldn’t have become a remarkable minister for God.
As a man am I pushing the women in my circle to sacrifice their call and desire for the ministry?
? This story is of my mentor, Hema aunty, whom we only called Sunday School aunty well into our teen age.
? She was a primary grade school teacher with a good salary.
? And when she received God’s calling for kid’s ministry in the late 80s, she wanted to quit her job and pursue Kid’s ministry full time.
? I still wonder about the support rendered by Wilson Uncle in allowing aunty to dedicate her life for God’s ministry.
? Not just allowing her, uncle would help with house hold chores too.
? I even remember days when my sister and I, and many other kids were dropped home in multiple trips to and fro from Holy Trinity Church after special Sunday School Events on uncle’s TVS 50.
? Without Hema Aunty there wouldn’t have been a me.
? Whatever knowledge God has imparted to me with church related organisation and ministry was Hema aunty’s contribution, Aunty did not train just me, but showed me with her life.
? But the irony is without the support of Wilson uncle, there wouldn’t have been a Hema Aunty, am very much sure.
? So indirectly there wouldn’t have been a me standing here delivering the word of God on this day. That was God’s way of making uncle and aunty being part of God’s bigger plan and purpose for me.
So as men, what kind of sacrifices are you willing to make to empower the women in your lives to pursue their desire and calling for ministry!
As I said earlier, we just need to make the decision of dedication and God will provide us a way to do it. He will make a way, even when there seems to be no way.
To Summarise whatever we discussed,
Jael used whatever she had as an investment into performing God’s work.
? As a woman, am I willing to dedicate myself to God’s work with whatever I have?
? As a man, are you willing to empower the women from your circle to pursue God’s ministry.
Joanna chose to be God’s somebody and received a part of being in God’s bigger plan.
? As a woman, am I willing to make sacrifices for pursuing God’s ministry?
? As a man, am I willing to support and help the women, be it a sister, my mother, my wife or a friend, in my life, be part of God’s bigger plan and purpose?
REMEMBERING & CELEBRATING WOMEN’S MINISTRY
If as women we are willing to dedicate ourselves, God will make future generations remember our roles in the ministry
As men, if we are willing to empower our women into ministry, there is no better way of celebrating their role in ministry for God than that.
If we are willing to decide and dedicate God will definitely make a way.
Lets us bow our heads in prayer! Let us sing together. God will make a way for us to decide and dedicate ourselves in empowering women in His ministry.
God will make a way
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me
He will be my guide Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way, He will make a way
Loving Heavenly Father,
Lord, Thank you for speaking to each one of us today. You spoke to us about the role of women in your ministry today. Let us become more actively involved like Jael, and doing your ministry with whatever strengths and opportunities you present to us Lord. Let us not hinder the women in our lives from being the light in your ministry Lord. Like Joanna, let each one of us put aside our personal preferences and become part of the bigger plan that you have for each of us. Please make a way in our lives for the journey we want to pursue with ministry. Empower, Guide and Impart in us a heavenly wisdom. In Jesus, Name I pray. Amen.
