Remembering & Celebrating Women’s Ministry

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?