Women In The Church 1

1Timothy 2:9-15

The passage that we have before us this morning is primarily looking at the role of women within a church situation, I recognise that for many of you here this morning and for many women in many churches, this is a make or break passage, it was interesting a few weeks ago, when we started 1 Timothy 2, a certain lady came up to me at the end of the message and asked ‘What about the end verses, what do they say’ well this is where we find out.

God willing, the ice that I skate on this morning and next Sunday morning for we are going to take 2 weeks to look at this passage, will not be to thin and the ladies of the church, my wife included, will still be speaking to me at the end of this message.

It would be good to split our time into 3.

Firstly- Let us examine where we are today and in particular the role of women in our country at this time.

Secondly – Let us look at the days and time that Paul lived in, particularly looking at the role of women.

Then, next week

Thirdly let us look at what Paul is saying in the passage before us.

First main point

What is the role of women in our society?

We live in a day and a time when the role of the woman has changed drastically in the society that we live in, gone are the days where the woman was in many homes seen and not heard, women from their school years are now being encouraged to compete with the male of the species, after all it is a free world that we live in and all should have equal opportunities and be able to develop their gifts, both male and female alike, so called feminism is on the increase and if we were able to talk to people who were in their 50’s just 70 years ago, so that takes us back to 1934, many of them both men and women would be flabbergasted to see the role that women play in society today.

Listen to these words and see if you can think who they might have been written by.

‘It was a custom of my father and mother to make the round of our bedrooms every night before going themselves to bed. When they entered my room that night I was still awake, but for some reason I chose to pretend I was asleep. My father bent over me, shielding the candle flame with his big hand. I cannot know exactly what I thought was in his mind as he gazed down at me, but I heard him say, somewhat sadly, "What a pity she wasn’t born a lad."

My first hot impulse was to sit up in bed and protest that I didn’t want to be a boy, but I lay still and heard my parents’ footsteps pass on toward the next child’s bed. I thought about my father’s remark for many days afterward… It was made quite clear that men considered themselves superior to women, and that women accepted this situation. I found this view of things difficult to reconcile with the fact that both my father and my mother were advocates of women having the vote’. [Emily Pankhurst]

Whilst some 45 years later, the year is now 1913, it’s the 8th of June.

The place Tattenham Corner

The Derby is being run and the Kings horse is Anmer.

As the hooves of the horses pound the turf and as the jockeys encourage the horses on to speeds of 30mph suddenly Emily Davidson steps out in front of the Kings Horse in order to raise awareness for the suffragette movement, she died some 4 days later from her injuries, yet the public whom she was so desperately trying to reach, with the plight of women were more interested with the plight of the Kings horse and it’s jockey. It was some 5 years later before women gained the right to vote.

On here headstone in ‘Morph’ in Northumbria are the words ‘Deeds not words’

Some 18 days later a different Emily, Emily Dawson is made the first Female Magistrate in the UK and as we look at our nation over the last 25 years, we see the almost meteoric rise of women to places of power and authority, starting most famously with our first Lady prime minister

And as we look at our nation today, we see every post, from that of company director to football chief executive, in every sphere of industry there seems to be a woman making her mark and in many a household up and down this land, the woman is the chief wage earner. Never though should we underestimate the role of a woman as a ‘Homemaker’, how many other jobs require the person to be a nurse, doctor, cook, cleaner, laundry expert, TV analyst, psychologist,