Women of Faith
The Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him’
Genesis 2:18
It is a great shame that the beauty, dignity and importance of women’s vocations in the church have been overshadowed by arguments over the pastoral office for so many years. As usual, the devil distracted us with his most common question, ‘Did God really say?’ and off we went, getting drawn into the lie that women’s roles were somehow lacking and needed to be “enhanced” by taking on those roles the Lord reserved for suitably qualified men. Ironically the people who have suffered most in this are the very women it was supposed to benefit, as their God-pleasing vocations have been diminished and devalued.
The scriptures make it abundantly clear that men and women share the same baptismal status before our Heavenly Father by virtue of Jesus’ saving work for all people on the cross, (Galatians 3:25-29). But He has uniquely gifted women for certain vocations to which they are called, and through which God works to serve the family and congregation. This reality finds its origin in the Garden of Eden when God made Eve as a helper for Adam (Genesis 2:18-25). Eve was the perfect complement to Adam and together they were to manage God’s good creation. Remarkably she was gifted with the call to be the mother of all nations and the account of her creation and her joining together with Adam resounds with joy and thanksgiving.
While it is true Adam and Eve’s fall into sin messed everything up, faithful women who trusted in God’s promised Messiah have continued to be a great blessing throughout history. In the New Testament, St Paul’s letters abound with thanksgiving for women such as Eunice and Lois who taught their son and grandson Timothy the Christian faith (2 Timothy 1:5), the same Timothy who went on to be an influential pastor in the early church. He thanks God for women like Prisca who supported the work of the Apostles (Romans 16:3-4); women like Phoebe who served as a deaconess to the congregation (Romans 16:1-2); and who like the countless unnamed are numbered among the saints who received the gospel and bore witness to Christ in their daily lives, and sometimes as they died a martyr’s death.
We are blessed in LM-A with Godly women who serve with joy and faith and love, and who do so with the peace of knowing they serve in ways that are pleasing to Him. We would be lost without the faithful service of women in the church as they take up roles that are consistent with the witness of Scripture. Faithful mothers teaching their children the faith remain one of the most precious gifts to the church and they are our most significant ‘missionaries’. Without them the faithful would surely be much fewer in number. This vocation extends to ‘church mothers’ who teach Sunday School, nurture the faith of all through witness and service, and who contribute to the administration of the congregation through councils and committees.
Of course, the most important vocation for any woman is identical to that of any man – and that is to be a disciple of Jesus. Listening to His Word, receiving His gifts of forgiveness and life through the Divine Service, and seeking to follow His commands. But as we do that, God has called men and women in distinct ways so that all people may come to faith in Christ.
We give thanks to God through our Lord Jesus Christ for the women of faith through whom we receive great blessings from the Lord. May God grant that as we strive together in a complementary way, men and women together may bring glory to God and the fullness of His saving love to those we serve.
Pastor Matt Anker
President, Lutheran Mission - Australia