"What Does It Mean for Women to Proclaim the Gospel?" ELCA CWA 2019

"What does it mean for women to proclaim the gospel?"

I was asked to be one of three speaks at the banquet celebrating the 50th anniversary of the ordination of women, 40th anniversary for women of color, and 10th for LGBTQIA+ no barriers at the 2019 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Milwaukee. I spoke first, with the prompt given above.  Sadly, this event was not live-streamed. 

As many wiser women before me have said – none of us would be here, proclaiming the Gospel, WITHOUT women. Without women, there would be neither filled womb nor witnesses at the empty tomb. Women paved the way for Jesus’s ministry with their feet, their money, and with their voices.  Many along the way have tried to silence those voices, both then and now, by telling us we are not good enough or smart enough or tough enough to hack it out there in ministry. But we don’t listen. We won’t be silent.

When the preaching contest for the Lutheran World Federation Assembly went live, I could have listened to the other voices out there, saying: I would never be good enough to actually be chosen. I didn’t listen, and I entered anyway. Because I knew that if I really believed that a woman should be up in that pulpit, I had to put some skin in the game. I had to have some faith that God was calling a woman to do it, and that woman might be me. And my voice seemed more important than ever, once I arrived at that Assembly of global Lutherans, because almost a fifth of the member churches of the Lutheran World federation still do not allow women to proclaim from the pulpit. But. I. Did. And I did it because of all of my women mentors who have blazed the trail ahead of me and nurtured me, and I did it for all the women who will come after. 

When a woman preaches the gospel, God is not calling her DESPITE her higher-pitched voice… but BECAUSE HER voice – whatever octave - NEEDS to be heard. When a woman preaches the Gospel, God is not using her regardless of the chance that it might be “that time of the month” …. But BECAUSE all blood is holy is the source of all life, including hers. When a woman preaches the Gospel, God is not sending her in SPITE of what people might be saying about her ambition or anger or “bossy-ness” but BECAUSE she is passionate for justice, has true leadership qualities, and gets stuff done.

We all know why Jesus REALLY came as a man – not because of something inherently male in the perfect nature of God, but because of something imperfect in how we treat one another. Every time a woman proclaims, she is affirming God’s desire to smash the patriarchy.

When a woman proclaims the Gospel… she puts herself on the line, so that little girls and little boys Can see the face of God through her and hear the love of God through her. When a woman proclaims the Gospel, she breaks the stained-glass ceiling, also pulls to freedom all the women coming after her. When a woman proclaims the gospel, her words can live on in the mouths of other women preachers – and men preachers too.

Someday the sun will rise on a Sunday morning with no more “firsts” to overcome, no more stained-glass ceilings to break - We’re not there yet. But every woman who preaches brings us one day closer. Thanks be to God!