Sarah and Abraham Marc ChagallToday the covenant passage from the Older Testament was the story of the promise made to Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 17. Both Abram and Sarai are renamed as a sign of this new beginning. Sarah isn't named nearly as often in scripture as Abraham but she is an important biblical woman.
This is International Women's Day and women of every shape, size, and colour are being celebrated. Some suggest that the bible has been used to subjugate women, and at times this has been true. But there are also the stories of heroic women in scripture, those who overcome stereotypes and discrimination to know God and lead others to God. A favourite passage from the New Testament is Jesus' conversation with a woman at a well, his lengthiest conversation with anyone in the gospels. The Samaritan woman is an outsider because of ethnic association and sexual conduct and gender yet Jesus responds to her as a person of worth.
We sang a hymn from the More Voices book this morning called Hope of Abraham and Sarah and the first verse is a great one for this day.
Hope of Abraham and Sarah, friend of Hagar, God of Ruth,
you desire that every people, worship you in spirit, truth.
Meet us in our sacred places, mosque and synagogue and church.
Show us paths of understanding, bless us in our common search.
3 comments:
If (when?) I do a thesis, I think it will be on women and children in the bible. There is still so much to learn and share, and it is an area of great interest to me, especially children and families.
It is one of the reasons I am so proud to be a part of the United Church, where you can hear a blessing such as, "May the God of Sarah and Abraham, Rebekah and Isaak, and Jacob, Leah and Rachel be with you."
Deb, I thought of you today! It was very much a Deb Laforet day. Just wanted you to know.
I hope you write that thesis Deborah. Books about women of the Bible tend to be rare and those out there often kind of disappointing. Now that you mention it there isn't a lot that I have seen about children in the Bible. The best book I have read about women from the Bible was a fiction book called The Red Tent. I think it was criticized for its lack of accuracy although the author did clearly promote it as a work of fiction. It was a book that really made me think and feel about the women who lived in those times, even if it wasn't the real story.
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