August
14, 2016
Schwarzwald
Lutheran Church in Reading, PA
Texts: First Reading: Luke
1:46-55; Second Reading: Acts 16:13-15; Gospel:
John 20:11-18
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| Elise Kohler, TEY Scholar, budding preacher! |
[I met Elise Kohler at a summer program for
young theologians called Theological Education with Youth (TEY) held at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg (PA), where I served as one of the
faculty in the Lilly Endowment-funded program.
Elise is entering her junior year at Exeter Township Senior High School
in Reading, PA. She’s involved with
Fellowship of Christian Students, orchestra, concert, jazz band and marching band, and
Girl Scouts. She and her brother Lukas, along with their parents Stephanie and James Kohler, are members of Schwarzwald
Lutheran Church in Reading. Elise is a member of the Mutual Ministry Committee,
Youth group, Youth ministry committee, choir, and Sunday School.
Elise was one of 18 scholars who spent nine
days delving into deep theological discussions and developing leadership
skills. This was her second year
attending the program, and upon her return home, her pastor asked her to preach
a sermon about “women’s power in preaching and ministry.” Elise and I brainstormed about women in the
Bible who model the kind of leadership qualities that are important to her and we worked on crafting her sermon. Below is her fine sermon – just one example
of what is possible when we train young people to think theologically, equip
them with the skills needed to proclaim the gospel, and set them loose!]
[Watch the video of Elise's sermon here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6uuYDWCjoI&feature=youtu.be]
When Pastor Staub asked me to do a sermon about
women’s power in preaching and ministry, I said yes immediately- even though
the idea of speaking in front of the whole church was a bit intimidating!
There are so many powerful women in the Bible, it was difficult to choose
just a few. I decided to focus on a few women in the New Testament - ones
who used their God-given gifts and skills to help proclaim the Good News about
Jesus Christ. Studying these women the past few weeks has opened my eyes
to how strong they were. As you will see, these women are a huge
inspiration to me. My hope is that you will find something in their story
- and maybe even my story - that rekindles your own faith and a desire to act
on that faith in a powerful way.
One of the reasons I was so excited to preach on
this topic of powerful women of faith and their impact, is that two weeks ago I
was a scholar at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg for a summer
program called Theological Education with Youth. For nine days, 17 other
high school students from around the country and myself gathered to worship,
learn deep theological concepts, develop leadership skills, and living in a
safe and intentional Christian community. Of course this also included
just hanging out and having fun.
It just so happened that during our theology
courses some of what we learned about was women’s power, ecofeminism, and how
the world views women. In the past often times women were thought of as
lesser than men. In the chain of command they were viewed on the same
level as an animal. Obviously the view of women is still changing.
We learned how important it is to look to the Bible and examine the
strong women throughout the stories. Through all of the years God has
used not only men but women and children too. We also learned that oftentimes
women are viewed as the “mothers” and the “care takers.” We also learned
about how different parts of nature are feminized, such as “mother nature”, or
the “mama bird.” We discussed the importance of being aware of and having
an opinion on how girls and women are viewed in society.
The three readings for today give us just a few
examples of the ways in which God calls women of faith to use their skills,
gifts, bodies and minds to proclaim the Good News of Christ and build the
Kingdom of God. Jesus’ mother Mary, for
example, proclaimed that kingdom which was just a seed of hope planted in her
womb. Her Magnificat which we heard
today is a bold declaration that God is continually reforming our world and
righting the wrongs of injustice.
Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus’ disciples and sat
at his feet to learn – just like the men did.
I think it’s amazing that it was Mary who was the first to proclaim the
risen Christ. That means that the first
preacher was a woman!
But she certainly wasn’t the last. Lydia was another powerful woman who used her
influence to bring people to Christ. She
was a successful business woman who sold purple fabric to wealthy clients for
their expensive clothes. When she met
Paul at the river, she convinced him to stay at her home, and her whole family
was baptized. God was calling to her
through Paul, just like God called to Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of
Jesus.
In my life there have been many instances when I
have felt God calling me in some direction. I believe that there are no such
things as coincidences in life. We are all living the lives that God set
us out to live. I also believe in an inner sense of calling. Whether it’s
getting a good feeling when you talk to someone, or that idea that just seemed
to “pop” into your head out of nowhere and you can’t get it to go away.
Everyone has that little voice. That voice is usually God. In
my own life I’ve found not to ignore that voice.
For example, this past year I considered joining a
group called Fellowship of Christian Students at my school. The only
problem was every time they had a meeting I came up with an excuse not to go.
“It’s too early, I have to talk to a teacher, I have to finish my
homework.” The truth was, I was avoiding it. I didn’t want to be
looked at as that girl from the church club. Finally one day I sucked it
up and went. I had been hearing about it and seeing posters for it, I
felt the overwhelming call to go.
In a way it was like when Mary was filled with the
Holy Spirit and the Christ child grew in her. The seed of something new being
planted. The idea was small at first but it just grew until I couldn’t
ignore it anymore. When God plants something in you it’s impossible to
get it out of your head. It’s constantly on your mind, until it gets to a
point when you have to do something about it. So I went to the meeting.
I got there and there were only two other people.
After attending the next few meetings I watched those two people turn
into one. Then it was just me. I started thinking about what
changes could be made to the club to make it more inviting. I couldn’t stop
thinking about it.
Just like Lydia, I knew it was important to reach
out to other people with the amazing news about Jesus’s love. She learned
about Jesus from listening to Paul. I, along with many others, have
learned about Jesus right here at this church listening to sermons, going to
Sunday School and Confirmation, going to VBS, and helping and participating in
youth events. Going to TEY took my learning to a new level. God had
already prepared Lydia to be a proclaimer of the Gospel when she when she met
Paul at the river. Looking back I can see that God was already preparing
me as well.
It happened the day the teacher in charge asked if
I would lead the club. I said yes and asked a friend for help. We
both co-lead the club now. There are about 10 members and it’s still
growing.
But it wasn’t easy. We had to plan meetings
that sparked people’s interest, and fit their schedules. We had to find a
place in the school to meet. We had to continue to push events, and there
were a few failed ones along the way. Overall, the trials were all worth
it. It wasn’t until our very last meeting that we finally had about ten
people show up. Everyone said they were excited for next year.
Just like Mary Magdalene learned, being the first
apostle to spread the news of Jesus’ resurrection is sometimes met with
resistance, ridicule and downright hostility. But when God calls you to
preach, sometimes you have to go against the grain to deliver the powerful
message to God’s people.
My point in this is, God calls everyone, men,
women, children. God calls everyone, but you have to listen and accept
the call! Where is God calling you?
You might be like Mary, Jesus’ mother,
and you have an idea for ministry that is planted in you. How will you
nurture the idea so it can grow?
Or maybe you’re like Mary Magdalene at
the tomb and you’re being called to spread the good news about Jesus, but you
worry about how people might react. How will you find the courage to
share the Good News which might be just the thing someone needs to hear in their
lives?
Or maybe you’re called like Lydia, the
seller of purple cloth. Has God given you a network of people, or a set
of skills, or a particular talent that is just right for reaching out to people
to do the work of building the Kingdom of God? Who is that one person you
can ask for help, like I did, to help you take on a project that you may have
thought too big for you to handle?
These powerful women of faith are can
be seen as models for us of what can be done when we open ourselves to God’s
power and use our minds bodies, talents, skills and resources to proclaim Jesus
Christ and build ministry in his name. These women (along with many
others) have been extremely influential on me and my life and choices. My
prayer for you is that a seed has been planted, or you've formed an idea, or a
spark of faith has been kindled that will not let you go. Listen to that
little voice that’s telling you to go and do. Amen.
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| TEY 2016 Scholars, faculty and staff |
