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Pamela Chinnis – Trailblazer

Pamela Chinnis: Trailblazer
(1925 – 2011)

40 Years Ago the passage of Resolution 1976- B005 at the 65th General Convention in Minneapolis amended Canon Title III.9.1 giving the right to women for ordination to three of the four orders of ministry deacons, priests, and bishops.

In 1976 the presiding officer of the 35th ECW Triennial Meeting, held in conjunction with the 65th General Convention, was Pamela Chinnis, a woman in the forefront of the advocacy for the ordination of women as priests and bishops.

In a 1990 interview, when she was contemplating running for Vice President of the House of Deputies, Chinnis reflected upon reaching this point in her journey: “I started 20 or 30 years ago, and I started in my parish, and I certainly had no long-range plan.

When I started out, women couldn’t even be seated in the House of Deputies. You start out where you are, and you do Christ’s mission there.” In July 1991 Chinnis became the first woman president of the House of Deputies by acclamation; subsequently she was elected president for three successive terms.

At the end of her last term Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning, speaking at the 2000 General Convention, acclaimed Chinnis as “a model for lay ministry and an inspiration for the ministry of women and men.”

Episcopal Church Women2020-04-27T16:50:52+00:00January 27th, 2017|

Best Practices – The Third Mark of Mission

The Third Mark of Mission:
To Respond to Human Need with Loving Service

What if you had no place to sleep tonight,
needed soap for a shower or had no diapers for your baby?

—Lucy Perry, St Veronica’s Guild Member
Cathedral of St. Philip, Atlanta, GA
NECW Board Member (1997-2000)

The ministry of St. Veronica’s Guild, a group of about 50 women in a very large parish, has evolved since the early ’70s. It started simply with members filling plastic bags with personal necessities for a mission housing homeless women and those escaping domestic abuse.

In later years the guild enlisted the help of the parish, the Cathedral of St. Philip, Atlanta, Georgia, with the collection of hotel-sized shampoo, lotion, and soap. To these items the guild added a washcloth, deodorant, toothbrush, and toothpaste for each woman seeking shelter.

With the parish’s support the project grew immeasurably beyond the early days of filling 20 bags during guild meetings. Then in 2013 the guild decided to make a change and enlarge the focus of its work. To orchestrate this move, a small committee made site visits to four proposed ministries to learn about each mission; evaluate its effectiveness in meeting its goals; and determine if it had needs that could be met by 50 women. The reports were presented to the guild which voted to take on all four:

Crossroads Community Ministries, a nonprofit organization which offers a wide-range of assistance for homeless men, women, and children.
Church of the Common Ground, a project of the Diocese of Atlanta which is an open-air church and ministry at a city park.
Emmaus House, a Jubilee Center of the Episcopal Church that provides advocacy and help for persons fighting poverty.
The Friendship Center of Holy Comforter, a Jubilee Center of the Episcopal Church which offers programs for folk living in group homes with mental, emotional, and physical disabilities. Parish members accustomed to dropping their toiletry samples in the blue plastic tub on Sunday morning adapted well to the guild’s four new beneficiaries in Atlanta. This mission change necessitated the guild members bringing white socks, diapers, and feminine hygiene products to meetings, and voting to provide up to $2,000 from guild funds annually to purchase other items considered vital. Requests of the parish are frequently published in the cathedral newsletter for new, unopened, unexpired toiletries. Lists of needs are printed in bright flyers and left in tract racks, the parish information office, and other gathering spaces.

All bags of donations from the tubs are picked up at least once a week and stored.

On alternate months, eight to twelve women meet to fill requests. The collected items are sorted into labeled boxes atop three large tables. A list of the needs of each beneficiary is posted. For example, the Crossroads Community Ministry at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Atlanta, has a standing request for 100 each of soap, shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, comb, and feminine hygiene products; also 50 each of lotion, washcloths, mouthwash, razors, and emery boards. Shaving cream and sample cosmetics as available are sent.

The guild cannot meet all these needs every time, but the motion to fund the purchase of those things in short supply, and the ability to order large quantities at reasonable prices from Amazon helps the guild minister more effectively. The other three ministries have smaller requests—30-40 soaps, etc. Large shopping bags with color-coded labels for each ministry are filled. These are stored at the Cathedral until picked up by each ministry within the week; repeated contact is made to appraise St.Veronica of any changing agency needs. St. Veronica’s Guild is one of six Episcopal Church Women guilds at the Cathedral of St. Philip. During the last 15 years it has shepherded several large projects which have strengthened and built community, but personal care provision has been an on-going focus for literally decades.

Membership in the guild has grown. New members have joined to take part in a vibrant active group of very mature women who have responsibilities in many aspects of the cathedral’s life. Fellowship is emphasized, so each packaging session is followed by lunch in a local deli. While the guild does not meet during the summer, members who are able will sort and pack on alternate months; e-mail allows members to remain in contact for news of prayer requests. Groups starting small and then developing the awareness of need and possibilities of solutions can replicate this mission project. People of all ages and abilities can take a part. We have had fun doing it and work at making it fun.

Episcopal Church Women2020-04-27T16:46:00+00:00January 27th, 2017|

What It Is, Is ECW

By Lisa H. Towle
President, National ECW Board

In “To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings,” John O’Donohue began one of his poems with a particularly exquisite turn of phrase: “We seldom notice how each day is a holy place, Where the eucharist of the ordinary happens…”

Savor that for a moment. Savor the imagery invoked by the word “eucharist.” Its use wasn’t accidental. In his too short life, O’Donohue, an Irishman, was not only a poet but an author, philosopher, and for two decades a Catholic priest. He certainly understood the different meanings that can be applied to the word: the act of sharing; the intimate fellowship; the common faith and discipline of a body of Christians; the sacrament that is the Eucharist, capital E.

Naturally, all this leads me to the ministry traditionally known as Episcopal Church Women. Whether ECW or a variation of the name now found in some dioceses – Episcopal Women of…, for example, or Women’s Ministries of… – it’s about making space and time for the eucharist of the ordinary to happen. And in those acts of sharing and fellowship, study and worship, extraordinary things happen.

Still, I can hear the question that’s been put to me by clergy and laity alike: Yes, but what IS ECW? I think what people really want when they ask about ECW as a ministry is a tidy answer: we raise money for good works, or we’re dedicated to prayer and spiritual growth, or we advocate for peace and justice. As women of The Episcopal Church (collectively and individually) and as members of the sprawling Anglican Communion we do all those things, and more, because, well, one size does not fit all.

God speaks to each of us and touches our hearts in different ways. Though we are certainly one in the Body of Christ, time and again the people of our fabulously diverse Church make it known we are not always of one mind. That reality can be a welcome one for the 16-member National ECW Board because, among other things, it provides an opportunity to think and act creatively about how best to encourage the ministries of Episcopal Church Women in particular and The Episcopal Church in general.

Helping to ensure that things don’t get discombobulated as we go about casting our nets wide are our structural frameworks. Three of them are especially vital when it comes to engaging with the world at large, and they’re all available on our website as well as in this magazine. Our Vision and Living the Ministry statements are on page 10, and on the back cover are the Five Marks of Mission.

In her opening remarks to the Church’s General Convention in 2015, then-Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori noted the Five Marks, which were developed by the Anglican Consultative Council between 1984 and 1990, “are summed up in the image of pursuing God’s kingdom here on Earth as
it is in heaven.”

Like pursuit, faith requires action. Pam Chinnis, a trailblazer in The Episcopal Church (see page 10), spoke to this when she said, “You start out where you are, and you do Christ’s mission there.” Examples of how Episcopal Church Women are living the faith abound in this issue. Hopefully, what’s shared here will inspire others to go and do a new thing, because it doesn’t necessarily have to be choosing one thing over another, instead it’s very much about both/and.

As we get closer to 2018, the year in which the next ECW Triennial Meeting and General Convention take place, there will be a steady uptick in our message to “GO! Share the Word: Every Day, Comunicamos, EveryWhere.” The hows and whys of the theme and logo for the 2015-2018 triennium as well as news about how the Triennial Meeting is shaping up are in this issue. May we all approach each new day of the new year with an understanding of it as a holy place. May we persist in our witness.

Episcopal Church Women2020-04-27T16:34:06+00:00January 27th, 2017|

My “Reawakening” to the World:

Impressions From My 1st NGO UNCSW

Beblon G. Parks, Member at Large – Social Justice
National ECW Board

Have you ever heard of a Huru Bag? If you haven’t, don’t feel bad! Neither had I. Learning about the role this item plays, along with many other initiatives and projects around the globe, stimulated my social justice conscience and re-awakened my passion during my participation at the 60th Non-Governmental Organizations United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (NGO UNCSW) in March.

So what are Huru Bags? One of the sessions I attended on “Consultation Day” was led by a young activist named Joy Lynn. It was entitled “Huru International Supporting Menstrual Hygiene: Management to Ensure Education and Empowerment of Rural Kenyan Girls.” Funding for this project is provided through the Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to Action. In Swahili, Huru means free. I never thought before about freedom in the context of what might limit a young girls freedom to go to school each day. I had been unaware that girls in some African and maybe other countries were deprived of an education because they did not have access to personal female care products. Now, thanks to this project over 500 Oqiek girls in Kenya are able to manage their periods and stay in school.

What an eye-opener!

What I saw and heard in the various CSW forums (workshops) and side-bar events were women’s voices, in many languages, sharing their stories and ideas—hand-in-hand working to end violence against women and girls, improve the economic welfare of women and ensure access to education and economic empowerment.

In his letter of welcome to The Episcopal Church delegation, the Anglican delegation, the Episcopal Church Women, Anglican Women Empowerment, and others gathered for the NGO CSW, Presiding Bishop Michael B.

Curry stated: I pray you listen, learn, and work together, focusing on the four on-going challenges to the achievement of women’s empowerment identified in The Episcopal Church’s written statement to UNCSW: enable women to access power and decision-making positions, foster women’s and girls economic empowerment and independence; eradicate violence against women and girls, and access to quality educations, decent work and decision-making; and health. Often when we hear about all that needs to be done—the suffering, the killing, the poverty, the hunger, here in the U.S. and worldwide—it’s easy to feel defeated before one begins saying, “I’m just one person. What difference can I make?” The answer is simple. One ECW member can make a huge difference especially if she/we join hands and work together! Look at the difference made by these “Ones” – Malala Yousafzai, Berta Caceres, and Sabam Naraghi-Anderlini. Will you join me in being “one” working to do just that? Let’s make a difference!

Episcopal Church Women2020-04-29T16:16:06+00:00April 29th, 2016|

Episcopal Church Woman Shall Help Lead Them

A Verger’s-Eye View of the Installation of the 27th Presiding Bishop

By Margaret H. Gordon, National ECW Board

The beautiful and majestic Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. was the setting for Holy Eucharist with the installation of The Most Reverend Michael Bruce Curry as the 27th Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church and primate, the first African American to serve in this capacity.

The prep work for the event began long before that historic day, Nov. 1, 2015. Most of the vergers arrived for rehearsal on Saturday, Oct. 31. It was a day filled with bright sunshine, and the cathedral was abuzz with excitement as we gathered to do a walk-through of the highly anticipated occasion. Even the “keepers of the castle,” the greeters at the entrance doors, were excited. They recognized some of us and greeted everyone warmly.

On hand were the cathedral’s three full-time vergers and ten volunteer vergers who were going to be responsible for shepherding over 300 participants into the cathedral, including guests from ecumenical and interfaith communities as well as representatives of the Anglican Communion. We met for a general briefing, received our assignments, and then were off to find our briefing and staging areas for the next day. We also worked through any logistical issues we thought might arise. The day ended on a pleasant note and we left feeling confident we could help pull this off!

Sunday morning came with a dreary, chilly mist and the beginning of lines starting to form as early as our arrival time of 9:30 a.m. for a service that was scheduled to begin at 12 noon.

There was a short meeting of the group for any last-minute updates, then we again dispersed to our assigned staging areas, which for me was the visitors lounge in the crypt level.

The vergers’ briefing document consisted of 80 pages. Such attention to detail paid off when some 3,000 people filed into that holy place to witness this holy man taking his vows to be the next leader of The Episcopal Church.

In addition, technology was used to share the magnificent service with those not in the cathedral or even the nation’s capital. For instance, an unprecedented 11 video cameras positioned throughout the cathedral filmed the service for live webcasting.

Due to the number of participants, the procession was done in stages, by numbered procession groups. I was assigned to group four, specifically The Episcopal Church, which included staff from the church center in New York and three committees whose work had to do with getting a presiding bishop in place: the joint nominating committee, and the transition and installation committees. Altogether, group four had approximately 75 people. They knew each other and they were happy to be where they were.

We were the last group to process in before all the bishops, who preceded the liturgical procession. Although we were standing for a long time, the excitement kept the adrenaline flowing and we all made it up the stairs with energy to spare. We had a long walk ahead and we were ready and eager to go.

Overall it was a glorious day, a little long, but well worth the effort expended to be part of that particular All Saints’ Day.

Episcopal Church Women2020-04-29T16:06:06+00:00April 29th, 2016|

A New Way for A New Day

By Lisa H. Towle

In the summer of 2009 I traveled to Anaheim, CA, where the Diocese of Los Angeles was hosting the 76th General Convention of The Episcopal Church. My role as president of the Episcopal Church Women of the Diocese of North Carolina was to lead our delegation at the 46th Triennial Meeting of the ECW. It wasn’t my first rodeo; I’d done the same thing at previous Triennials. What helped make this Triennial Meeting/General Convention unique, however, was that the Rt. Rev. Michael Curry, bishop of North Carolina, was, for the first time, the keynote speaker at the United Thank Offering Sharing Dinner. His exhortations, directed primarily at the women of the church, to “go into the world on a mission of witness … in a time of absolute and unprecedented change,” had the 400 people in the room on their feet, clapping and cheering.

Seeds were planted that night.

Three years later, I became secretary of the National ECW Board and also cosponsored, with Jenny Ladefoged, a Triennial Meeting resolution about the Board forming an ad hoc committee composed of intergenerational members to review and research the function and structure of the Board as well as the mission and purpose of the ECW. The resolution was adopted.

Three more years passed. Last summer at Triennial Meeting/General Convention I was elected president of the Board, a majority of Triennial Meeting delegates accepted with enthusiasm the report and recommendations of the ad hoc committee, and the House of Bishops elected Michael Curry as the 27th Presiding

Bishop and Episcopal Church primate. And so here we are. It was Soren Kierkegaard, a Danish Christian philosopher and theologian, who famously noted, “life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” The national ECW knows where we’ve been. We strive to be fully present in the now all the while working to help move Episcopal Church Women forward. Along these lines, the joint nominating committee for the election and seating of a 27th presiding bishop offered some sage advice that speaks to the entirety of The Episcopal Church:“Delight,” said the committee, in the diversity of a “multi-national, multi-lingual, multicultural, multi-ethnic, and multi-generational church.”

At his All Saints’ Sunday installation Eucharist in Washington National Cathedral, Curry’s call for the church and its members to join what he calls the Jesus Movement echoed what had been said in Anaheim: “If you take the word ‘go’ seriously, it means you’ve got to trust the Lord.”

Episcopal Church Women do take mission seriously. It’s one of the primary reasons we were formed. It’s a reason this issue has the cover and content it does. It’s also the reason the national Board has selected “GO! Share the Word: Every Day, Comunicamos, Every Where” as the theme for the 49th Triennial Meeting, which will be held in Austin, TX in July of 2018.

Stay tuned and trust the Lord.

Episcopal Church Women2020-04-29T15:56:54+00:00April 29th, 2016|

Women Helping Women

The Episcopal Women’s Caucus and The Episcopal Church Women are pleased to announce a joint initiative to support our Episcopal delegates to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women to be held this year, March 14-24. Of the 18 delegates from throughout The Episcopal Church selected by then-Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, seven have responded to our invitation to assist them in raising the funds needed to attend, each anticipates needing about $4,000 to attend the two-week event.

(The Social Justice Member-at-Large of National Episcopal Church Women represents ECW at the UNCSW gathering. For the 2015-2018 triennium that representative will be Beblon Parks. Her expenses will be paid by the NECW Board.)

Over the next several weeks we will post stories from previous delegates to the UNCSW and the stories of our delegates this year.

What is the UNCSW?

The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) is held every year for two weeks in late February or early March. The Commission on the Status of Women was formalized in 1946. “The CSW is instrumental in promoting women’s rights, documenting the reality of women’s lives throughout the world, and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women.” Representatives of UN Member States, civil society organizations and UN entities gather at UN headquarters in New York for the two-week session: “They discuss progress and gaps in the implementation of the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the key global policy document on gender equality, and the 23rd special session of the General Assembly held in 2000 (Beijing+5), as well as emerging issues that affect gender equality and the empowerment of women. Member States agree on further actions to accelerate progress and promote women’s enjoyment of their rights in political, economic and social fields.” (www.unwomen.org/en/csw)

One does not need to be a delegate from a member state or an NGO in order to attend the UNCSW because there are many parallel events that take place during the two weeks the commission meets. Here are some guidelines for preparing for the conference:

Acquire the NGO event and workshop schedule, available on line at the UNCSW website approximately a week before the event begins. Review the schedule and pre-plan the workshops and events you want to attend.
Be sure to pre-register for the Ecumenical Women’s Orientation (usually held on the Saturday before the opening session) and the NGO orientation (usually held on the Sunday before the opening session).
Workshops begin at 8:00 am and end at 7:30 pm, running for 90 minutes with 30 minutes in between. Workshops are offered in two or three primary locations including the United Nations Church Center on 44th Street and 1st Avenue (across from the UN).You will find the locations listed in the NGO workshop guide. Attending workshops is free of charge.
Wear comfortable clothing that can be layered to adjust to NYC weather, which can change quickly. Remember to bring an umbrella.
Bring several pairs of shoes as you will walk a lot and your feet will need the variety.
If you are ordained wear your clerical collar, it helps to make the statement that ordained people care about this event and these issues, and are willing to be present.
Take the time to watch the opening session of the UNCSW, usually on Monday morning of the first week. Viewing is available via webcam at the UN Church Center Chapel and at various NGO sites.

The Episcopal Church is considered an NGO and in 2015 received NGO delegate status for the UN. This means The Episcopal Church is be able to send 20 delegates to the UN to lobby our UN representatives on issues we are concerned with.

Episcopal Church Women2020-05-20T13:28:58+00:00February 11th, 2016|

Tenacity

Lord Christ, be with me in my time of need. Give me the strength to hold on through each trial.

Lord Christ, be with me in my hour of desperation. Remind me that you call me by name.

Lord Christ, be with me during each moment of pain. Teach me your ways are not those of the one who oppresses.

Lord Christ, be with me each second that I am injured. Protect me and those for whom I provide care. Deliver us, as we hold tightly to you. Amen

Submitted by Jackie Meeks

Episcopal Church Women2020-05-20T14:18:56+00:00December 28th, 2015|

Encouragement

Encouragement can be another word for hope, belief, even for love. When used by different people in our lives it can be one, all, or more than these words. Depending on circumstances, this simple word, put into action, can make the difference to the extent of changing or saving a life. How easy it is to get caught in a downward spiral which without a lifeline can drag us deeper into unhealthy situations. Domestic violence leaves its impact on generations of families, from believing that this is normal, to thinking perhaps we deserved the reaction, the violent consequence.

A lifeline, positive encouragement of self, can stall or prevent the insidious slide into that dark place of thinking there is no other option in unhealthy relationships. Encouragement in the worth and value of self, in education and discovery of loving oneself and understanding love of others, an unconditional love, and the building up of hope, plants a seed. It starts with being present in body or spirit, listening and providing encouragement in a language that can be received and understood. There may be others that cultivate and nurture this seed, or it may be one steady voice of encouragement, either way it shines a light and a path out of the darkness.

May you find the light and be the light of encouragement.

By Evita Krislock

Episcopal Church Women2020-05-20T14:23:38+00:00December 27th, 2015|

Words Matter

Here, as Advent draws to a close, is a reflection about Mary the mother of Jesus. Written by the Rev. Lindsay Hardin Freeman, it’s adapted from her book, “Bible Women: All Their Words and Why They Matter.”

MARY: WHAT’S SHE DONE FOR YOU LATELY?

For the better part of forty years, Mary didn’t do anything for me. And that sounds like something a loser would say: “Hey, Mary didn’t do anything for me…”

Except, of course, she did something that no one has ever done; something that no one else will ever do. She gave birth to Jesus, the Prince of Peace, the Redeemer. Surely that ranks pretty high on one’s resume.

Yep. Of course, I knew that over the years. But I couldn’t relate to was the ever-so-meek and mild, complacent, virginal, pleasant, and practically perfect aura which has surrounded her for so many centuries…until I studied every word she said that is recorded in the Bible (see words below), and until I became a mother myself.

Her gift to the human race can best be summarized with one word: Yes. And it wasn’t a momentary “Yes”— it was a yes that would last her a lifetime, with all the pain and agony and joy that love brings.

HER STORY:

When Gabriel approached Mary, he tells her, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” Her unspoken response (and this is as important as any spoken response): But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. (Luke 1:28–29)

She’s a smart girl. Most people do not wish to be high on the radar of say, cosmic forces, oncologists or fire departments. Mary knows that she was on God’s radar. Of course she was troubled. Of course she considered in her mind what sort of greeting “this might be.”

She knew the scriptures: how the Angel of Death went through King Sennacherib’s camp, causing 185,000 Assyrian soldiers to die (2 Kings 19:35); how Jacob fought with an angel and was disabled (Genesis 32:24–30); how an angel had issued a call to war by causing a fire to spring up in front of Gideon (Judges 6:11–21).

Hard not to be afraid, especially because she was only betrothed to be married, not yet married—and punishment for adultery was stoning. Neither Joseph nor her parents would understand—and yet somehow, she found the strength and faith to tell Gabriel, “Let it be to me according to your word.”

After her visit (which seems like more of an escape, away from prying eyes and ears) to Elizabeth, and after the birth of Jesus in a stable because the young couple could not find shelter in Jerusalem, she is visited by shepherds and wise men alike. Luke says, “Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.”

That phrase would again be used by Luke when Mary and Joseph lost track of Jesus on their caravan (many families traveling together) home from Jerusalem. Unbeknownst to them, he had stayed behind to teach in the temple. When, after three days, they finally located him, Mary was beside herself. “Why have you treated us like this? We have been in great anxiety!”

And although Mary did not understand her son, Luke says, again, that she “treasured these things in her heart.”

About eighteen years later, Mary is at a wedding with Jesus at Cana in Galilee, and the host runs out of wine, a terribly embarrassing problem for first-century hosts, whose celebrations would last for days. In classic mother style, she volunteers Jesus to fix the problem. Bringing him to the servants, she says, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Jesus, in classic grown son style, refuses, saying, “My time has not yet come!” But he does what his mother tells him to do…and all are happy. Perhaps she had seen him practice miracles around the house; she knew it was his time. Clearly, the fruit of “pondering things” in her heart was taking shape.

Such mother-privilege, however, did not seem to count when Jesus refused to see her when he was busy healing people, saying, “all who believe” were his family members. Again, probable consternation.

Finally, the day came that must have been the hardest day of all: Jesus’ death, at which she stood and watched the life drain from her beloved boy. How does one come to terms with that? How did Mary? We don’t know, except to know that Jesus “gave” her to John, one of the sons of Zebedeed (many scholars believe John was her nephew), following the crucifixion.

CONSIDER THIS

Mary could have refused Gabriel’s request; she could have said no to Gabriel. God would not have demanded she bear his son—after all, God is the primary believer in free will and designed this world to have it. What might have happened had she said no, or run away? I believe it is fair to say that Jesus–at least the Jesus we know–would not have been born. God would not have gone down the block, looking for another mother.

Here’s the point: God invited Mary into a radical life-transforming experience. She agreed, and opened herself to a life of love, self-sacrifice and divine intervention in world affairs. And as a result, the world will never be the same—and neither will we.

By saying yes, she didn’t know all the details that would come her way. She knew she would bear God’s son. By saying yes, she was in–in for all the joy and pain that love can bring.

What has Mary done for me lately? She’s shown me the way of love. I hope she does the same for you.

________________________

WHAT DID MARY SAY?

Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34)

Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” (Luke 1:46–55)

When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” (Luke 2:48)

When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” (John 2:3)

His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” (John 2:5)

FOR REFLECTION

How much do you think Mary understood about Jesus’ life when he was a baby? A boy? A man?

Out of the millions of souls on earth, why do you think God chose Mary to be Jesus’ mother? Was it that the time was right? Was it that she was right?

If an angel came to you from God, how easily would you believe whatever s/he said?

What emotions might you have struggled with if you had been in Mary’s place? Fear? Pride? Love? Desire?

Do you know anyone whose inner strength seems unshakable? How do they approach life?

________

Copy above adapted from Bible Women: All Their Words and Why They Matter. Published in 2014 by Forward Movement.

Artwork: Painted by Karen N. Canton, From The Scarlet Cord: Conversations with God’s Chosen Women, published 2010 by John Hunt Publishing

Episcopal Church Women2020-05-20T13:32:19+00:00December 21st, 2015|

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