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One of the books on the shelves in my childhood bedroom that I shared with my younger sister was A Little Golden Book: Bible Stories of Boys and Girls. Here the children of the Hebrew Scriptures came alive – Rebekah at the well, Joseph and his dreams, Samuel the Lord’s child, David the shepherd, and Miriam the good sister. Each child had an encounter that, knowingly or unknowingly, brought them closer to God.

The Book of Exodus begins with the bad times that had come to the children of Israel. To stop the ever-increasing number of Israelites in his land, the Egyptian Pharaoh wanted all boy babies killed. A Levite couple, Jochebed and Amram, had a son, and his mother hid him for three months. When she could not hide him any longer, she laid the baby in a covered basket of bulrushes and put the little boat among the reeds by the river bank. The baby’s big sister Miriam stood at a distance to watch over him. Pharaoh’s daughter found the baby, and saying she needed someone to care for the child, Miriam stepped forward and said, “Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” not revealing that she would get her own mother, the mother of the baby. Pharaoh’s daughter said to Jochebed, “Take this child and nurse it for me and I will give you your wages.” So the happy mother had her baby back. Because his sister Miriam had watched over him, the boy grew up safe and sound at home, and when he was older, this boy Moses was educated in the Pharaoh’s palace and became the greatest leader his people knew.

Miriam’s role as big sister did not end in the simple tale of one sibling looking after another. She became a leader-prophet of the women of Israel. After crossing the Red Sea, following the great song which her brother Moses sang in honor of all Israel, Miriam organized the women in response, with “tambourines and with dancing”. “Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously, horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.” The singing of women in ancient times gave expression to war, battle, and miracle. It is believed that the Song of Moses was actually composed by Miriam to articulate and summarize the historical experience of escaping the Pharaoh’s chariots, and also to prepare the people to cope with the forthcoming challenges. And so, Miriam was a herald; she prepared the people for what was to come following the crossing of the Red Sea. She had been the guardian of the vision; having watched over her baby brother, perhaps knowing even then that there was greatness ahead. In the wilderness she was the guardian of the vision that was to be, a new home for their people. She was, in childhood and in adulthood, the big sister who watches and worries and prepares for the future.

Miriam wasn’t a perfect big sister. Who in Hebrew Scriptures, after all, is perfect? Who of us is perfect? She and her other brother, Aaron, criticized Moses and resented his authority. “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?” The Lord called the three into a meeting, and at the end of it, Miriam only (not Aaron or Moses) was plagued with leprosy. Because of Moses’ and Aaron’s pleas, the Lord allowed her leprosy to disappear after her seven days of banishment from the camp. In a lovely touch of compassion, the people did not journey until she was brought into the camp again. She lived on, and as tradition tells, became a mother and the forebear of kings.

We Episcopal Church Women are the big sisters of the church. We are women at any age who help others find greatness and find in ourselves the greatness to lead. As some of us look to the future and to the younger women of the church accomplishing wonderful things, we can be their big sisters, watching out for them and accompanying them on their journey. We who are younger can learn from the wisdom of the women around us and know we are never alone in all the works we do. Together we are members of a women’s chorus. We give expression to the concerns of God’s people and we sing not as a call to war and battle but to peace and justice, and always to the miracles of our God. We are sisters to each other.

During the first 2 weeks of December, I will be on Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. This is my second pilgrimage, and because of Lindsay’s book, I will be looking through new eyes, through the eyes of the women who lived in the land and who spoke at the ancient sites I will see.

++++ Coming December 15th ++++

Chapter 26: Elizabeth and Mary, the mother of Jesus

Content provided by Author Lindsay Hardin Freeman

Illustration: Claire Elam

I find it intriguing that the voice within the slave girl had something wonderful and profound to say: “These men are the slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.” And yet Paul was irritated and commanded the spirit to come out of the girl. My initial thought is to see her as quite the opposite of an irritant and more as a prophet, like John the Baptist, who came before another and declared the truth. Jesus never got irritated with John’s rantings, but then no one ever expects Paul to behave like Jesus.

William Barkley writes in his commentary on The Acts of the Apostles that the slave girl was called a Pytho, a person who could give oracles to guide others about the future. A Pytho was considered mad and was respected by the people who believed that the gods had taken away the mad one’s wits and replaced them with the minds of the gods.

Of course, I write from what I read, and on the surface I see a girl who is saying good things about Paul and the others, and so must be a prophetess to be heeded. But delving deeper and learning about the original Greek, I discover that the word used to describe the girl’s voice is “false prophet”. No matter what good may be said, if it comes from Satan it may be real but it is not good. And Paul’s irritation is not just with an annoying voice that follows him around, again understanding the original Greek, but irritation of anger and sadness, anger at the slave owners and sadness of the girl’s plight.

The beauty of Bible Women: All Their Words and Why They Matter is the depth of learning that the Rev. Lindsay Hardin Freeman has provided for us. We begin with Scripture and a few words spoken by a woman or a girl. We look at the verses surrounding those words and see why the woman is important to the story. We dig deeper, into others’ commentaries to learn more from the original text and centuries of study, and we dig deeper, into our hearts and our personal experiences. We bring each of the women into the 21^st Century to understand why they are all still relevant today.

I give thanks to Lindsay+ for taking me on a journey to meet new friends, 93 extraordinary women who said enough to be included in the Holy Bible. I thank her for giving my imagination the freedom to end the stories as I want to see them ended. The fortune telling slave girl? Why, she came back to hear Paul and Silas speak again and there met Lydia, the seller of purple. The girl was adopted into Lydia’s household and adopted into the Household of Christ.

I give thanks to the Episcopal Church Women for coming along on the journey and for sharing their insights with me and with others, either through this blog or in book study groups. I know the studies will continue, long into the future.

++++ Coming June 26th, 2015 ++++

Breakfast with Lindsay Hardin Freeman

48^th Triennial Meeting – Salt Lake City

Content provided by Author Lindsay Hardin Freeman

Illustration: Claire Elam

Have you ever served on a stewardship or pledge campaign committee? I have. Not only does the committee work to encourage members of the congregation to give and hopefully tithe in support of the church’s programs and operating expenses, the committee works to educate people on the reason to pledge and how to pledge reasonably. Emphasis on the love of God, the love of God’s creation, and the love of God’s people are all elements of good stewardship education. And it doesn’t matter if the church is large or small, with a healthy endowment fund or none at all; there is always a need for everyone to participate and share in the financial wellbeing of the church. As the campaign goes along, the committee is able to gauge its success, and there may be a call for more giving with a supplemental pledge. The needs of the church are emphasized and the campaign pulls not only on the purse strings, but also on the heart strings. However, never is there a call for anyone to put their personal financial situation in jeopardy in order to meet the church’s goals.

Sapphira and her husband, Ananais, remind me of church members who get too caught up in the joy of giving. The stewardship sermon stirs the heart and there is a desire to solve all the problems and meet all the goals that have been brought to the people. These church members make a pledge, one they plan to fulfill, but as the year progresses the payments lag and by the end of the year the pledge is not met. And perhaps the budget income is not met, and the church scrambles to determine what program, what staff member, or what building need will have to take the hit. Ananais and Sapphira said they would sell their land and give all the proceeds to the Christian community. No one asked them to give up everything; it was their pledge to make. But when the time came to tell Peter and the others the sale price for the land, Ananais lied to Peter. When Peter confronted him, not about how much was given, but about the lie, Ananais fell dead. Wow! Peter is some pledge campaign committee chair! At my church we receive reminder letters if we still owe on our pledge; we hold a Catch-Up Sunday in February to give people one last chance to complete their previous year’s pledge. Peter’s style is quite different from the low-key Episcopal way.

And then Peter asked Sapphira about the pledge and the price for the land. Sapphira answered “Yes, that was the price.” Sapphira was caught up, too, in the excitement of supporting the fledgling community. She made the pledge, too, and she lied about the land’s proceeds. It is best to make an honest and reasonable pledge that can be met, than to raise expectations for those planning for the new year’s ministry.

Now Lydia is an ideal pledger. She was a businesswoman who also was stirred by the “stewardship” sermon. But she responded by pledging not only a portion of her wealth, but more importantly her heart and soul. She and her household were baptized, making a more important commitment to God than any money can buy. I can almost hear Jesus’ words being said about Lydia that Jesus spoke to Martha about her sister, Mary: “She has chosen the better part.” Lydia stayed committed to the new community by opening her home to those who were spreading the Good News to the people of Philippi. “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” Sapphira was judged to be a liar and died for her lies; Lydia was judged to be faithful in her pledge of time, talent, and treasure.

It is for each of us to look at our own commitments to God. What have you pledged from your stores of time, talent, and treasure? Have you set realistic goals? Is the Holy Spirit your partner in meeting those goals? Is there more that you can do to help spread the Good News of Jesus Christ?

++++ Coming May 15th ++++

 Chapter 28

The Fortune-Telling Slave Girl

Content provided by Author Lindsay Hardin Freeman

Illustration: Claire Elam

There is something to be said for the early hours of the morning. The sun is just below the horizon and light is beginning to chase away the dark. The noises of humans – cars, delivery trucks, televisions – have not yet permeated the air, so the calls of birds can be heard, from the little chickadee to the raucous blue jay. It is the time of day to be open to possibilities and receptive to God.

This was the time of day when Mary Magdalene went to the tomb to be near Jesus. He was dead, yes, but to be at the place where his body was laid was to be as close to him as she could, or so she thought. We do the same, don’t we? We visit the gravesite or columbarium of a loved one and we plan to just sit for awhile, to listen to the birds, to notice what little flowers are growing around the marker, to simply be in the presence once again of one who is now gone. It is a place and time that is open for remembering, and it becomes a place for more than that, a place that is open to possibilities. Mary arrived at the tomb and found it open. Her first reaction was to run and get the men. She broke the spell of the morning and ran from the possibilities found in the quiet. Peter and John arrived, discovered for themselves the empty tomb, and left again. Once more Mary was left in the quiet of the morning, in a place to remember and reflect. Just as one needs the quiet to hear the songs of the smallest birds, Mary needed the quiet to hear the angels of God. Now she was open to see and hear the angels say to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” She was open to see and hear the gardener say to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She heard the smallest of sounds, like the call of a bird that will be drowned out during the hustle and bustle of the day but can be heard in the early morning hours. She heard the voice of her friend and teacher. She turned to him and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” I hope she stayed awhile, to be in Jesus’ presence, to have a quiet and reassuring conversation with him, before she ran off to tell the others as Jesus instructed her to do.

Mornings are my time to be open to the possibilities of the day. It is early morning now as I write this, a time when I am open to hear the voice of God and to be stirred to do what God calls me to do. Mornings are the time of day to watch the darkness fade and the light appear. In the darkness of our lives, it is Jesus who brings the light to our day and drives away the fears. It is Jesus who gives us a song to hear and creation to appreciate and hope to be reborn. I hope you allow yourself a time in the day to be still and to be open to hear God speak to you.

There is a legend about Mary of Magdala that is depicted in our illustration and in many icons. After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Mary Magdalene gained an invitation to a banquet held by Emperor Tiberius Caesar. She held up a white egg in front of him and declared “Jesus is risen.” He laughed and said, “that is as possible as your egg turning to red”, and before he could complete his sentence, the egg had indeed turned to red. Mary declared again, “Jesus is risen.” On that day many people in attendance became followers of Christ.

This little story may be hard to believe, and it is relegated to legend, not gospel. But consider the power of God in your life when you are open to hear and believe. As we so often say, with God all things are possible.

++++ Coming May 1st ++++

 Chapter 28

Sapphira and Lydia

Content provided by Author Lindsay Hardin Freeman

Illustration: Claire Elam