My Favorite "Woman of the Bible?"

 

 By Rev. Dan Greg

Growing up, my mother and the ladies at church were usually doing some sort of Bible study on "The Women of the Bible."

 

Because of its specificity, these studies, with their feminine art and swirly cursive, images depicting painted-nailed hands gripping coffee cups; they usually distanced myself and other boys and men in the congregation from deeply learning about the faithful women of the Scriptures outside of the texts of the weekly lectionary. 

 

What a shame! 

 

I have spent time in recent years making up for that gap in my scriptural knowledge through personal study and going out of my way as a pastor to remember these faithful women in my teaching and preaching, as well as observing important feast days such as for Mary the mother of God, Mary Magdalene, and so on.

 

So this International Women’s Day, I wanted to talk about my favorite woman in the Bible. 

She is lovely, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled.

She only boasts in the Lord because of the salvation won for her by Christ’s death on the cross and resurrection.

She chooses in her Christian freedom to submit herself to her husband, who is loving her always self-sacrificially (yet she does not only submit to him because he does that for her, for that would make their "love" transactional). 

She is the perfect model of living in God's love for any Christian, but especially Christian women.

She is the Christian Church.

“Hallelujah!

For the Lord our God

    the Almighty reigns.

Let us rejoice and exult

    and give him the glory,

for the marriage of the Lamb has come,

    and his Bride has made herself ready;

it was granted her to clothe herself

    with fine linen, bright and pure”—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” (Revelation 19:6-9, ESV).

Whether this sounds strange to you or would be challenging to your faith, let the reader understand that if he or she is counted in the number of Jesus’ Christians, you are to see yourself among your brothers and sisters as the Church, the Bride of Christ.

Jesus has given you in your baptism the white linen to wear which covers all your faults, imperfections, and failings.  

Wear it proudly, as it was won for you by Christ in his death and resurrection and it glorifies Him forever and ever.

The white linen are the righteous deeds of the saints, which is their faith in Christ's death and resurrection, which you share in your baptism. 

Praise be the Lord, Jesus Christ, forever and ever!

 

Rev. Dan Greg is an LCMS pastor in the northwest suburbs of Chicago.  

 

 -----------------------------------

Photo Cred:

https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/bride-and-groom-leaving-church-surrounded-by-wedding-party-news-photo-1584382954.jpg