Ladies, Let's Remember Our Places!
Preaching
Shaking Wolves Out Of Cherry Trees
And 149 Other Sermon Ideas
Purpose Statement: Clergy must preach on the status of women in society and within the church.
It is common knowledge that women have been oppressed throughout history as well as currently around the world. They have been denied education and other rights. They have been considered property and abused in many ways. Problems still exist today in our own country and even within the church. Salaries are not equal with men, promotions are not as available as they are for men, and in the church there is still room for growth.
a. Give examples of inequalities. Mentioning the way women suffer in places such as Afghanistan is fine, but we must not ignore the problems that still exist in our own communities. There are churches that will not ordain women or allow them in the pulpit. And churches that do will still find some resistance from the congregations. We are slow to accept the rights and dignity of women.
b. Women in the Old Testament. The Bible isn't perfect and there are shameful accounts of the mistreatment of women in the Old Testament. One example will suffice: Abraham passed his wife off as his sister to allow King Abimelech to sleep with her (Genesis 20:1-3). This is indicative of how women were valued. Knowing this makes the achievements of women in the Old Testament even more remarkable. While the second creation story is sexist (Genesis 2:4b-24), the first is not (Genesis 1:1-2:4a, note verses 26-27). Deborah (Judges 4 and 5) was a judge, prophetess, and great military commander in Israel. Huldah (2 Kings 22:8-21) was a prophetess and the first person to pronounce a part of our Bible to be Bible. Judith (of the Apocrypha book by that name) was a great leader for Israel.
c. Women in the New Testament. Except for some careless remarks by Paul, the New Testament does better by women. Galatians 3:28 tells us there is neither male nor female. Paul lists many early church leaders who were women: Phoebe, Priscilla, Claudia, etc. Women were prophetesses, deacons, and teachers. Jesus elevated the status of women by the way he visited openly and freely with the woman at the well (John 4). Jesus had women as followers who traveled with him and his disciples, and even apparently handled the finances (Luke 8:1-3). The fact that Luke did not use the term "disciple" for them was his bias. Jesus' reference to God as Father is a cultural identification to the people of his day.
d. Give suggestions how the church can help improve the status of women today.
It is common knowledge that women have been oppressed throughout history as well as currently around the world. They have been denied education and other rights. They have been considered property and abused in many ways. Problems still exist today in our own country and even within the church. Salaries are not equal with men, promotions are not as available as they are for men, and in the church there is still room for growth.
a. Give examples of inequalities. Mentioning the way women suffer in places such as Afghanistan is fine, but we must not ignore the problems that still exist in our own communities. There are churches that will not ordain women or allow them in the pulpit. And churches that do will still find some resistance from the congregations. We are slow to accept the rights and dignity of women.
b. Women in the Old Testament. The Bible isn't perfect and there are shameful accounts of the mistreatment of women in the Old Testament. One example will suffice: Abraham passed his wife off as his sister to allow King Abimelech to sleep with her (Genesis 20:1-3). This is indicative of how women were valued. Knowing this makes the achievements of women in the Old Testament even more remarkable. While the second creation story is sexist (Genesis 2:4b-24), the first is not (Genesis 1:1-2:4a, note verses 26-27). Deborah (Judges 4 and 5) was a judge, prophetess, and great military commander in Israel. Huldah (2 Kings 22:8-21) was a prophetess and the first person to pronounce a part of our Bible to be Bible. Judith (of the Apocrypha book by that name) was a great leader for Israel.
c. Women in the New Testament. Except for some careless remarks by Paul, the New Testament does better by women. Galatians 3:28 tells us there is neither male nor female. Paul lists many early church leaders who were women: Phoebe, Priscilla, Claudia, etc. Women were prophetesses, deacons, and teachers. Jesus elevated the status of women by the way he visited openly and freely with the woman at the well (John 4). Jesus had women as followers who traveled with him and his disciples, and even apparently handled the finances (Luke 8:1-3). The fact that Luke did not use the term "disciple" for them was his bias. Jesus' reference to God as Father is a cultural identification to the people of his day.
d. Give suggestions how the church can help improve the status of women today.
