Grace Church
257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105

(262) 763-3021

PASTOR'S PENS 2008

December 7th “There is in every true woman's heart, a spark of heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity, but which kindles up and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity.”         Washington Irving                 A friend recently pointed out to me the problem of misogyny (the demeaning or detesting of women). I have to confess that I am shocked at those who act like women are 2nd class or that they have less intelligence or ability. Some seem to be surprised to learn that women are people too.                 God’s Word highly values women. In fact, our Lord recognized the value of women first by making them equal with men before God. Jesus quoted Genesis 1:27 when He said in Matthew 19:4 that God made them male and female. Women are created in the image of God just as men are. They have free will, self-awareness, conscience, personal responsibility, and all the other traits of humanity that any man has. Think about this: Jesus didn't come to earth primarily as a man, but as a person. He didn't treat women as females so much as He treated them as human beings.                 Jesus demonstrated the high value that He placed on women by giving them dignity in His ministry. Our Lord did this in three ways. First, Jesus used women frequently in His illustrations. This may not mean much to you, but it was a huge thing in His day. He talked about the queen of the south to teach how a foreign queen traveled so far to find the truth. He compared the kingdom of heaven to the leaven worked into bread dough by a woman. He talked about how when He returned there would be two women working in the field. He mentioned a widow to teach a lesson about receiving God's blessings. Jesus told a parable about a woman who lost a coin. We can only wonder how the women of Jesus' day must have responded to His teachings. They took notice of them, because living in a male-dominated culture as they were; here was a refreshing message that appealed to them also.                 Secondly, Jesus didn't just choose to use women as illustrations, but He was also concerned that women sit under His teachings. Women weren't allowed to do so in His day. Frequently, we impose our culture on the Bible, where women and men sit together and hear the teaching and preaching of the Word of God, but it just wasn't so in that day.                 The third way Jesus gave women dignity in His ministry was by allowing them not only to be used as illustrations, and not only as pupils or disciples, but also by engaging them in their very own places of ministry. Over and over in the gospels the women are mentioned as being active in Christ’s ministry as Jesus traveled from place to place. They were present at the wedding of Cana, when He went to Capernaum, when He was on the Cross and everywhere in between.                 Jesus placed a high value on women. He did it by treating them as real people. He treated them as real people who were equal before God with men. He spoke to them tenderly and with loving concern. Jesus gave them high value by ministering to their physical and spiritual needs, by recognizing their need to be taught, and by encouraging them to fulfill their respective places of ministry. It’s noteworthy that our Lord's life begins surrounded by women and in the last moments of His earthly life (except for one male disciple – John) women remained in the presence of their dying Savior.                 Typically, we don’t think of women, other than Mary, as being associated with the Christmas story but they were. In fact, some of the wisest, godliest women in all of Scripture are associated with the Nativity. During the coming weeks we’re focusing on The Three Wise Women of Christmas. They have timeless lessons for us today and are heroines and models for each of us!                 As I look back at my life, I am so thankful that God has brought some very wise women into my life. After my Mom’s Home going when I was ten, one of her best friends was greatly used by God to influence me. Even today, I still call her for advice and counsel. Everyone knows that I out married myself when I married Jane. And God has blessed us with two ladies on staff at Grace who have both a heart for God and spiritual discernment.                 Then, I’m also so thankful for the many godly, wise women that we have at Grace. Often I am humbled at the privilege of being their pastor because I feel very unworthy of that responsibility. Some of them are so close to the Lord and attentive to His voice, that they put me to shame. Those are the kind of women we will be studying over the course of the next month.                 As we look at the lives of these three ladies from the Nativity who loved God and were so blessed with divine wisdom, I hope and pray that it will encourage each of us to have more of their heart, their tenderness before God and their wisdom.