Sermon for the 2nd Sunday after Trinity

Sunday 13th June 2010

Preached by Rev Paul Hewitt

There’s the woman with the jar of perfume, in the house of Simon the Pharisee, who is the main character of the reading from Luke this morning. There’s Mary (called Magdalene) whom we know very well, there’s Joanna, (the wife of Chuza) and the last one actually named is Susanna, but the reading also says ... “and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means”.

Luke mentions by name four incredibly important women in the few verses that we had read this morning. In fact, Luke’s Gospel, of all the NT writings, is more inclined to give women their rightful place in the whole unfolding of the Christian story; right from the beginning to the very end. Luke, the educated Gentile, is often in contrast to the more stern St. Paul who once wrote that women should not even be allowed to speak in Church, let alone hold any office. Luke, on the other hand, it has been said, achieved more for the status of women within the Christian Church than any of the other Christian writers.

However easy that is to say now, it certainly hasn’t been the case over some 2000 years. Remember, it’s not even hundred years that since women were even given the right to vote and then you had to comply to certain conditions and also be over, I think, 30 years of age. Full voting rights for women in Britain on equal terms with men (i.e. over 21) only came in 1928.

I think it would be very hard to argue against the fact that the role of women in the Church has been actively suppressed over all the centuries of the Church; the dominance of men in the Church has always remained pivotal, even crucial to its existence.

Perhaps that may have always been the case until really relatively recently! Whether all this, rather sudden, change of attitude implies that we should have been ordaining women centuries ago is a different subject matter. The Church has always had formidable women to cope with – in a sense, they have had to be formidable. Our own St. Brigid was supposed to have torn up the bishops’ vestments so that she could clothe the poor. How we have all changed! We have not only been ordaining women over the last 25 years, in the Church of Ireland, but before not too long we’re going to have our first female Bishop in this country. What would you think about that? We’ve accepted this fact a long time before the Church of England has had all their problems over the issue. One slogan I have seen in favour of Women Bishops in the Church of England is, ‘God is an equal opportunity employer ... pity about the Church.’

Now, today, this is not meant to be a little rant about the rights and wrongs of women’s ordination; we’ve discussed that one before and, no doubt, you will have your own opinion about the matter. Nor am I extolling the virtues of such sketches as of ‘The Two Ronnie’s’ fame, ‘The Worm that Turned’! Do you remember that – 1980, it is dated, when, as the blurb says, ‘this spoof of dystopian fiction in which women rule England while men are housekeepers and wear women’s clothes and law and order is managed by female guards in boots and hot pants’!

But it is all because women feature so much in Luke’s reading this morning that I thought this is a great opportunity to truly acknowledge and say thank you to the women of our Church, both local here in Glencraig and to the wider Church, over all the centuries who have played an integral role in the running of parishes and Dioceses and all the rest. In fact, it seems even more than an integral role, it has been, and remains a crucial and central role in our parish, certainly, but in parishes and churches up and down the country and a service to our whole church. For example, here, in our own little parish, where would we be without our Ladies Guild? You deserve our credit and our thanks for helping to keep the whole show on the road!

Of course, there are some jobs which are more suited to women than to men and also the other way around – that’s only natural. For example, I came across an article recently entitled ‘Why men shouldn’t write advice columns’ (you know the kind of thing, ‘Agony Aunts’ and all that type of thing; the clue is in the title!) Please take this in the manner in which it is meant.

Why men shouldn’t write advice columns:

Dear John,

I hope you can help me. The other day, I set off for work, leaving my husband in the house watching TV. My car stalled, and then it broke down about a mile down the road, and I had to walk back to get my husband’s help. When I got home, I couldn’t believe my eyes. He was in bed with my neighbour’s daughter!

I am 32, my husband is 34 and the neighbour’s daughter is 19. We have been married for 10 years. When I confronted him, he broke down and admitted they have been having an affair for the past six months. He won’t go to counselling, and I’m afraid I’m a wreck and need advice urgently. Can you please help?

Sincerely, Sheila.

Dear Sheila,

A car stalling after being driven a short distance can be caused by a variety of faults with the engine. Start by checking that there is no debris in the fuel line. If it is clear, check the vacuum pipes and hoses on the intake manifold and also check all grounding wires. If none of these approaches solves the problem, it could be that the fuel pump itself is faulty, causing low delivery pressure to the injectors.

I hope this helps,

John.

There are different roles for different people and the line of division does not simply lie between male or female, slave or free or whatever. The person in the foreground is not always the person who is doing the greatest work. That is the simple truth.

Most importantly today, to our female Church members, we say thank you, not in a patronising way, but with a sincere and grateful heart.