The Importance of Women Leaders in Christian Communities

September 11, 2010 Korean-Latino Christian Association of Los Angeles Breakfast

Remarks by Rev. Sandie Richards

(I was one of three religious leaders invited to give closing remarks at the end of a breakfast for Christian Unity on the 9^th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.)

Good morning! I am the Rev. Sandie Richards, pastor of First United Methodist Church of Los Angeles, in downtown L.A. I am honored to be with you this morning.. I will give brief remarks on the theme, “The Importance of Women Leaders in Christian Communities.

In downtown, on the second Thursday of every month, there’s an Artwalk. It’s a big event, with art showings, music, restaurants, and lots of people. This past Thursday, cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz was autographing and selling prints of his work at a fundraiser. I bought one where a little girl has created her own cardboard version of a courtroom and is sitting ‘on the bench’; behind her is a portrait of Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Because of Judge Sotomayor, every Latino little girl can see herself as a Supreme Court Justice.

It is essential that we honor and elevate the status of women in our Christian communities. There is a saying that women hold up half the sky; yet we do not acknowledge the essential nature of women’s contributions. World-wide, women do more than half of the labor, yet earn only 11 cents on the dollar compared to men. This is because traditional women’s work is unwaged: caring for children, the sick, and the elderly; cleaning; cooking; bearing and raising children. Women’s work is called ‘unskilled’ and therefore deemed unworthy of decent wages. Yet, this very work is the backbone of all societies! We can’t function without someone cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the children. Further, this work is far from ‘unskilled.’ For instance, anyone who cleans knows that to do it thoroughly, efficiently, and well is indeed a skill. Cooking, as well, is the amalgamation of many skills which must be learned and practiced.

As Christians, we look to Scripture for the stories of our faith. The Bible is full of examples of strong women; nonetheless, their witness is often ignored or undervalued. 

Let’s take the example of Mary Magdalene. She is the first disciple to encounter the Risen Christ. Some call her 'the Apostle to the Apostles.' And when she ran to tell the others the Good News, what did they say? They chided her, telling her that she was imagining things, Later, Mary Magdalene would be discredited as a prostitute, even though there is no evidence from scripture to confirm that she was. I hasten to add, however, that it doesn't matter whether she was or wasn't a prostitute before she began to follow Jesus.

And, what of Mary, mother of Jesus? In our Protestant haste not to worship Mary, we diminish her story as well. In saying yes to bearing Christ, Mary risked getting stoned to death because she wasn't considered a virgin before marriage. And I think we can all agree that no one would have believed her story, that she was made pregnant by God. This extraordinary young woman agreed to bring Jesus Christ into the world, for our salvation, at great personal risk. She could have been stoned to death because she wasn't considered a virgin before marriage.

How can we ignore the sacred worth of this woman, and indeed, all women? If a woman bore Jesus Christ to save the world, and a woman was the first to bear the news of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, who are we to say that women can't speak in church? If we silence women, we lose the gifts God has given us through women. And speaking of God...

Friends,God is not a man. God is not a woman either. God is God. Because we know God through metaphor, there are both father and mother images of God in the Bible. Jesus himself said “I long to gather you as a mother hen gathers her chicks...” , comparing his desire to protect God's people to a mother hen gathers her chuicks under soft pinion feathers. What a beautiful image of God!

Women deserve to be treated as people of sacred worth, the plight of women and their children taken under consideration.

Today, the 9^th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, it isn't enough to mourn the losses sustained on that day. Nor is it enough to mourn the losses of our nation's treasure and troops. During the march to war, as we cried out to feel safe on our own soil, we never thought to count this cost: Women and children bear the majority of the consequences of war. Particularly in societies where women must have male protectors (ie, fathers, brothers, husbands, or adult sons), women are at risk when their male protectors are kidnapped,killed, imprisoned, wounded, or serving in armed conflict. Because there is no way for a woman to own property or work outside the home in these societies, when a woman loses her male protectors she is at risk for kidnap, abuse, and slavery. One of the hidden consquences of the war in Iraq has been that thousands of women have had to travel to Syria, where they sell their own bodies in order to survive. Is this not like the diminishing of Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus, as war forced mothers and children into becoming prostitues? What terror have they suffered, because of our decisions? 

If we do not value women, we lose 'half the sky.' That's a big loss. As God has shown us, women are worthy to bear the Christ, and to announce Christ's resurrection. Are we not worthy as equal bearers of God's story and God's image? Are we not worthy in the world? Let us lift up and value the sacred worth and important contributions of women, and thereby receive not half, but all of the blessings God has given us. And little children everywhere will know that they are people of sacred worth, growing up to honor God and one other.

Amen.