The Bible is full of women of great power: Rebecca, Abigail, Tamar, Rahab, Deborah, Jael, Lydia, Priscilla, Esther, Ruth, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, Martha and Mary of Nazareth. Some of these names are very familiar and some are less so.
The familiar ones are stories we have heard again and again, in part because the women in those stories fit our contemporary expectations for women. In the Bible, these women are brave, take risks, and defy expectations. They save their families, rescue their husbands, teach apostles, carry on the family line, supply the funds, and share the good news.
For too long, we have suffered the idea that being outspoken or bold goes against the biblical standards of femininity. We are made co-creators with God through biblical call and through our baptisms. Since the beginning of creation, God has called, gathered and sent women and men to do work with the Spirit in the world.
This message is adapted from “Faith Reflections: Bold Women” written Julia Seymour in the March 2012 issue of Café magazine.