God calls us in surprising ways. Would Matthias have ever guessed that one day he would join the 12 disciples? Would the Samaritan woman, to whom Jesus surprisingly spoke at the well, have ever guessed she would find a way to respectability again? When I first offered a prayer in Gather magazine more than two decades ago, I could not have known I was being called to give witness to God’s liberating love that welcomes all.
As our communal awareness grew, and women were first allowed to be ordained 50 years ago, my imagination also grew. My heart opened to the idea that perhaps studying theology was a path I could take, that preaching the gospel in my voice, from my body, was a calling that people in my community could now affirm—not all, of course, but a growing number.
I know God is not done with us. God will continue to call us into a fuller expression of love. What will God call us to lean into next? What surprise awaits us?
The message is an excerpt from “Amen: What other surprises wait?” by Catherine Malotky in the April 2020 issue of Gather magazine.
Do you enjoy these free Daily Grace messages? If so, donate now to further the ministry. Use the “where needed most” line. Subscribe to Gather magazine for full articles excerpted in Daily Grace.