The Center for Leadership Excellence, in partnership with COSROW, is pleased to lift up the voices of women in ministry encouraging fellow women in ministry. Please enjoy this month’s Encouragement from Jaye White, Director of Outreach Ministries for the NC Conference. Anyone can sign up to receive these monthly emails here.
I’ve said it before. God has a great sense of humor. The Holy Spirit keeps grabbing my attention even when I’m busy doing the work of ministry. And while I sometimes resist reading yet another inspiring devotion, blog, or book, the reality of God’s love in Christ interrupts unexpectedly.
Read John 20:30-31 (NRSVue):
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
Reflect and Take Action:
Have you watched “The Chosen”? This show about Jesus’s life has really captured my imagination. Something about it brings to life the humanity of the people in the scriptures. They laugh and tease and argue. Like us, they’re sometimes quirky, impulsive, or thoughtful. Their lives are vibrant and challenging. They are not just “characters” confined to familiar stories. The writers and actors make them come alive while remaining faithful to the holy texts.
Of course, they took some creative license. I’m only into season two, but why wouldn’t Matthew be dressed in fine clothes and display some mild autistic tendencies? Why couldn’t the people who lowered their sick friend through the roof for healing be from Ethiopia? It all seems completely plausible.
I especially love the scenes where the crowds are from “every tribe and language and people and nation,” and the women’s voices are valued. The actor who plays Jesus has really perfected “the look of love.” I can just imagine the Savior gazing at me like that. Not the actor, but truly the One who made such a difference in the world that we’re still making every attempt to follow him. It’s kind of silly to me that a video series has drawn me in, not as an escape from reality, but as a reminder of who I’m actually working for.
What about you? While the country is a hot mess of division and our denomination is stumbling through disaffiliation, where do you go to reconnect? When there’s yet another mass shooting and the climate crisis looms large, how are you finding hope and experiencing the love of Christ that permeates all of creation?
My challenge is to find your retreat. Prayerfully meditate. Read the things that inspire. And join me and watch “The Chosen.”
In partnership,
Center for Leadership Excellence and the Commission on the Status and Role of Women