Stories

It seems there is so much tension in the air. Disagreements are at every turn…on the news, on talk shows, on social media, in our churches, and sometimes within our own families. Disagreements over things big and small, from theology to politics to the most heated debate of them all, “Does pineapple belong on pizza?” Of course, pineapple has no place on pizza, but still, we argue about it. 

It was the final day of the Wild Goose Festival, an event I have attended every summer since its beginning in 2010. The final worship service this year included a riveting sermon by Diana Butler Bass.

Women in ministry; we are many, yet we are one. Everything in the world is connected together. Nothing stands on its own. This unity of things is backed up by science and also beautifully explained by Paul with the metaphor of the unity of the Body of Christ. The body works due to the uniqueness of its parts and the connectedness of its efforts. 

I recently received a phone call from an elderly female congregant, concerned that she had heard me use a feminine pronoun to describe the Holy Spirit in my sermon the Sunday prior. She called me a bit upset, but also faithfully curious.

The news is rife with heartbreaking scenes of women in deep places of suffering: women who fled the Ukrainian war; mothers who are unable to purchase formula for their infants; the faces of those in communities ravaged by the recent mass shootings.

My sister and I had the gift of being raised by both our maternal grandmother and our parents. Grandma was wise through faith and lived experience as a southern Black woman born in 1911. I cannot remember her ever raising her voice or causing alarm with her demeanor. She, however, was a quiet power who did not mince words or shy away from truth-speaking.