“But in relationships among the Lord’s people, women are not independent of men, and men are not independent of women. For although the first woman came from man, all men have been born from women ever since, and everything comes from God.”
Yesterday in church we sang the song “Brothers and Sisters in Christ.” The song tells how we all worship the same Lord united as one family. That’s what Paul is also talking about in today’s verses. In the Lord’s family, we are equally valuable regardless of gender, because we are all children of the Heavenly Father.
This statement was radical in Paul’s time, when women were treated as second-class citizens. I am blessed to live in a country where women have equal rights, and I’m blessed to worship in a church in which women have many opportunities for service and ministry. I thank God he’s placed me right where I am, free from the restrictions that held back many other Christian women in history.
Yesterday’s sermon addressed the loneliness of American culture. My pastor described how movies make heroes out of solitary figures like Batman or James Bond, who must operate alone to be effective. Also, we spend less time face-to-face with our neighbors, and more time in online communities. That’s not at all like the first-century Jewish culture, which was much more socially interdependent.
Today’s verse flies in the face of our culture’s treasured independence. As I wrote in my post two days ago, one of the most significant periods of growth in my faithwalk occurred when I started meeting with my small group. Prior to that time, I didn’t have many friends. I was a new mom living 15 minutes from town, in our house surrounded by 8 acres of woods. I’m independent by nature…but also sometimes too introverted, and at the time I was very lonely. Once I started attending the group, I felt connected to other people, and I felt better about myself.
I promote small groups as often as I can because I know how they help people feel included and valued at church. Nothing beats the hugs, smiles, laughter, and encouragement I receive from my sisters in Christ. If you aren’t involved in a church small group, would you contact your pastor today for help in connecting to one? I promise you will be blessed if you take this step.
Copyright 2009
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