My Monday morning post is simply a shared celebration. Yesterday (as always) was a powerful morning at church. Rebekah preached on “The Whole Armor of God,” and we welcomed ten young people into membership as they made a public commitment to be Followers of the Way of Jesus, and to serve God in the context of the First Presbyterian Church of Brandon.
The 8:30 Praise Service was full of life, and then at 11:00 we sung hymns like “The Church’s One Foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord…” and “Be Thou My Vision.” The swell of voices in praise and thankfulness to God was moving and sincere. It’s such a privilege to be in a place where faithfulness and generous love are so evident.
I understand that anyone, anywhere, can accept God’s love and worship God in their own way. However, there’s something compelling and healing and powerful about the community of faith, living and worshiping and serving together. I’ve said this in more than one of my books – “Christianity at its best is a team sport; we’re so much stronger and vital and alive when we are together, living out the Gospel of Love.”
So, this morning, I’m grateful to our young people for reminding me how formative and how encouraging it is to be part of a faith community where “The Main Thing” is always the challenge to follow Jesus.
“I came that you might not only experience life,” Jesus said in John 10, “but that you might live into all the fullness of the possibilities; abundant, challenging, and without limitation.”
Love, Peace, and Blessings – DEREK
hey there brother, i know it may sound a bit dense after following your blog for awhile now, but i’m just noticing the references to Rebecca preaching in your church.
is she the pastor there? and if she is, how does that work with Paul’s explicit prohibition in 1 Timothy 2? not wanting to start an in-house debate… just wanting to know the logistics and justification for a woman pastor (if in fact i am correct in my impression)
thanks again brother
-mike
No problem; not dense at all! Also no need to worry about an in-house debate – those are no fun and usually don’t achieve anything anyway!
But, yes, Rebekah is the senior pastor at our church (we have three on staff), and God has used her powerfully and consistently as a preacher. Isn’t that the way with God, doing things “other” than what we’d expect? Just as God used Deborah as a Judge and leader of Israel, gifted Philip’s four daughters as prophets/preachers, and had Paul break out of the bounds of social convention by counting women as colleagues…. (and so much more).
We’re always asking the question, “What else does the Bible say?” Should women keep quiet, or should they keep their heads covered when they speak in church (the New Testament says both)? Should Christians free their slaves? or treat them as brothers? or (in later letters) slip back into the slave-master relationship? There are many examples of specific instructions that are different in different places/circumstances.
Generally there seems to be a movement from the early letters (definitely by Paul) where his Christianity was radical… to later letters (such as Timothy – consensus is that they were not written by Paul) where the the practice of Christianity seems to be drawn back toward and into social convention (slavery, male hierarchy etc).
Anyway (since you did ask), it’s clear to us that God does call both men and women into leadership, that the scriptures support this, and that God gifts whosoever God chooses in preaching/teaching. As a family, we’re grateful and humbled by all God continues to do.
God’s creativity and imagination is so much more liberating than the tendency we all have to try and make our faith look like the culture we live in, and conform to its norms. I love this from Colossians: “Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules?”
I like to say, along with Joshua, “Choose this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
amen brother. praise God for the giftings in the Body. thanks for the response.
-mike