READINGS

“These women, mostly unnamed, who walked with Jesus and financially supported the work of Jesus and fed Jesus and watched their sons leave their homes to follow Jesus and stood underneath the cross when even his most ardent disciples had deserted him, these women have forged a mighty “us.”

They have kept this story going, so that we, too, could keep this story going, whispering it to our children at bedtime, praying unceasingly as we gather grain or work in overcrowded factories or sit in wood-paneled conference rooms. These women have broken bread and shared it and spoken up for those with hungry mouths.

They have spent hours praying for their families and friends, for the brokenness of a world lacking tenderness and wisdom. They have led churches, preached sermons, visited the sick, counseled the grieved, educated our next generation, spearheaded nonprofits, created stories and artwork and poems and songs of inspiration.

They have lived for the beauty of the gospel story.

And they have done so even as the church has overlooked, denied, tried to silence, patronized, sidelined, and even abused us. These women, us...we are still here. History has not always remembered our names, nor thought to record them.

But we have been setting the Table for two thousand years, making room for others to follow Christ.

Jesus has always made room for us, even if the church not always followed suit. We have lived as holy pillars, our arms pressing up at the ceiling and reaching for the heavens, even as we have our feet planted firmly on the ground.