We are talking this week in small group about us women as theologians. Or perhaps more precisely, how theology is necessary to our everyday lives as women. And how we cheat ourselves if we write it off as abstract or irrelevant; how we strip away the very context of life, the framework that equips us to understand ourselves and others, enables us to make sense of our experiences on this earth.<\/p>\n
Because theology isn’t about\u00a0scholars in classrooms reading Greek, nor about preachers in pulpits, or very thick books full of long words. Theology is about a Person: theos<\/em> meaning God, and logia<\/em> meaning sayings or reasonings in the Greek…which is\u00a0related to logos<\/em>, meaning the word. As in “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace\u00a0and truth.” (John 1:14)<\/em>\u00a0Pure and simple, theology is knowing God through His written Word and the Word made flesh, and when you put it that way there is absolutely nothing more important to women.<\/p>\n For a woman to look in the mirror and accept herself\u00a0as valuable, hand-made, one-of-a-kind, she needs to\u00a0learn about the Creator who formed her and loves her with an everlasting love, be able to rejoice in Him. The Musician King sang it, millennia ago: “Know that the\u00a0Lord<\/span>\u00a0is God.\u00a0<\/span>It is He who made us,\u00a0and we are His;<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>we are His people,\u00a0the sheep of His pasture.<\/span>\u00a0<\/sup>Enter His gates with thanksgiving\u00a0<\/span>and His courts\u00a0with praise;<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>give thanks to Him and praise His name.<\/span>\u00a0<\/sup>For the\u00a0Lord<\/span>\u00a0is good\u00a0and His love endures forever; His faithfulness\u00a0continues through all generations.” (Psalm 100:3-5)\u00a0<\/span><\/em>This is Truth that continues to speak into our everyday as women in the twenty-first century.<\/span><\/p>\n When\u00a0a woman is trying to find\u00a0meaning in her\u00a0existence beyond the routine work week and mundane chores of running a household– growing weary of changing diapers and cleaning noses and floors and countertops, paying bills, and feeding an endless parade\u00a0of hungry mouths– she needs to understand that the King\u00a0has an over-arching purpose for her life, valuable\u00a0roles to fill in her\u00a0families and community. And maybe it is in those very\u00a0acts of everyday service, and the way she shines His light into the lives of others, that she is building for the Kingdom of Heaven. The Church Planter reminds us, “…whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Colossians 3:17) <\/em>Because we belong to Him, when we serve in His name it is all for His glory and He promises to use it for good.<\/p>\n A woman reaching for something better than where she has been needs to explore the concepts of grace and forgiveness, understand that there is a Savior who makes us new. It is no use trying to\u00a0find a new start in life without getting to know the God who gives second chances, and I hear Paul again, saying “…if anyone is\u00a0in Christ, he is\u00a0a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)<\/em> The past can be left at the foot of the cross, covered in the Grace that poured down from divine hands and feet, and the weary traveler can press on, covered in the righteousness of Christ. This is what we need to know, as women, if we are going to accept forgiveness and move past\u00a0our sins and mistakes.<\/p>\n As women who care deeply about others we have no way to process the deep\u00a0sorrows of difficult marriages, and handicapped children, and cancer, and abuse, and suicide, and loss… without the context of what the Word says about sin and disobedience and free will. And where else can we find hope besides\u00a0knowing the promises of God and trusting His faithfulness? It’s ridiculous to\u00a0say theology doesn’t matter for\u00a0women, as if\u00a0faith\u00a0is useless to the feminine gender– or worse, as if we aren’t capable of a relationship with God.<\/p>\n What we believe about God makes all the difference in how we respond to Him, how we interpret the things we feel-see-hear-touch. How well we know Him determines how much we can trust Him. And there’s this kids’ song playing in my car:<\/p>\n “You were there through the darkest times, You said,’I AM Knowing who God is gives us\u00a0a\u00a0context\u00a0for understanding life. That’s what\u00a0theology really is all about.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law,\u00a0but that which is through faith in\u00a0Christ\u2014the righteousness\u00a0that comes from God on the basis of faith.” (Philippians 3:8-9)<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n “Spiritual disciplines are not about getting God to love you \u2014 but about getting your heart in a place\u00a0so you can hear Him say it.” (Ann VosKamp)<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We are talking this week in small group about us women as theologians. Or perhaps more precisely, how theology is necessary to our everyday lives as women. And how we cheat ourselves if we write it off as abstract or … Continue reading
\nIn every victory and every trial,
\nAnd we would hold on to Your promise.
\nYou gave us life when we had no hope;
\nYou gave us signs so that we would know
\nThat we could hold on to your promise.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nThe rock that you stand on.
\n<\/em>I AM your light and salvation.
\nI will never ever let you go.
\nI AM the God who redeemed you.
\nI AM the one who never leaves you,
\nLord of all, Beginning and the End.
\nI AM.'”
\n(Jay Stocker)<\/em><\/p>\n