Teaching Sunday school to 12-year-old boys was far from the only thing forbidden to those with a particular set of plumbing. The women in my church, born female like myself, and yet old, wiser, stronger than me, and those to whom I looked to see an image of my future self as old, wise and strong, could not preach, or pray aloud in front of men, of even be an usher. Yes, Church of Christ women did not have the "authority" to hand a man a bulletin in church but did have the authority to hand him a plate of fried chicken and potato salad an hour later at the church potluck. Weird.
Today, 32 years after watching the women in my church faithfully do what they were allowed, I watched about 1,000 people in Pittsburg at the church-wide assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America faithfully elect Elizabeth Eaton, a woman, to be the Presiding Bishop, the leader of the largest Lutheran denomination in America. She succeeds the faithful and fiercely gracious leadership of Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson. (I know that the big story is that a woman was elected but what is equally remarkable is that the excitement about the new bishop was only matched by the affection for the out-going bishop).
The Lutherans elected a woman Presiding Bishop. That, is huge.
Now, normally I cringe when asked to speak about being a "woman in ministry" wanting, as I do, to live in a post-gender world, a world where the election of Elizabeth Eaton is celebrated because she is an extraordinary leader (which she is) and not because her gender is, in anyway, interesting or worthy of comment. But we don't live in that world and here's why: while there are women pioneers in other male-dominated fields and careers that historically have been forbidden to women, like medicine and law, there are not hospitals all over the country when women are still forbidden to practice medicine. There are not courtrooms all over the country where you still cannot argue a legal case were you born female. But as we know, there are still countless churches across the country where women, like myself and Elizabeth Eaton, would not be allowed to preach. As much as I long to never again be asked to speak about being a woman in ministry, and as much as I want the day to come when the gender of clergy is not in any way interesting, we are not there yet. There are still little girls in white, Sunday school shoes who will never hear a voice that is like theirs speak the Gospel, who will never see curves like the ones they will have under the robes of the one raising bread and wine behind an altar and speaking ancient, holy words of promise and forgiveness, who will never know without reservation that she is made in the image of God in all her glorious girl-ness.
But today, today we are closer. And this makes me want to put on white sandals and dance in all my glorious girl-ness... in my clergy shirt.
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How interesting that this past Sunday's gospel lesson has Jesus saying things like: "Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!" (Luke 12:49-56). How interesting it is that Jesus calls those in the crowd who follow him Hypocrites. They can read the signs of the times, but they cannot see the presence of the Kingdom of God in their midst.
I'm not sure why it is that we pay closer attention to the presence of rainclouds (Luke 12:54) than we do to the presence of the Kingdom. Maybe it's because the Kingdom brings with it a toppling of the hierarchy we have worked so hard to maintain...and so many of "us" are on the top of that hierarchy (NB. Luke 2:46-55; 4:18-19). Maybe it's because, if everybody is welcomed into the kingdom, if everybody is welcomed to speak, and sing and share and dance and laugh and love and eat - then my position of privilege feels threatened, and the careful balance we have established, is sure to fall. That makes everyone uncomfortable. Better to leave things the way they are.
Someone smarter than me (that could be soooo many people, sorry I can't remember who it was) said that we - in the church?? in authority in the church?? in leadership in the church?? - we live as if Jesus came to keep the world from changing (which he did not come to do), rather than coming to change the world (which he did come to do!).
The first female Lutheran pastor (Elizabeth Platz) was ordained 43 years ago...a big change, indeed (thank you to Pr. Platz and all those other women on whose shoulder I have been borne). Some day maybe we will not need to have "Women of the ELCA Sunday"...instead, we will just have "non-gender-specific-ministers-in-the-church//priesthood-of-all-believers-celebration" Sunday. Or maybe we'll just do that every Sunday. In the meantime, 43 years later, the status-quo has been challenged again. The way things have always been, are not the way things will continue to be. And this new manifestation of the presence of the Kingdom of God, where gifts and authority are recognized in all people regardless of gender, is sure to cause division...But the peace that is ultimate (the shalom of Christ where there is room for ALL) necessitates a little shake-up from time to time.
I am proud of my brothers and sisters for electing Bishop Eaton (by the way, the final ballot had 2 women and 1 man on it). She will need our prayers and our words of encouragement, as today (as evidenced by her calling to the office of bishop) we catch a clearer glimpse of the inclusive reality of the Kingdom of God. May we have eyes to see.
