An excerpt from the book, The Gospel of Ruth

Did you ever come across a passage in a book that captures your own thoughts so well that you feel as if the author had reached inside you to describe your convictions - only she did it with much better prose than you ever could? This happened as I read the following passage. It was written by Carolyn James.

"In his letters, Paul promotes earthshaking views of women that fly in the face of human culture. He speaks in radical ways of the single woman, most of whom in his day were widows. According to the apostle, a woman alone is neither incomplete nor needy, but an asset to God's people. Although she is free to remarry, he believes she will be "happier if she stays as she "is" (1 Corinthians 7:39-40). His high view of single women in no way disparaged men or marriage, but simply reflected what he found to be true in his own life - that singles are unencumbered with family concerns and can therefore live "in undivided devotion to the Lord" (1 Corinthians 7:32-35). It also conveys Paul's conviction that women are indispensable in advancing the gospel of Christ.
Instead of viewing the "lack" of a husband as a deficiency that needs to be explained (and also remedied), as many Christians think today, Paul equates singleness with greater freedom to serve God and a path to rich satisfaction. Instead of seeing a husband as a woman's salvation, he rightly points to Jesus as the true source of every women's fulfillment. It would be interesting to see how the church today, and how the church's reputation might improve with women outside the church if we actually embraced Paul's liberating teaching regarding women - if we prized, equipped, and mobilized them for the kingdom as he did.
Officially, the New Testament church at an early stage took seriously their responsibility for widows who lacked family or other resources. The office of deacon was instituted initially to address this pressing need. However, these women were not always on the receiving end, but gave of themselves in ministry to the church in a variety of ways. (emphasis added by me) Paul describes the ministering widow as "well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds" (Timothy 5:10). Some believe widows "made charitable and pastoral house calls and taught younger women 'what is good.'" Although we don't know a lot of details about the order of widows, "it is clear from the pastoral letter that an office for older women not only existed in the church but was large and active enough to require detailed regulation."

Ladies, I hope that this passage grabs you, or at least intrigues you. Let me hear from you if you have questions or comments. (If this blog is hard to log on to, you can always contact me at: stimbol@comcast.net )

Shelly