"Passing the Faith" - Sermon for 2017 WELCA Southeastern Gathering

Sermon:

Text: Matthew 28:1-10

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ who is risen.

            I’ve always loved this drawing, done actually exactly 8 years ago today, which was done at a Women’s Salad Supper that is hosted nearly every year here at Immanuel for the women of Elk Point. Each year there is a speaker that comes, that year the speaker drew this pastel drawing as she talked. It was before I arrived here at Immanuel, but it was pinned to one of the bulletin boards in our fellowship hall, and when I arrived I was immediately drawn to it. Each week I join our quilting group to tie together our backs, batting and tops, and because of the quilting connection we had the drawing framed and hung on the wall of our quilting room just behind the accordion doors to that side.

            I call the drawing, passing on the faith. As grandmother sits and quilts or repairs a quilt, her granddaughter sits at her feet and listens to stories. Some are about the family, some are about the grandmother’s own life, but many are about the faith. She tells about Noah and his family, about Abraham and Sarah, Joseph and Jacob, but especially she tells about Jesus and who he is. She shares about his birth, the wondrous night in Bethlehem when angels appeared singing praises to God for the birth of the savior. She tells of Jesus’ ministry, his teaching, his preaching, and his many miracles and healings.

And she tells about his death and his resurrection. She talks about his last days, she tells how in the Gospel of Matthew early on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to the tomb, and as they were there a great rumbling occurs and the stone in front of the tomb is rolled back. And to the Marys an angel appears and tells them that Jesus has been risen. And as they go back to tell the other disciples, Jesus appears to them himself and they fall at his feet to worship.

Grandmother tells how in the gospel of John, Mary stays there at the tomb in the garden after Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loves run to the tomb to look in, and then return back to Jerusalem, and as Mary cries there, fearful about what happened, Jesus appears to her, and after her misunderstanding and thinking him to be the gardener he calls her by name and comforts her. And then Grandmother tells again how Mary is the first to see Jesus, and how she runs to tell the others about Jesus raising from the dead and appearing to her.

            Grandmother tells that her granddaughter, no matter what gospel you read, Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. The first witnesses of the resurrection? The ones that Jesus first appears to? The ones that the angels tell that he is not here, he is risen? They are all women.

            Grandmother tells her Granddaughter, the first people to pass on the faith are women. The reason the church exists is women.

            Grandmother tell her granddaughter stories about women who are reformers like Katie Luther, who alongside Martin helped define how children were taught the faith through tools like the Small Catechism. Grandmother teaches her granddaughter that she can be a great teacher of the faith like Katie. She can be like other mothers who are the first teachers of the faith. For most of us, and near all people of God the first faith stories we are told, the first teachings of the faith, are not through any pastor, or theologian, or teacher, but through our mothers. Women who take the time to share the story of their faith with their children. Grandmother tells her granddaughter, because of mothers teaching the faith to their children, the church continues to exist.

Grandmother tells her granddaughter about women like Rev. Elizabeth A. Platz, the first Lutheran woman pastor in America who was ordained Nov. 22, 1970. She tells of women like Rev. April Ulring Larson, the first woman bishop of the ELCA, and women like Rev. Elizabeth Eaton the first woman presiding bishop of the ELCA. She tells her granddaughter that through women becoming pastors we are able to hear again an important perspective and voice in preaching and teaching. She tells her granddaughter that God may call her as well to be a pastor, that God wants to have her voice preach to the world, just like the first preacher of the good news, Mary Magdalene to the disciples, and how Granddaughter can be a part of that great voice of women preaching throughout the church.

            She tells her granddaughter of all these things, women were the first people to share the resurrection, they were and are still the first teachers of the faith, and slowly now they are becoming again important and needed voices in the preaching of the faith.

Some of you are pastors already, many of you are mothers to your own children, but all of you can be like this grandmother that passes on the faith, whether to your grandchildren or the grandchildren of your congregation. Through you the faith has been and will continue to be passed on, it has been shared and the next generations have heard the good news of Christ through you. Because of your work, young children and especially girls will grow up knowing they can share the faith, they can teach the bible, and they can preach the word.

            On behalf of all who have learned from you, Thank you. Thank you for being those who share the faith, those who are often unseen and unnoticed in the work of the church, who do much of the behind the scenes work, who encourage children to read their bibles, who do so much of the teaching of the faith, and care so much for all the children of God.

            Because of you the Good news that Christ is Risen is heard. Because of you the Church continues, because of you the next pastor hears her call to ministry. Because of you God’s work is done in this world, the poor are helped, the hungry fed, the hurting healed, the grieving comforted, the forgiveness of sins is given, the word is preached, and the sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion are shared.

            As you go from here back to your own towns and congregations, may you know the good news of the resurrection and like Mary Magdalene may you share that with all you see, whether in the store, as you visit with friends, while teaching Sunday school, as a pastor in the church, or simply sitting and talking to your grandchildren.

Amen and may God be with you this day and always.

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