Angelene Swart’s Sermon for Celebration Service
Women Standing with Jesus
The following sermon was preached by Sr. Angelene Swart at the Celebration Service for the end of the capital fund drive in the Southern Province on March 18, 2018.
As we are in a time of remembering, reflecting, rethinking and renewing the redeeming significance of the suffering, death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, I thought it would be interesting and appropriate to hinge the celebration of the capital campaign to the Easter events.
I have chosen the portion of scripture regarding the death of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 15 verses 37-41 (read)
We find in these few verses the solemn moment when our Lord drew His last breath with a loud cry. After hours of agony and suffering, death finally came. There is no doubt that the Son of God died accomplishing that great work of redemption that He undertook. We remember the death of Jesus as atonement for our sinswith thanks, praise and hope.
A very significant observation about these last moments of the death of Jesus isthose who witnessed it.
Mark’s Gospel records the presence of the Centurion and very prominently the presence of some women watching from a distance.
These women are mentioned in all four gospels as authentic witnesses and therefore have specific importance and relevance in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
Who were these women watching from a distance?
The names of women are often not mentioned in the bible, but we actually find that some of the women at the foot of the cross have names, and these names are not unknown to us.
Summarizing the names mentioned in the four Gospels we find the following women at the foot of the cross: Salome – the mother of the sons of Zebedee, Mary- the mother of James and Joses/ Joseph, the wife of Cleopas, Mary Magdalene, His mother, and His mother’s sister. These are the only women mentioned by name, but the Gospel writers are also very clear that there were quite a number of women who were watching from a distance. Probably they feared violence and so withdrew and viewed from a distance.
In our mind’s eye we must try to visualize this group of women, standing together feeling the chill of the cold night as the hours dragged on, feeling sad and helpless as they watched Jesus being mocked, delivered to be crucified.
They heard the nails being driven into his hands and feet, saw blood flowing from a thorny crown on His head. The women are standing hand-in-hand, holding and comforting one another, praying together. Although at a distance they felt close to Jesus and Jesus felt close to them.
They stood at a distance, but they did not hide or run away, they showed up and bore the unbearable pain of Jesus. They kept vigil at his cross until He breathed His last breath.
Women standing with Jesus…at a distance yet close. Many women, in their own hour of pain, marginalization, discrimination, stigmatization and violation feel distant from Jesus..yet close to Him.
Why were these women at the foot of the cross so caring and brave to be present when many of those close to Jesus were not?
Some of the women had a very special relationship with Jesus according to Mark 15:41 these women cared for the needs of Jesus.
They were the travelling companions of Jesus (Lk 8:1b-3). Jesus allowed these women to travel with Him and the male disciples as a regular part of His ministerial team spreading the Good News of the Kingdom of God. Voluntarily they supported the mission of Jesus with their own funds and resources. They were the bounteous capital of the Jesus campaign. In this way they generously met the needs of Jesus, His apostles and the needs of the people in the communities they served with their different gifts.
These women also experienced the personal concern and respect Jesus had for women. They were nurtured, healed, forgiven and taught by Jesus. Theygained firsthand knowledge of what it meant to serve, to give, to receive and to love unconditionally. They experienced the feeling of being seen and appreciated as they stood with Jesus.
And that my dear friends are some of the reasons why these women followed Jesus as he was dragged through the streets on His way to Calvary. They showed up and stood with Jesus because as His followers and friends they wanted to be present at the most difficult hour of His life.
These valiant women stood by helplessly, unable to render any further assistance but they could show their compassion, their resilience,their love and commitment. They suffered with Christ from a distance, yet close.
The women at the foot of the cross provides an excellent model of how women can contribute to the ministry of the church and Christ – they provided spiritual, financial, material and pastoral resources in spreading the Gospel message with Jesus before and after experiencing the resurrection of our Lord. (Matt. 26:10)
At the Moravian women’s consultations held over several years the cries, fears, injustices, inequalities, violence, abuse of our sisters in the world-wide Moravian Church became visible as the women told their stories. We were physically close to our sisters and became even closer when their painful situations were revealed. As sisters we did not look away, we did not run, we did not hide but decided to stand with our sisters.
The conviction of our faith compelled us to do what Jesus would want us to do. Jesus would want us to stand at the cross where our sisters were standing with Him in their hour of pain. It compelled us to stand us to stand up and get involved, to act, to plan, to sacrifice, to show compassion and love and to address the plight of women and girls, for we know that every time a woman or a girl is held back by discrimination or violence humanity loses. You and I are diminished because every life counts.
The outcome of this action and passion was the establishment of the Unity Women’s Desk, now a very active and fully fledged structure of the World-Wide Moravian Church, as it serves to positively impact the lives of women and girls by coordinating the spiritual, pastoral, theological financial, educational and material resources that exist throughout the Moravian Unity.
These resources are implemented to ease the various “crosses”/ constraints that women face at such a time as this in our world.
Standing with our sisters as the women stood with Jesus at the foot of the cross was the right thing to do.Empowering Moravian Women around the world continues to be the right thing to do. And with that vision the Advisory Board of the UWD started to make a difference to one woman and one girl at a time.
Very soon we discovered how widespread and profound the needs of women and girls are. Just as the women at the foot of the cross we know the power of the cross, and the power of the Risen Christ – and it is in that power that we embarked on a capital campaign to increase awareness and to ensure a better future for women and for the world.
Rev. Patricia Garner and Sr Sallie Greenfield initiated the idea of a capital campaign through a proposal to the synod of the Southern Province and they stood firm until the go ahead was given.
Today on behalf of all the women of our Unity and those whose who will be beneficiaries of this campaign, I wish to salute you Rev. Patricia Garner and Sr Sallie Greenfield for your vision, leadership and courage that you have displayed and more especially by roping in such knowledgeable, passionate and experienced people who vigorously assisted in generating not only a cup, but an overflowing cup of God’s blessings and goodness.
As you dear sisters and brothers from the Southern Province and elsewhere contributed in whichever way you did to the capital campaign you stood with Christ, you stood in solidarity with the suffering and needs of a sister and in that way fulfilling the great commandment to love your neighbor as yourself(Matt.22:37-39). It is significant that the celebration and thanksgiving of the capital campaign is during Lent, a time of sacrifice and hope.
We the UWD Board members are immensely humbled, appreciative and grateful for your generous sacrificial spirit of giving leading to the giving of hope to a woman or girl who at this very moment is in a hopeless situation.
God is honoured by our selfless giving just as he gave Himself for each one of us through His Son. One of the great joys of life is do something for somebody who can never repay you.
Whatever these young girls grow up to be, whatever the women develop to become, they will grow up, and they will develop into a beautiful human being because of you!
That is why this capital campaign is so meaningful! We all become building blocks working towards the empowerment and transformation of a girl, a woman, a family, a church/congregation, a community and a nation.
Dear sisters and brothers, we should however not forget our responsibility to address the root causes of suffering, the campaign continues as we advocate and witness and publicly show where we stand on issues that dehumanize and exploit our sisters and brothers because that is where Jesus stood. Actions often speak louder than words, that is why the women stood with Jesus.
Women supported women at the foot of the cross, and so the UWD team will continue to stand with the women at the crossroads of their lives. We invite you to always stand where Jesus would stand, as it is the right thing to do. He will never leave you or forsake you.
May the Lord bless us all and guide us in this worthy and holy cause!
AMEN. Let us pray.