Without women preachers, there is no Easter

Dear Minooka UMC Found Family,

Way back in 1787, Sarah Mallet was a preacher in the Methodist Church. She was appointed by no less than John Wesley. (Wesley was a main leader in the movement that would come to be known as Methodist.)

Minooka UMC has been led by many incredible female clergy over the years, including my predecessor, the Rev. Sarah Hong. Our Northern Illinois Conference (NIC) is blessed with so many smart, talented, faithful clergy who are women. In my 30 years in ministry in the NIC, I’ve been blessed to spend more than 20 of those years working with the Reverends Danita Anderson, Linda Misewicz-Perconte, and Linda Foster-Momsen.

All these clergy are so clearly doing exactly as God called and equipped them, we might sometimes forget there are churches and denominations—including many of the loudest voices in USAmerican Christianity—that still won’t ordain women. This, despite all four canonical gospels writing that Jesus called Mary Magdalene to be the very first preacher of resurrection! It is truly inexplicable to me.

I’m thinking about all my female clergy colleagues today because March is Women’s History Month. But also because I’m grateful for the leadership of our UMC Council of Bishops. Unless you are a true UMC geek, I wouldn’t expect you to know this, but the President of the Council of Bishops is The Rev. Tracy Smith Malone. Further, before she became a bishop, Rev. Smith Malone was a pastor here in NIC. She’s from here. She’s one of ours. And now you’ll find her signature on every official letter from the Council of Bishops. Like this tragically necessary letter in response to our latest war:

“We know that our hearts are heavy as we witness the mounting loss of life from the ongoing military strikes carried out by the United States and Israel, and from retaliatory strikes by Iran. Families are grieving the loss of loved ones, and entire communities are shaken by the weight of uncertainty, fear, and profound sorrow. Innocent civilians are caught in the crossfire of a widening conflict they did not choose.
…We urge leaders on every side to turn from the escalation of violence and seek paths toward justice, reconciliation, and lasting peace. We implore them to place the protection of innocent lives at the center of every decision.”

I encourage you to read the whole letter. I encourage you to give thanks for the prophetic witness of all our Bishops. I especially encourage you to join them in prayer:

“As followers of Christ, let us be steadfast in prayer for those whose lives were taken that they may rest in God’s eternal peace. Let us pray for the wounded that healing and comfort may surround them. Let us pray for families and communities in mourning that they may find strength for the days ahead. And let us pray for leaders and nations that they may choose the path of peace over the path of destruction.”

Does ending war seem impossible? How about feeding thousands of people with just a couple loaves of bread and some fish? Over and over, our sacred texts exhort us to trust that with and for God, nothing is truly impossible. Yet, what are we to do when faced with the seemingly impossible? What hope might we offer? We’ll consider that this Sunday, March 8, in my sermon, The Opposite of Impossible is…Community.

Whether in person or online, all are invited to our welcoming and affirming congregation.

Plotting Goodness, 

Pastor Dave