Stories of Sisterhood
During the winter of 2010, I spent a lot of time in closets. As I began to find my way as the new associate pastor, exploring closets in an unfamiliar church building proved to be an educational endeavor. Examining the objects tucked away out of sight in closets and unused classrooms, I gleaned insight into the congregation’s past programming priorities and shifting needs.
In a quirky, windowless storage space that once was a tiny classroom nestled between two larger classrooms, I found a treasure trove of old Bible story pictures - images included in the curriculum kits once distributed by the Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Apparently, after the children’s Sunday School teachers in this church finished using a particular curriculum unit, the Bible story teaching pictures were gathered and stored for future use.
My heart swelled with gratitude for the unknown person who had initially taken the time to organize these teaching pictures into three boxes labeled Old Testament, New Testament, and Miscellaneous. Unfortunately, at some point the organizer ceased her labors, and no one stepped up to fill her shoes. Thus, stacks of unsorted Bible story pictures were scattered on every surface in the room.
Although this congregation had not used teaching resources from the Sunday School Board for years, I could not bear to recycle these pictures. I believed they still had value, since most children’s Sunday School curriculum had shifted to a digital format. I believed that maintaining a collection of large, colorful illustrations of Bible stories could be helpful for teachers – and for me. In my spare time (insert laugh here, ministers), I sorted and reorganized the pictures.
I taught a children’s Sunday School class for several years during my tenure at that church, so I regularly pulled teaching pictures from the cardboard boxes. I also discovered another use for the images when I was planning a women’s retreat.
In preparation for the event, I spent an afternoon sifting through the boxes, looking for pictures that centered women. This turned out to be a more difficult task than I had anticipated. Even when the image depicted a Bible story where a woman was the primary character, she was often not the focal point of the picture. (For example, many of the pictures illustrating the story of Ruth highlighted Boaz.)
At the retreat, I spread three dozen Bible story pictures featuring women on the floor and invited participants to select an image. Did a particular image prompt questions about a familiar sacred story? Was an image unfamiliar? Which woman’s story resonated with their own? The resulting discussion was engaging, spurring us to ask new questions – not only about the women and their stories but about the choices illustrators made to illuminate the Scriptures.
One woman chose a picture of Elizabeth greeting Mary after the teenager sought her out in the hill country of Judea in the wake of the Angel Gabriel’s astonishing announcement. When it was her turn to share, the woman held up the picture and pointed out a detail that many of us had overlooked. In this image, Elizabeth is noticeably pregnant, her brown tunic straining against her swollen belly. Lest we miss the significance of this detail, the woman noted that such a depiction was rare. She knew from experience with the Baptist publishing house that for many years, explicitly revealing anyone’s pregnancy other than Mary’s was taboo. (As a virgin, Mary’s divine pregnancy was deemed acceptable for depiction.)
Standing on the threshold of her home, Elizabeth looks into Mary’s eyes and recognizes the significance of this liminal moment. The Spirit of God is working mysteriously in both of their bodies, in each of their hearts. This joyful image inspired by Luke 1:39-56 resonates with me as I remember the women who have welcomed, encouraged, and affirmed me at pivotal moments in my life, women who have helped me hear and respond to God’s call.
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One of the highlights of this Advent season came on a blustery Saturday night when I attended a play at the chapel at the Western Correctional Center for Women, which houses female offenders in minimum custody. This play was written and directed by one of the “offenders” – a term I never use while I am leading worship or a spirituality group onsite – and featured a cast of incredibly talented women. The play highlighted the daily stresses and indignities associated with incarceration with humor and compassion.
As the women enthusiastically sang the play’s final song, “Lean on Me,” tears welled up in my eyes. This was a holy moment. Theirs was a sacred story. The women who reside behind the razor-wire topped fences in Swannanoa have intentionally formed their own community of support. The play perfectly illustrated the variety of ways that the women welcome, encourage, and affirm one another. They are learning to lean on each, just as Mary leaned on Elizabeth two thousand years ago.
Four members of First Baptist Church of Asheville’s prison worship team
For stories of sisterhood during the season of Advent, I give thanks. Through these stories - ancient and modern - I am learning more about hope, peace, joy, and love.
