A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… the philosopher Obi Wan Kenobi responded to Han Solo calling him a fool with this famous quip, “Who’s the more foolish—the fool or the fool who follows him?”
Perhaps Jesus wondered the same thing during his ministry in Galilee, as it is recorded in the third chapter of Mark that while standing accused of being “out of his mind,” he is also gathering so many followers in the town of Capernaum that he “could not even eat.”
Following Jesus can appear foolish to some, even as we might proudly view this perception of madness as something to be celebrated. Consider the Franciscan prayer that was used as the benediction in yesterday’s worship service: “And may God bless us with enough foolishness to believe that we can make a difference in this world.”
As a man in first century Judea, it was foolish to “drop your nets” and follow a young rabbi. How much more foolish (and more difficult) was it for a woman to drop her roles and responsibilities, to abandon “her place,” and follow a young rabbi? This summer in our joint Sunday School series in the Fellowship Hall, called Know Your Mothers, we remember and honor the courageous and foolish women in Christian history who did just that.
Know Your Mothers is a project that seeks to unearth the buried stories of Christian women who have been ignored for too long. The series, which is based on a blog written by Cara Quinn, will be presented by women in our church. It will also be available online.The list of the fearless female leaders that will be celebrated and examined each Sunday, 9:30-10:15am follows:
—Matt
June 6—Mary Magdalene, presented by Camille Loomis Rehnborg
June 13—Salome, presented by Kendra Plating
June 20—Joanna the Apostle, presented by Anna Woodham
June 27—Phoebe, presented by Tina Bailey
July 4—No presentation
July 11—Lydia, presented by Vivian Hamilton
July 18—Junia, presented by Stephanie Wright
July 25—Tabitha and Priscilla/Prisca, presented by Laurie Berry-Dorroh
August 1—Marcella and Paula of Rome
August 8—Perpetua & Felicitas, presented by Kendra Plating