It's Not About Authority

My dad just came over to drop some stuff off and we had a conversation that made me want to talk about it to someone...anyone.  So I figured until I loose interest in this blog and revert back to pretty much just checking Sarah's blog, I would go ahead and write a post. Why not? It's here.  Ironically this is right after I had a conversation with Sarah where she jokingly called me a copycat...(and I'm writing in a blog right after she started writing in one.)

My father told of a woman who was rebuked for constructive criticism of a man in between Sunday School and the service.  There were some that felt she was trying to usurp the man's authority by making a suggestion.  During the same conversation, my father also said (in response to reading my most recent sermon) that I would be a good Ladies Day Speaker.

Here's the thing, preaching is not about authority.  There is no authority.  A minister's job is controlled by the church he or she works for.  If the people of the congregation feel that he/she is not doing his/her job properly, then the minister can be booted out on his/her butt.  Or if the people of the church want to cut salary, they can and there's nothing the minister can do about it. The vocation of a minister is a vocation of service.  A minster serves the Lord, attempting to do His will. A minister serves the congregation, trying to address their spiritual needs and stimulate spiritual growth.  A minister serves the community by expressing the love of God through his/her actions.

I am not going into seminary believing that when I come out I will have authority over anyone.  I do not even have authority over myself, in that I belong to the Lord and have been redeemed by His son.  I go to seminary because I wish to learn.  I wish to learn of the Lord and to learn how to better share His love with the world.

This is why I will not settle for being a "Ladies Day Speaker." The message of God is not separated into one message for men and another for women. His love and mercy are universal.  We sing, "we are one in the spirit," well if we are one in the spirit there is no need to segregate roles in the church based on gender. Segregation is never separate but equal.  After all, if they were truly equal, why would they be separated in the first place? I may be imperfect, but I will not let anyone stop me from sharing the love of the Lord because I am a woman.  Being a woman, is not a flaw.

Blogging Again??

So I pretty much started this thing because I wanted to subscribe to my friend Sarah's blog cakeofcakes@blogspot.com....but I could never tell if I was.  So I went to my old blogspot account so I could subscribe.  I deleted my old posts and changed my name.  I just wasn't "angrygirl" anymore. 
I've had blogs on livejournal, xanga, and of course here before....but I've always quit in the end.  So I'm probably only going to post two or three times and get tired of it....but, I think I'm following Sarah's blog now.