Ordained

"Lord, if ordination is something you want me to pursue," I prayed, "then make it clear." As I stood to sing the closing hymn at the ordination service tears began to fill my eyes. Joyful emotions in part because the act of confirming ones call to ministry is moving; there is a sense of being apart of a sacred ceremony (much like a wedding), and other mournful emotions as I realized my own longing to have the special recognition of my personal call to ministry. My heart is saddened when I contemplate the belief that as a female, the Christian tradition that God used to bring about my faith, the tradition that nurtured my faith, even educated my faith practices, will never affirm my calling to preach my faith to others in the same way they will a man. Most of the time, I am satisfied in knowing that God is using me as he does my brothers in Christ, to shepherd young people in their walk with Him. It is God who calls and equips, ultimately. Yet, I struggle to understand why churches still hold to the belief that ordination is for men alone. Considering the sacrifices I have made to minister where God has called me to and the legacy in which he has already blessed me, I sense the injustice that a majority in my beloved denomination practices by withholding a blessing upon numerous ministers, called and equipped by the Spirit, simply because they have the wrong genitalia. It's not fair and scripture is not clear either way. Observing how Christ often went against cultural norms as he treated women with respect and identified women as a vital part of his ministry, I believe that he would honor and recognize females who serve him today in equal fashion as that of their male counterparts.

I won't put forth my entire argument for the ordination of women in this particular post, but I do have such an argument. All too often I choose to refrain from expressing it because I love my church tradition and not being ordained has yet to limit the scope of my ministry of sharing the gospel. I will, however, continue the story of my evening - actually skipping to the end!

After a dinner at the church, swing dancing at another church, beers at a hotel in Boston, I raced to catch the train before it pulled out of the Charles/MGH station. It was just after midnight, I was tired and I didn't want to wait for the next train. The car was packed so I stood near the doors, paying little attention to the crowd of young people until they got off at the next stop. As they exited one person asked another in the group, "Where are we going?" "I don't know, MIT, I think," was one guys reply. But I then heard a girl say, "I think we're going to the bathroom." This statement made me laugh aloud - primarily because it was late and things are way funnier after mid-night and two beers. A man stood in front of me and smiled at my laughter. He too had heard the girl and thought it a rather unusual statement. After a few comments shared about the crowd of kids, he pointedly asked, "What do you do?" It caught me by surprise, but I answered with my usual spiel about my work with high school students through the Christian mission of Young Life. He seemed interested so I continued to share about the dynamics of the kids I get to serve. When I asked what he did, he mentioned something about working in a cubicle. We shared a lot about each other in a short train ride and just as we entered the Porter Sq. station, he leaned over and said, "Does your organization take donations?" Before thinking, I smartly replied, "Yes, I don't know what non-profit doesn't. You can find us online at younglife.org." He then said, "Can I just give you the donation now?" With a look of surprise on my face as he pulled out his wallet, I smiled and said "Sure...but this is my stop." Hurriedly, he handed me a $20 bill. Baffled at what was happening, I muttered something about this being really nice and he doesn't have to do it. He then said, "It sounds like you're doing some great work." Still in a bit of shock, I stepped of the train, looked back and said, "So what's your name?" "Will" I gave my name, smiled, uttered the words, "God bless" before the doors of the train closed and I walked down the platform.

The rest of the way home, I praised God and thought about the ministry God has called me to and affirms on a daily basis. While it would be nice to have a certificate that says "ordained" framed and hanging on my wall, not having it doesn't hinder my ministry to teenagers and families. I will go where He sends me and in the end be satisfied in knowing I sought to be faithful to Christ over seeking the approval of man.