Mark 15:40-41; Matthew 27:55-56; Luke 23:48-49
When I was 24 and starting out in ministry, I had the privilege of learning from one of the greatest female pastors in the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. Her name was Rev. Kathleen Baskin, and she shaped and formed my ministry in ways that still impact me today. She saw my potential, took risks on me, offered me opportunities I didn’t deserve, gave me responsibilities I didn’t think I could handle, and pushed me beyond what I thought were my limits. She taught me how to preach from the heart, lead with grace, serve by example and be courageous in witness. She was one of the top leaders in the conference, anticipated to be a Bishop because she was so dedicated, resilient and compassionate. We served a small church in East Dallas together for 5 years in the late 1990’s and over our years of friendship, saw each other through tears of a divorce and death, joys of engagement and weddings, the birth of children, and the ups and downs of ministry that led to also taking many vacations together. Despite how talented she was, there was one thing about her that continued to amaze me – she regularly wore a suit skirt and high heels. Not just because she loved to shop (which we did a lot of together too), but also because it was her form of resistance. In the “good old boys” club of clergy ministry, she wanted to ensure that it was known, she was a woman…and proud of it. It was her continual sense of fashion which reminded me daily – there were lines of clergy women before me to whom I owe this place of ministry.
The faithful women in our lives who helped shape our relationship with Jesus, were formed by others before them, and others before them, and others before them. And it all starts with the women at the cross. Those women did not leave Jesus in his time of need, in his deepest pain, in his hour of crucifixion. They were the first to teach us the resilience required for discipleship. They taught us how to stay by the side of those who were hurting: as a courageous witness that doesn’t desert, that holds tight to one another in support of purpose, and offers the assurance of a companion in the worst moments of our lives.
Who were the women in your life who sat by your side through thick and thin?
Who were the mothers, grandmothers, and aunts who you knew prayed for you daily in hardship?
Who were the girlfriends and sisters who witnessed all the suffering life brought and didn’t leave your side?
These are the women of our faith – the ones who continue to teach us the crucifixion’s power to have courage in the face of despair and death.
Kathleen was diagnosed with cancer in her early 50’s, and she fought the hard battle that we all wanted her to beat. But on the day of her death, as I sat in her living room with her closest colleagues and kissed her forehead goodbye, I was surrounded again by faithful clergywomen. And in my arms, I cradled my newborn daughter. A colleague looked at my baby Violet and said – “she’s the sign of new life we all needed.” This was the legacy, to continue the witness of women for the next generation. It was one of the hardest days of my life to say goodbye to my friend and mentor, but also the assurance, that the power of Christ’s crucifixion to bring new life continued. It was time to put on some high heels and stand firm at the foot of the cross to proclaim: death never has the last word in our faith.
May the power of faithful women, gathered courageously at the cross, always be honored from generation to generation.