strong women – Aspirational Adventures

Yesterday was Joan of Arc’s Feast Day

and I felt, with less than 5 weeks to go until the UK’s General Election it seemed a good idea to remember this feisty God-fearing young woman. Whether you think she was right, wrong, insane or courageous, I think we could do with more people like her speaking up and calling things out.

It has also been republish on Godspacelight on 28th May – 2 days before her saint’s day.

I wonder what we would have thought of Joan of Arc today even in some of the more crazy charismatic churches. She doesn’t fit the stereotype of prophetic leader. She didn’t have visions of Jesus but of Michael, the archangel, Catherine of the “death by flaming spinning wheel from which the firework known as the Catherine-wheel comes from”, and Margaret who was tortured and murdered because she would not renounce the vow to remain a virginal bride of Christ when a pagan king wanted to marry her. Would we have been more like one source and just say “she claimed to have heard voices in her head”?

I wonder if she had come forward today, a young girl of 16 or so, and said she heard voices of an angel and two martyred women and that she wanted to lead her country to victory, she would be taken to a psychiatric ward? Or, if one of our children said they heard voices, would we tell them to hush and maybe get them checked out for autism? Or, what about ourselves? What would you do, what would I do, if we were sure we could hear voices telling us to do something bold and brave? I wonder if we would just keep quiet and wait for our voices to be “confirmed”.

As I pondered Joan of Arc, Greta Thunberg came in to my head, the teenager who has stepped up to the mark to try to lead the world to another place. I wonder if there were other young people who felt the same but whose parents, teachers, or churches, told them not to be so silly and the whole thing was too big for them. Greta, I believe, has only got as far as she has because her parents didn’t stop her. There is nothing to say what Joan of Arc’s parents thought but it was her relative who was bold enough to take her to a local garrison and from there she made it to the French court.

Joan experienced lots of opposition but preserved because of her total belief that this was what God was telling her through his messengers; Michael, Catherine and Margaret. How often do we hear something, and hear it very clear, and yet when we hit opposition, or lack of support from others, we give up? This doesn’t mean that we should power on through because we think this is what we should do but sometimes, like both Joan and Greta, we need to listen to what we are hearing, listen with our hearts, and keep on keeping on even if it means we lose our reputation, our livelihoods, and in Joan’s case, our lives.

I don’t think Joan cared what other people thought. I don’t think Greta cares much either. This isn’t to say I think either of these young women lack emotion at all. I think they both believe/believed that what they were doing is/was so right that they just can’t/could stop.

From pondering Joan of Arc, and as a result of that Greta Thunberg, my hope is that when I hear a voice or voices telling me to go and do something I won’t hold back whatever opposition I face, or however much it might damage my reputation. But also when I hear of some young person talking about a dream, a vision, voices speaking to them, that will change the world I will be willing to encourage them rather than hinder them.

Our world needs to change to stop it going back to the same pre-covid patterns where those who have stuff and status, fear of losing out to those who do not, and where those who do not have status are treated with disgrace and live in fear of having the little they have taken from them. We need to change and I believe we need younger people to help us with that – with more energy, more determination, more of an innocent belief that things can change.

I would like to be like Joan of Arc’s relative, helping to get someone young person to where they believe they should be, helping and encouraging them to see the change they believe in.

Jael – Judges 4

From Bryn Cannon’s Pintrest – Ancient World Bedouin Tent

Last Sunday at church we were asked to pick our favourite Bible stories. This story from Judges 4 popped into my head!

Quick summary of Judges 4 – King Jabin, a ruler in a kingdom in North Galilee comes down to attack Israel. Deborah is a prophet and leader in her own right [Yes God is ok with women leaders!] She summons Barak, who we are led to presume is an army commander. She tells him God is going to give him victory over King Jabin’s commander, Sisera. But Barak is a bit of a woose and says he won’t go off to fight unless Deborah goes to. Deborah prophecies that because Barak isn’t going to trust God in all of this then God will give the defeat of Sisera to a woman. When the battle commences Barak, or God, manage to frighten not just the regular soldiers but Sisera as well. Sisera runs away! His entire army are destroyed. Sisera goes to the came of Heber, a Kenite, a descendant of Moses’ father-in-law. Sisera does, what he thinks is a sensible idea, and goes straight to Heber’s tent seeking refuge. Now Jael is Heber’s wife, or possible one of his wives.

Now this next bit, I think is where things get a bit sketchy and are left to the imagination. It says that Jael invites Sisera into the tent. Now we don’t know at this point where her husband, Heber, is, or where the rest of the Kenites are. As you can see from the above picture this isn’t a one man tent.

It says Jael “covered him [Sisera] with a blanket”. Now this is often led to be that they had sex together. I’m thinking, from things I’ve read about soldiers, when they have been fighting their adrenaline is up, their sex drive is up. And here is a woman of interminable age inviting him into her tent. And we know they are alone because of what happens next. I think Jael willingly has sex with Sisera. Not because she is enamoured by his status but because she knows this is the best way, along with the drugged milk, that will cause him to fall into a deep sleep. Remember she is a woman, and maybe a youngish woman but we don’t know. And Sisera is a strong fighting man. She needs him not just drugged but totally sated.

The text says that after covering him with a blanket, then him asking for water and her giving him the milk she covers him with a blanket again. At this point he is exhausted and falls into a deep sleep.

According to the text Jael then takes a hammer and a tent peg and drives it through Sisera’s temple. Now Sisera went to Heber because they were on friendly terms with Jabin and he thought he would be safe. What possessed Jael to kill him? That we will never know. But kill him she did thus fulfilling Deborah’s prophecy.

Why do I like this story?

Well firstly is is two women who are the stars of it all. Even though they are at either end of the status scale – Deborah a leader, Jael possible one of many wives – both go with their strengths. Both of them live out who they are. Deborah doesn’t keep God’s word to herself and hope that Barak, because he’s an army commander, hears God. No she goes and tells him. She does reprimand him but still goes with him into the battle.

But it is that key role that Jael plays that would not have happened if she had been somewhere else. If she had decided that she shouldn’t just sit around in her tent but was off, say, tending the goats, looking after the children, staying close to her husband so she looked like the better wife, or any number of things that a woman of that time, culture and status could be doing. No for some reason she stayed put. For some reason she was willing to entice Sisera under a blanket twice and then kill him. She was willing to be waiting in her home to be used by God, used to bring a victory to a battle.

Also Deborah trust that God will outwork this as God knows best. She gives the prophecy that victory will come by the hand of woman but she doesn’t then go and round up a bunch of women to go into the battle trusting that God will keep them safe. No she says the words, supports Barak, but waits to see what God will do.

I like this story because it reminds me that waiting is good. Not this weird active waiting that seems to be said at times where one isn’t really waiting but is doing things, but just being in situ and seeing what happens. It reminds me too that often I pray for others and get a “word” but then I need to just sit back and let God bring it to pass as God knows best.

For me this is a story of being willing to be in situ and be willing to be used rather than rushing about trying to make things happen.