Breaking Every Chain: Women at the Resurrection & Our Call to Witness
This past Sunday, Pastor Abbie Sawczak delivered a powerful Mother's Day message exploring the often overlooked stories of women in Jesus' resurrection narrative and how these accounts reveal God's heart for all people to participate in His mission.
The Resurrection Breaks Every Chain
Pastor Abbie walked us through several key passages about women in Scripture, beginning with Matthew 28:1-10, where Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" discovered the empty tomb and became the first to proclaim the risen Christ. Through these accounts and others like Matthew 27:11-24 (featuring Pilate's wife) and Matthew 26:6-13 (the woman with the alabaster jar), we saw how these women defied cultural expectations to witness and bear testimony to Jesus.
As Pastor Abbie reminded us, "The resurrection did not just conquer death, but it broke the curse, raised the silence, and declared that God's mission is for all people, period." She connected this to Genesis 3:15-16, showing how the curse that entered the world has been broken through Christ's resurrection.
Witness the Beauty, Bear the Witness
One of the most compelling insights from Sunday's message was how we're all called to both witness Jesus and bear witness about Him:
From seeing everything else to seeing Jesus clearly
From holding back to pouring out our worship completely
From silence to boldly sharing what we've experienced
From fear to faithful testimony
When reflecting on Matthew 28:18-20 (The Great Commission), Pastor Abbie emphasized that this commission is for everyone: "We all were created to come close. We all have an invitation to bear witness to who Jesus is and then to go and share that with other people."
The Alabaster Jar: All or Nothing Devotion
The story from Matthew 26 about the woman breaking open her alabaster jar provided a powerful metaphor for our devotion:
"When we see Jesus, we either pour it all out or we don't. There's not really an in-between. Mary, when she witnesses the beauty of Jesus, bears witness by pouring it all out, by breaking open that alabaster jar and letting out her full devotion at the feet of Jesus."
Pastor Abbie also beautifully connected Acts 2, where Peter quotes Joel about God pouring out His Spirit on "sons and daughters," with the inclusive nature of God's call on our lives.
Understanding Challenging Passages
In a thoughtful exploration of seemingly conflicting passages like 1 Corinthians 14:34 (about women being silent) and 1 Timothy 2:12 (about women teaching), Pastor Abbie provided important historical and cultural context. She showed how these passages addressed specific circumstances rather than establishing universal principles, especially in light of passages like 1 Corinthians 11:5 that clearly reference women praying and prophesying in church.
