One of my favorite movies from the 1980s is Witness. it tells the story of a love affair between an Amish widow and a hard-nosed Philadelphia cop. It is also the story of the love of a community. I am fascinated by the Amish world and not only because I can't imagine how anyone in the 21st century lives without a computer and access to Facebook. I am drawn to that world because their sense of community is so strong. They have barn raisings and quilting circles that value the involvement of different generations working together.

I want to be part of a quilting circle. Not because I have a burning desire to sew, but because I long to be part of a sacred space of multi-generational women: Women who share their wisdom, women who comfort one another in the trials of life, women who celebrate together the joys of womanhood, who carry each others burdens in the shadow of the cross. Today it has become harder to find those sacred places where women gather and even harder to find places that bridge the generational divide.

What’s old enough?
After my mother turned 55, she looked at me during the prelude at church one Sunday and asked, “Do you think that I am old enough to join the Altar Guild yet?” This question shocked me for two reasons. First, I had trouble picturing my mother washing little glasses, sweeping up breadcrumbs, and ironing altar linens—housework was not one of her gifts. And second, why must someone be a certain age to do that ministry?

About 10 years ago, I really wanted to learn to quilt. But the quilters in my congregation met at 10:30 on Wednesday mornings. I worked as a full-time teacher and my Wednesday mornings involved coming up with rhyming pairs and finger-painting projects.

 

Women from the 2008 Women of the ELCA Triennial Gathering making a blanket for Lutheran World Relief.

  

Then I looked for a Bible study so that I could explore my faith in a deeper way. When I discovered that there was a circle in my church and I asked about joining, the leader of our congregation's women’s group, told me that I probably wouldn’t feel comfortable with all the older married women. I agreed—to some extent. After all, I was a single woman with a different life experience than the women in that Bible study. Would we have anything to talk about? Would they resent me because of the opportunities that I have had?

Later, while I was serving as young adult coordinator of the South Western Pennsylvania Area (SWPA) Synod, one of the Women of the ELCA groups asked me to address their group to help them involve younger women. I was very honest; I told them that the timing of their weekday activities and meetings would not encourage participation by younger women. One woman asked, “Even the ones with children?” I was stunned by this question. This summed it up for me. There would be no intergenerational “wisdom sharing” until there was intergenerational understanding. That meant that we needed to start with inviting one another to meet on common ground. I just wasn’t sure how to do that. (Continued on next page.)
 

Share this article   Share a comment

 

Faith Reflections by Linda Norman

Visit the study page for ideas for discussion and further reflection.

Nevertheless wisdom is vindicated by all her children. (Luke 7:35)

A wise woman once told me, “when you’re seeking after God, go deep in your own heart and you will find God has been seeking after you.” Wisdom that guides me regularly comes from women of many generations, including elders in the church. I have also gleaned uncommon wisdom out of the mouths of babes. I know that these encounters reveal the voice and presence of God in our midst. Wisdom is a gift from God that also springs up from within us. Wisdom is sometimes knowing something from deep within your soul.

Sometimes it can be conventional wisdom that on the surface seems quite mundane, but is at the same time quite profound. I can remember, for example, feeling so overwhelmed by work and home that I wanted to give up. “Easter comes more than once a year,” my friend told me. That brief sentence reminded me that even during the most difficult of times, God still provides a way. That voice of wisdom still guides me today in seeking out where new life will emerge. It always does.

During the past few years, I have been drawn to the lives of several biblical women, daughters of wisdom, whose journeys reveal the wisdom of God. I’d like to honor a few of those women who have shared their wisdom with me:

The prophetess Anna
There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. (Luke 2:36–38)

After only being married for seven years, Anna became a widow. At 84, she had lived her life much longer as a widow than as a married woman. Anna was in the temple day and night, always fasting and praying. Maybe this is because nobody besides God fully knew her struggle or the pain of living without the security and company of family. God strengthened her and preserved her life, and Anna had learned to successfully negotiate the hardships of life as a widow. Her journey, no doubt a difficult one, culminated in a dedicated life of faith. It would be a blessing to be able to sit with Anna and hear about how this widow became a prophetess. Continued on next page.
   

©  2009 Women of the ELCA. All rights reserved..