“Be bold, take risks on account of the gospel, but believe more boldly still in Christ Jesus; that’s what Martin Luther tells us.” And that is what the Women of the ELCA tell us about celebrating Bold Women’s Day on the fourth Sunday in February each year. This year was the first time we had the opportunity to celebrate Bold Women’s Day at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Pensacola, Florida. I was so grateful to take part not only because I am a member of the Churchwide Executive Board for the Women of the ELCA, but also because it was truly a celebration of BOLD women in our church.
The mission statement for the Women of the ELCA is “to mobilize women to act boldly on their faith in Jesus Christ.” That mission statement is at the intersection of our celebration of Bold Women’s Day and what I witnessed from two very special BOLD women in our congregation. With the skill and aplomb of seasoned lay ministers, two young girls, only 9 years old, were the lectors for that day and the Sunday following. Their names are Lauren and Hannah Baradon and they are the granddaughters of Pr. Alfred Buehner who served as Assistant to the Bishop of the Southern Ohio Synod (Photos taken by Daniel Baradon). Lauren and Hannah felt mobilized to act! Can you imagine? With the encouragement and the affirmation of the faithful in our congregation, these two young women (triplets, actually… their brother Stephen often serves as an acolyte) regularly lector and participate in worship. These two adorable girls are unafraid to step up to share the Word of God and share their gifts because they are acting boldly on their faith in Jesus Christ.
In 2nd Corinthians, God tells us “Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, who made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant. …Since then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness.” - 2 Corinthians 3:4–6a, 12
Bold Women’s Day celebrates all Lutheran women who have acted or are acting boldly on their faith in Jesus Christ. During our celebration, these young women walked to the front of the church, climbed on top of a step stool cleverly hidden by the podium, adjusted the microphone and proclaimed the Word of God to the congregation. I believe that this day we heard more than just the first and second lesson of the day. As a congregation, we learned something about ourselves as we considered how Lauren and Hannah’s simple act of courage could reflect what the term BOLD could mean within our own lives. Whether you are a man or woman, adult or child… you are called to live out your bold story of faith in the workplace, in your family and in your community. Lauren and Hannah have learned this lesson earlier than some of us and that is the reason why their gifts are so precious. What do you learn by their example? When have you acted boldly on your faith in Jesus Christ like these two amazing young women?
This year was the first time our church celebrated Bold Women’s Day. I wonder what we will do on the next fourth Sunday in February?
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