Equality for Women from Mary

I've been writing about how Jonalyn Fincher's book Ruby Slippers is speaking truth to me about being a woman. Here's a lesson to make Advent that much more meaningful. 

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Since long before John Gray's book Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus  came out in 1993, there's been this myth perpetuating  in society that women and men are fundamentally different in every way. The truth is, however, that we are more the same than we are different. There are clear differences--anatomy, for one. But we are overwhelmingly the same. And differences don't mean unequal, but unfortunately it has translated into that for too long. For centuries, this idea has helped conserve the thought that women are the weaker vessel, lacking in leadership abilities, and has reduced women to the sole status of "helpmeet." But God does something interesting when He formulates the plan of salvation. He does something that reveals the heart of God. After all, wasn't Christ entrance into the world for the purpose of redeeming the human race AND revealing the character of God the Father? 

Jonalyn Fincher writes, "With the incarnation, we learn that God thought Mary a full-fledged part of humanity, enough so that she would provide all the human DNA strands for Jesus. In a culture that deified the phallus and honored males more than females, God gets counter-cultural and proves a woman's body and soul is all that his Son needs for his humanity. Jesus would claim his human heritage from a female." 

God saw it fit to provide equality for women from Mary. He could've introduced the Savior of the world in multiple ways--He is God after all. But He chose Mary, a young unmarried teenager, knowing full well she would get judged for her pregnancy. 

Jesus died once and for ALL. "When the Father accepted the male Jesus as a sufficient sacrifice to redeem both sexes, he was also saying men and women are not so polarized or irreconcilable to be in a never-ending gender war. It was not Jesus's masculinity that made him pleasing to the Father. His masculinity was expected and foretold, but on the cross it was Christ's humanity and divinity that counted for us." One man was able to die to redeem all men and all women. Together, guys and gals, bear the image of our Creator. We are equal. "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all ONE in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:28 

Seriously, this is my favorite birth story of all time, and you know, I really love birth stories. 

Mary Did You Know by CeeLo Green. I dare you not to sob. 

With all my love,

Linking up with: Matrimonial Monday, Into the Word Wednesday.