Tending the Tapestry
A series on Women of the Old Testament
Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash
I have a new series coming out next week that will examine the empowering stories of women in the Old Testament and how they shape and enrich our faith lives today. The title of this series is Tending the Tapestry and I’d like to take a moment to explain why and my hopes for this collection.
When I was in graduate school, I enrolled in a course on Women in the Old Testament - purely because I was late to registration and it was my only option. At this point in my life, I was feeling adrift. I was unsure what direction to take my studies, I was at home with two children under 3 years old, and my faith was feeling frayed.
Then, I encountered the women of the Old Testament and something sparked within me. By studying the stories of these brave, bold, faithful women in scripture, I was able to weave a stronger tapestry of faith. A tapestry that incorporated God’s love for the outsider, his notice of and care for women, and his endless compassion for all people.
These stories not only impacted my own faith, but they also ignited in me a desire to honor these women’s stories and share them with each of you. These narratives have supported, encouraged, and shaped me over the years. My hope and prayer for this series is that these stories and reflections help others to weave a stronger, more compassionate, tapestry of faith in their lives.
Each installment will incorporate a narrative portion inspired by imaginative prayer over the biblical passage, a section I am calling ‘through threads’ which will incorporate my research, and a reflection portion to close.
The section called ‘through threads’, will examine themes and connections that weave throughout both the biblical passage examined and scripture as a whole. We will identify the thematic colors and contextual textures of the story and I will cite from where this information comes.*
Finally, all good weaving requires some tension. Without some push and pull, the tapestry will contain holes. With that in mind, some ideas I present may challenge your views on a topic or story. This tension of uncertainty and growing awareness of different viewpoints has stretched me at various points of my faith life, and I believe that seeking truth by approaching topics with curiosity and openness has strengthened my tapestry of faith. I hope that these topics and stories can offer you that opportunity as well.
These stories hold tender truth, beautiful insight into God’s care, and a gentle strength that continues to humble and inspire me. I don’t know what your tapestry of faith looks like, perhaps its feeling frayed and a bit worn in places, or perhaps its vibrant and rich in thread count. Whatever stage of faith and spirituality you are at, you are welcome here.
Thank you for tending your tapestry with me. I pray that we can discover colorful through threads of grace and hope, textures of strength and peace, and weave together a picture of God’s love for us all.
Coming Next Week: A God of Seeing, Hagar’s Story
*I’ll be sure to cite the books and articles that have influenced my work; and if you have any desire to read further on a topic, I highly recommend the work of these brilliant theologians and biblical scholars.