Introduction

Jane Dempsey Douglass

"Preaching with her on life in fullness" is the theme of this volume of sermons by women preachers around the world, from every continent. Fifteen women were invited to prepare sermons for the church year reflecting the theme of the 24th general council (Accra 2004), "That All may have Life in Fullness". They took the assignment with great seriousness and produced a vision of a Christian life which is very rich indeed. They write about the work of the Holy Spirit and personal spiritual renewal, about the life and task of the church and its renewal, about Christian discipleship, about work for economic and social justice, about the particular need for justice for women and children, and about war and peace - especially peace.¹ These preachers are deeply and lovingly engaged in the world around them, but they share a biblical vision of this world transformed to reflect more clearly the justice and peace of the reign of God, where the abundant life which Christ came to bring can be experienced more fully by all.

In a sense, this volume has been centuries in preparation. From the beginnings of Christianity, women have preached. Still, after an early period of women's lively public leadership in the church, their public roles came to be more and more restricted. Learned medieval women preached to their sisters in convents, and rarely a remarkable woman scholar like Hildegard of Bingen in the 12th century would be given ecclesiastical permission to preach publicly on some particular occasion. That permission was based, however, on the conviction that these were exceptional women granted special gifts and graces by God; such an exception was never seen as challenging the normal rule of women's silence in the church. It seems to be only in the 15th and 16th centuries that women clearly began to challenge the theological assumption that Scripture requires women's subordination and silence in church.

One of those early challengers was Marie Dentière of Geneva, whose missionary activity and writing are highlighted in the Reformation Day sermon by Isabelle Graesslé. Marie was joined in her preaching and teaching activity by Madame Claude, the wife of the apothecary Levet, in the years before Calvin arrived in Geneva. Their story is the story of gifted women down into the early 20th century. In times of upheaval and "emergency" situations, their ministries were welcomed; but when the situation "normalized", they were expected to return to roles of silence in the church. Women have been ordained as ministers - and preachers - in the Reformed tradition since the mid-19th century, but until recently their numbers have been very small. This volume of sermons for the church year represents and celebrates the new reality that women's preaching Sunday after Sunday in Reformed churches is now normal all across the globe, though there remain some churches both within and beyond the Reformed family that do not yet sanction it.

Sermons for the traditional seasons of the church year and Reformation Day are included, along with sermons for more recently designated occasions: International Women's Day, International Day of Peace, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and World Aids Day. Not all Reformed churches make use of the traditions of the church year, but perhaps the sermons will stimulate interest in exploring these traditions where they are not presently in practice. The passion about the urgency of work for justice for women, care for Aids sufferers, and peace revealed in these sermons surely suggests the need for greater public awareness about these matters in our churches.

Don't attempt to read these sermons like the newspaper. Get out your Bible, read the texts indicated, and enter into a conversation with the preacher. Notice the context where the preacher is working and reflect on how that life situation may affect her preaching. Ponder how the biblical texts may be heard differently in your own geographical and social context, and how they may have been treated differently by men in the pulpit whom you have heard. Our hope is that a fruitful conversation will be begun as you read.

I would like to express my deep gratitude to the women preachers who have generously shared their sermons with us all. They are stimulating, provocative, edifying, and nurturing preachers. They open up the word of God for us. Their very different preaching styles reflect the diversity of churches and contexts and women preachers in our Reformed family. In conversation with these preachers, we can all accompany in a fresh way the preparation for the 24th general council and its concern "That All may have Life in Fullness".

Prof Dr Jane Dempsey Douglass, guest editor of this issue of Reformed World, was president of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (1990-1997) and is professor emeritus of historical theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, New Jersey (USA).

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