TO ALL MOTHERS IN OUR CHURCH, ENJOY WOMEN’S DAY

Our congregation has just celebrated the 2023 Mothering Sunday (March 5 2023). It was a fully packed five hour service. The whole service was dedicated to celebrating the gift of motherhood.

It was the first time I felt the strength of the matriarchate and how the old (bad) theology has provided divine sanction of the dominion of the patriarchate over the matriarchate.

Our great and beautiful synod located in Lusaka, which we are told has attracted the attention of the Anti-Corruption Commission, is the fruit of the woman leader who served the Church with grace and integrity.

In God’s own providence, our Church at her formation in 1965 subscribed to the priesthood of all believers. Even women are free to enter ordained priesthood and exercise their giftedness by the measure of the grace that God has given them.

All the church choirs and praise team gave their best in appreciating the gift of girlhood, ladyhood wifehood and most importantly motherhood. There was however one hymn borrowed from the Catholic Church that made almost the whole congregation including the Reverend Minister be on his feet dancing.

It reminded me of my Catholic formation. It also showed the universality of the Catholic Church and her deep rooted enculturation of the Bemba hymns that speak to the hearts of believers rather than their heads that are spoiled by dogma.

In concluding the service, our mothers distributed some 10 kg breakfast mealie meals to selected households as mark of charity.

Here, as a bible student with a bent towards political theology felt anxious because our mothers were doing this without the sensitivity to the political dynamics in the country.

To you all mothers in the Church, you are saints and enjoy women’s day.