Shout for joy, O barren one who has borne no children; burst into song and shout, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the desolate woman will be more than the children of the one who is married, says God.
This week’s scriptures are difficult. The stories center on women’s bodies, our inability and ability to bear children, and our prophetic relationship to God through reproduction.
For me, this raises questions of consent. These scriptures are complicated by our current context where pregnant people’s bodies are criminalized, and our right to life and health violated and disregarded.
So let us consider the allegory. The uterus is a sacred space of creation, where we receive nourishment. The uterus grows alongside us, creating space for our formation and when we are ready, the powerful muscle pushes us out into new life.
What I understand from today’s scripture is whether we bear children or not, we give birth to creation.
Some of us who've not been in labor, who've been abandoned, and alone, will give birth to creation in ways greater than those who are traditionally seen as society’s child-bearers.
Shout for joy today, because you, child of God, have the power to give birth to creation!
Literally, shout for joy. That’s the practice and commitment the Spirit calls to us today.
-- Jenny Whitcher
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