WOMEN'S EMPHASIS SUNDAY

A Season of Gratitude

~2 Corinthians 13:14~

Dr. Venus L. Butler, Associate Minister

¹⁴May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:14 NIV

Women's Day was initiated in 1906 by Ms. Nannie Helen Burroughs. The idea, purpose, and plan of Women’s Day was first presented by Ms. Burroughs, the Corresponding Secretary of the Women’s Convention Auxiliary to the National Baptist Convention, in her report at the meeting of the Convention, in Memphis, Tennessee, in September 1906. The convention voted to accept the Women’s Day suggestion. The purpose at that time was to raise funds for foreign missions and uplift women.

Preparing women for leadership was a passion of Ms. Burroughs, and the exhibition of women developing leadership skills and other talents was a highlight of Women’s Day. Thus, the positive image, beauty, intellect, talents, leadership and God-fearing, transformative faith of African American women are all celebrated on Women’s Day.

Perhaps the most significant impact of Women’s Day is that it continues to ad­dress the unique joys, struggles and concerns evident in the lives of wom­en in our worship communities and in the society at large in which we live. The observance of Women’s Day is as important today as it was in 1906, as women continue to claim their voices in a cultural and religious environment that is still learning to value women as proclaimers of the Gospel and co-workers in the ongoing min­istry of the church.

Consider the changes that have occurred for women in the family, church,

and society for from 1906 until the present time.

The theme scripture is 2 Corinthian 13:14 and once again it states, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” The title of this message is “A Season of Gratitude!”

As we examine the second letter to the Corinthian Church, the tone of this epistle,

we see that in the beginning the apostle Paul appears to be chastising the church for being influenced by the opposition or false teachers and are turning away from the teachings of Christ and the Church. In his letter he reminds them of, “who they are and whose they are” in Christ. He admonishes them to hold onto their faith. He pleads with them to remember their purpose – they were to be ambassadors for Christ! They were not to lead the church away from Christ, but they were to be the voice, the hands and the feet of Christ. Paul appears to be speaking as a father who is scolding his children. Word has come to him regarding this matter and he was deeply grieved by the reports he had received.

Some of the people of Corinth had forgotten about the purpose and ministry of the Church. They were no longer attending or gathering together. They were no longer supporting the church financially. Some had no interest in being engaged in ministry or even spreading the Word of God. There were those who were constantly attempting to tear down and disrupt the church instead of building it up and helping it to expand and grow. This was a critical time period – especially since the Church was still in its organizational or formative stages.

If this wasn’t enough to aggravate Paul, some began to question his authority as a true apostle. This epistle is considered to be one of the severest that Paul had written to a Church.

Consider the various conditions within the church at Corinth that

threatened the growth and development of the Church and the expansion

of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Corinthian Church repented and began to refocus on the mission and ministry of the church and continued to be ambassadors for Christ. At the end of 2 Corinthians,

we find what is considered to be a Greeting and a Benediction:

Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss, all the saints greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. (verses 11-14)

In verse 14, this is the only place where the full apostolic benediction occurs, and is alone sufficient to prove the doctrine of the Trinity. God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit. It has been stated that Paul offered a prayer of specific blessing for them. Paul seems to feel that the fullest benediction is needed at the close of the severest letter. He includes the words, “With you all.” 'All’ is introduced with special tenderness and graciousness. Some have sinned before, some have not repented,

yet he has for ‘all’ one prayer and one blessing.

Consider how the people of the Corinthian Church may have repented

and began to refocus on the mission and ministry of the church,

as ambassadors for Christ.

After being angry with the Corinthian Church, Paul exhibits a heart of grace and a soul of love. First by offering a blessing and a prayer for grace. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you….2 Cor. 13:14a

As we examine the definition of the word grace, we have these various meanings: 1) that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech; 2) good will, loving-kindness, favor.

Another definition that is commonly stated - grace is God’s unmerited favor. Grace is not something that we can obtain or achieve on our own. It is not something that is earned. There is nothing that we have to do or can do to receive God’s grace. If there was anything that we had to implement or an act that we were required to perform – it would not be grace. The grace of Jesus Christ is a gift – freely given to us.

Grace is poured out on God’s people because it was merited by Christ. Those who are in Christ are beneficiaries of Christ’s merit. Grace is always a free, undeserved gift. Grace is unmerited favor of God; undeserved kindness that God shows through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the sins of the world. Eph. 2:8-9 states, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

We have the phrase that we often recite, “There but for the grace of God – there go I? The origin of the saying is unknown, but it has been in use since at the 1700s. However, it is expressed, “There but for the grace of God – there go I” – is a statement of humility and gratitude that acknowledges one’s own sinful nature and the need for God’s grace.

One of the earliest attributions of this saying is to John Bradford, an English Reformer, who supposedly said it as he watched people led to execution for their crimes. In a sense he was saying, “That could have been me but for God’s grace.” At the heart of the saying is an idea present in Scripture.

The apostle Paul describes God’s grace in 1 Cor. 15:9-10, For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God – “But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them – yet, not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

Paul was under no delusions that he had any special qualifications or attributes that made him worthy of the calling of an apostle. To go from killing those who believed in Jesus to proclaiming the good news of Jesus can only be the work of God’s grace.

Like Paul, we have no special qualities that make us worthy of salvation but we were chosen, blessed and loved by God! Paul was assured of his understanding of this term grace. He could not forget the grace of the Lord upon his life and he blessed others and passed on that grace to others. He had a heart of grace and a soul of love. As we are recipients of God’s grace, we too must bless others and pass on the grace that we have received to others by being filled with a heart of grace and a soul of love! We should have an attitude of kindness, compassion, and good will as we continue to emulate the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. We must show some sign, some action that we are thankful for God’s grace. “For, if it had not been for the grace of God,” where would we be today? Just think about those circumstances in your life where you have thought, “That could have been me,” or “That should have been me,” – but for the grace of God - the Lord has kept me!

Consider how the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

has impacted your life.

After praying for grace, Paul includes, “May the love of God be with you.” Again, we have come to know that the greatest gift from God is love. The very nature of God is “love.” The love of God brings salvation, imparts comfort, pardons sin, sanctifies the soul, fills the heart with joy and peace, and Paul here prays that all the blessings which are the fruit of that love may be with the Corinthian Church. God demonstrated his own love toward us, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, Romans 5:8.

Love can be known only from the actions it prompts. God’s love is seen in the gift of the fruit of the spirit.

When we reflect upon the love of God – Matthew 22:36- 39 states, Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law? Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as your yourself.

A heart of grace and a soul of love. We must show some sign, and some action that we are thankful for God’s gift of love.

Consider how you are able to demonstrate the greatest gift of love

by loving God, neighbor, and self. 

The third component of Paul’s blessing and prayer was the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. May the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. From the very beginning of the Christian Church, its members were a fellowship of believers who were devoted to what Jesus and his apostles taught, and they showed that devotion in their relation to God, to each other, and in their lives in the world.

Acts 2:42-47 offers the first statements by Luke about the community life of the church during its earliest periods. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. The New Life Version Bible translation states, May you have loving favor from our Lord Jesus Christ; May you have the love of God and May you be joined together by the Holy Spirit. It was the power of the Holy Spirit that the Church, the body of Christ, was birthed into existence. The Church represents the body of believers in Christ, who have given their lives to Christ, who have been redeemed from their sins, who desire to fulfill the continuation of the ministry of Christ, here on earth.

The Holy Spirit empowers us to put our faith in action with grace, love, and fellowship. Many are missing out on the gift of the fellowship that is uniquely found within the Church, the body of Christ. If Paul were writing a letter to the church today…he would have a rallying cry to, “Come back to Church!” Don’t abandon the place where you may have first met Jesus. Don’t forget about the blessings received among the people of faith. Come back - because you are loved and you are missed.

The Church needs you.

Paul would end his letter with this statement, May the grace of the Lord be with you.

Consider the importance of the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

During Women’s Day, we honor and recognize women who are mothers, wives, sisters, aunties, Godmothers, and friends. We find women of grace, love, and filled with the fellowship of the Holy Spirit in all sectors of life. Women who are first ladies, caretakers, homemakers, educators, business women, analysts, physicians, nurses, preachers, teachers, lawyers, police officers, firefighters, astronauts, Judges, Congresswomen, Mayors, Governors, Presidents and Vice Presidents of various corporations, and Vice President of the United States, and so many others. Women who know about having a heart of grace and a soul generated by love. We know how to utilize the love, grace and fellowship received by the power of the Holy Spirit to make a difference in this world. We have many examples of world changers.

We thank God for SBCLA and Pastor Epps and Mrs. Agretta Epps, who support and encourage Women in Ministry. We don’t have to wait until Women’s Day to preach –

we are given opportunities throughout the year to proclaim God’s word. We thank and praise God that we fellowship with a loving and supportive congregation. We thank

God that we have women serving in every leadership position of our church: women and men serving together in the Diaconate Ministry, Trustee Ministry, and most leadership positions and ministries of the Church. What a wonderful model to emulate for our children and the next generation of leaders, because it has not always been the practice within the church. An example of the grace of Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. A heart of grace and a soul of love.

We must never take for granted the gifts that we have received from God! We have been blessed to be a blessing to others. We need men and women working together, serving together, praying together, worshipping together, studying to grow together,

in order to reflect what it truly means to be the "people called by God to be agents of transformation, agents of healing, agents of social justice, agents of liberation, agents of grace, love and fellowship!"

During this season of gratitude – Lord, we thank you for your grace, we thank you for your love, we thank you for the power and fellowship of your Holy Spirit! During this thanksgiving season, we have hearts full of gratitude! As we look back over this year – we just say – thank you!

In the beginning of January 2023, members of SBCLA were not able to worship in our sanctuary due to structural damage that occurred during the Pandemic… today, we

say thank you, for we have returned! Some have come through many dangers seen and unseen, today we say thank you. Some were hospitalized, some had surgeries, some have been faced with illness, unemployment, death, tragedies, and gone through many struggles and uncertainties over the course of this year... but we say, thank you Lord, we are still here!

During this season of gratitude, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all, both now and forever more. Amen

Consider how you can demonstrate signs of grace, love

and fellowship during this season of Gratitude.