Homily on Exodus 32:7-14 (Anniversary of Women’s Ordination to the Priesthood in Church of England)
Originally given 14 March 2024 at St. Alban’s Church, Coventry
‘And the Lord changed his mind’
On the 12th March 1994, 32 women were ordained priests in Bristol Cathedral, the first women to be ordained to the priesthood in the Church of England. I can’t help but think of the journey women have been on for the past 30 years in the Church of England since those first ordinations of women to the priesthood. When I was born, there were no ordained women in the Church of England. But as of 2020, a third of ordained clergy were women, and the current trend is for more women than men to train for ordination. There are still disparities that are hard to miss. For example the number of women bishops, or the number of women in leadership positions in the Church is significantly lower compared to the number of men and does not match up proportionally with the population of ordained women. The analytics of the number of women who are Self Supporting Ministers instead of stipendiary and the age gap, with women coming to ordained ministry later in life, are all signs that we are not equal yet. But, we have come a long way. It has been a journey. And along that journey, though some have remained rigid in their anti-women beliefs concerning the priesthood, many people have changed their mind. And from today’s reading we see that if you have changed your mind, then you are not only in good company, but the best company… ‘and the Lord changed his mind.’ (Exodus 32:14 NRSV)
The fact that God’s mind was changed, shows that changing your mind, or going on a journey to develop your mindset, is not a weakness to be disparaged. I remember vividly the main insult thrown at Senator John Kerry during his 2004 Presidential bid in the U.S. was ‘flip-flopper’. But regardless of your political affiliations, the fact that anyone’s opinion develops on any topic shows a level of maturity in that they can be open to change and new knowledge without feeling it undermines their power.
In addition, I don’t think we would generally describe God as flippant or fickle, so for the Lord to change his mind, there was some powerful persuasion. So how did Moses do it? He appealed to the personal connections between God and Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. He reminded God of the personal promises he made to these patriarchs, and then connected them with the people that God was wrathful toward. It’s hard to stay mad at someone when you have such a personal connection with them. It’s also hard to dislike a group of people when you have a fondness of someone from that group.
So reflecting on the 30 year anniversary of women’s ordination to the priesthood in the Church of England, I have hope. I know there will be voices, sometimes very loud voices, that will challenge, demean, and discredit my authority as a woman in the priesthood. But by meeting people where they are, showing them my humanity and my vocation, I believe that we can journey together to a greater understanding. And so as the Lord changed his mind, I have hope that the greater Church will too.
Reflections of a Christian 