And in obedience we are coming out — coming forth from the darkness of the tomb into the light of life—and yet we are finding our hands and feet and faces still bound by the grave clothes. We are unable to speak and to act because customs and attitudes of our society bind us into stereotypes—roles determined by others—not put there by God. And again we are hearing the voice—the loud voice of Jesus saying, "Take off the grave clothes and let her go!"

Only the voice of Jesus can call us forth from the tomb. He is the only one who gives life. But He asks that we roll away the stone and unbind each other from the restrictive grave clothes that inhibit our freedom to live that new life. For that we need each other. We need the community to be obedient so that, as individual women, we can follow the voice of our Master.

The stone is that which seals us into the tomb—the symbol of death, of non-existence. It is whatever says we are dead, interferes with our life, robs us of our identity.

We are commanded to roll away the stone—to give back to women the identity given to them by God.

It’s easier to respond by saying, "There’s a bad odour—she’s been in the tomb too long!" Things have been this way for so long that it won’t be pleasant to call her forth!"

Indeed it won’t be pleasant, or easy, because in order to give her back her identity—the identity ordained by God—we need to challenge the way societal values and historical practices have distorted the biblical teachings, relegating women to a secondary status and lowering her self-esteem. It won’t be easy!

But Jesus speaks!

When Jesus says, "COME FORTH," who is this woman who emerges?

She, like the male, is made in the image of God. She, like the male, is redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, called into the royal priesthood, gifted by the Holy Spirit for the edifying of the body of Christ. She is one with man as the Bride of Christ—being purified and glorified—transformed into His likeness. She, like the man, is made in the image of God, to image Christ to a hurting world. Let us then obey the first command and roll away the stone that interferes with this God-given identity and allow her to "Come Forth."

The second command we may find even more difficult: to take off her grave clothes and let her go free—free to fulfil the destiny of her identity.

The grave clothes are those things which restrict her freedom, which bind her hands and feet and cover her face, preventing her from speaking and doing what she was called to say and do by her Creator God.

They are those things imposed upon her by cultural practices which interfere in any way with the quality of life intended for her by a loving God.

They are those things which demean a woman’s value—in her own eyes and in the eyes of others.

They are those attitudes, laws and practices which result in:

• exploitation

• violence

• sexual discrimination, and

• silence.

The woman created in the image of God, called forth by God and commissioned by God, needs to be set free to live with dignity and value.

If these are the grave clothes which we need to remove for women to be set free, how do we go about doing it?

CHANGE ATTITUDES—CHANGE LAWS—CHANGE PRACTICES

The church needs to acknowledge the reality of exploitation, injustice, violence and poverty within our own communities.

The road to empowerment must be paved by those who have the power. Lazarus was brought to life by the voice of Jesus, but Jesus expected those standing by to become involved. They were the ones who had the power to set him free—to remove the restrictive grave clothes.

Christ is calling the church - both men and women - to be the church, His body. We cannot, DARE NOT, stand by and do nothing.

The church needs to begin to live as a community. The personal lifestyle accepted by the church in many cultures is a privatized, individualized model which removes any accountability for what happens within the confines of one’s own home—even if it involves emotional and physical abuse. The church needs to reject that model and begin to live the kind of community that Christ came to establish.

A Christian community operates on mutual submission, respect, building up of one another, challenging one another, caring for one another, sharing with one another. In a truly Christian community there will be no violence, no exploitation, no injustice, no exclusion based on gender, social status, or race.

We can learn to live a theology of covenant and mutuality. We can change decision-making systems such as church committees and governments and function with men and women in leadership positions.

In a Christian community, men and women will work together to remove the obstacles in the way of women’s full participation. Men and women can pool resources, be creative, learn from each other and support one another to restore the dignity of those on the margins of our society. If this is done, the church will distinguish itself as a compassionate and humane community which honours the name of Christ.

And in doing so, the church will address the reality of the fear that women live with—FEAR IS THE BAD ODOUR! It is a woman’s reality that many men do not understand.

God has given men and women together the power to change the world. Let’s call one another to share that power and use our energy to work alongside each other.

Together, let’s challenge the church to allow women to point out the injustices, and then listen—listen carefully—to their muffled cries and their screams of pain, even if thy are couched in shouts of anger.

The church is called to be obedient to the voice of Jesus. We can be. We can hear the loud voice of Jesus. We can begin to remove the grave clothes and allow women to fulfill the destiny of their identity.

Taken from Gender or Giftedness? A study on the role of women prepared for the Commission on Women’s Concerns of the World Evangelical Fellowship.