God of transforming and abundant love, we turn this month to the heritage and the struggles of women throughout the ages and especially those of our own time.
We have much to celebrate—especially the women we honor today and all those of similar accomplishments.
We have much to lament—the legacy of patriarchy, the centuries of misogyny, the generations of free labor which gratefully have contributed to the foundations of life as we know it today.
And we have much to hope for—especially the conversion of heart needed to understand that the denigration of women does not lead to greater freedom, justice, and ongoing care of humanity for the common good.
Having come this far, as women and men of all ages, creeds, ethnicities, and abilities, may we continue to uplift each other with encouragement and collaboration and abandon those norms which seek to deny gender equality, diversity, and inclusivity. We ask this in Your name.—AMEN.
(Rev. Jude Geiger)
