Who is Missing from the Table? A Palm Sunday Reflection from Rev. Dr. Don Sarton

Lent is often characterized by the need to make a sacrifice consistent with the sacrifice Jesus made. Those of us who reject Atonement and God requiring the sacrificial death of Jesus need to reframe sacrifice.

Growing up, I remember laughing at the benign and often comical approach to Lent as “giving up something?” By the time the Gospel account of the Feast of Unleavened Bread was written, we see little of what may have been the actual celebration shared by Jesus and his Disciples. Instead, the gospels (written 40-90 years after the death of Jesus) present a stylized version of the ritual elements of the Eucharistic meal practiced in some of the early congregations.

In this meditation, I invite you to join me in reflecting upon what the table may have looked like and let us place ourselves with the friends and family Jesus gathered.

As we consider this passage, it is important to wonder, what happened to the women around the table? We know in the ancient times as now, the celebration of unleavened bread was a family gathering, a time to remind and teach the children the tradition around the salvation event, Exodus from Egypt. It would make sense that Jesus and the Disciples would celebrate in the same tradition as they practiced since youth. I can anticipate Jesus would consider all those who followed the will of God his family. Therefore, where are the women? Where are those who traveled with Jesus and provided support? Where are such individuals as Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James the younger and Joses; and Salome, the mother of the sons of Zebedee?

What was lost by excluding the place of women, not only around the table, but in the leadership of the church?

There appears to be an effort to write women out of significant roles. Manuscript evidence suggests women were active as leaders in the congregations, probably up through the first 300 years, but we witness the gradual elimination of feminine wisdom and authority reflected in Christian history. As men were considered the dominant leaders in the church, what did the church lose through this sacrifice of the feminine?

As we begin to value feminine energy, wisdom, guidance, I believe if we are to be in balance, in harmony as a community, we need to honor and respect feminine, masculine, LGBTQ+ wisdom and energy. This honoring adds to the richness of faith. I believe when we are out of balance, out of harmony towards one or the other, we are missing a significant dimension of our faith. I also fear in the rebound, undervaluing masculine energy and wisdom.

I know the feminine mystic within me is not fed with masculine energy alone. I need to touch the feminine energy and be guided by feminine wisdom. If we are to rediscover our spiritual lives, we need to celebrate in meditation, drama, art, and teaching the fact women were present! Our/my spiritual life will be enhanced as we meditate upon the feminine energy present, as we celebrate the universality of God’s love.

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Rev. Dr. Don Sarton is a graduate of Claremont School of Theology (1972) and a former DSF Board Chair. He is retired after serving several congregations, as the Protestant Chaplain at Father Flanagan’s Boys Town, and Vice-President of the Christian Church Foundation. He is currently a member of Countryside Community Church UCC in Omaha, NE. Don teaches a Bible study on Tuesday mornings and is actively involved with the Tri-Faith Initiative by attending Friday afternoon prayers at the Mosque and Shabbat services at Temple Israel on Friday evenings.