Today’s readings use the story of the birth of Samson as the prototype of the birth of John the Baptist. There is one major difference. In the Old Testament story the most important character is not named!. She is called “the wife of Manoah,” a woman, a mother, but never called by name. A recent song by Janelle Monae reminds us how important it is to “say her name,” to recall that each individual matters, has an identity and a destiny that must be honored and respected. We have lost something not knowing the name of this woman, wife, mother. In the New Testament we know the name of the protagonist, Elizabeth, but even her story seems to be defined not by who she is but by what others think of her. When she became pregant she said, “The Lord has seen fit to take away my disgrace before others.” One of the challenges we have as church is to recognize women not for their role but for their worth and dignity just in being named and claimed by God as they are.
