Woman Begat Woman

There is a story in the bible of an African woman who was harassed not only for being a woman and black but also because she was a slave. Hagar's story begins after years had passed and there was no sign of a child for Abraham and his wife Sarah, Hagar's mistress. Sarah decided a solution was for Hagar to be a surrogate mother! (Genesis 16:1-3). However relationships at home become unbearable between the two women when Sarah started ill-treating Hagar and she  decided to flee. The Angel of the Lord found her at the road leading to Shur and told her to return to Sarah but not before making her the amazing promise that she would be the ancestress of a multitude that could not even be numbered. (Genesis 16:9-12).   She was also given a name for the child, Ishmael, meaning, "God hears".   In response Hagar does what no male or female had ever done before! She gives God a name. She calls God, El-roi, "the God who sees me". She is amazed that she can say, ...

A posting on Facebook recently touched me deeply and made me question a few things about myself. Perhaps more than a few things! It was a posting by Professor Jonathan Jansen: “At 37,000 feet this morning a person wearing a hijab came out of the cockpit. The man next to me spilled his coffee. Thank you, my pilot Fatima Jakoet, for a smooth and pleasant flight. ” In Luke 10:30-37 we read the well-known story of the Good Samaritan who stopped to help a fellow who had been beaten, stripped naked and left for dead on the side of the road. We believe the story tells us “Do unto others as you would have them do to you”. But perhaps there is more to the story to discover. The priest and a Levite saw the beaten man but decided to cross over and pass him on the other side of the road. The Good Samaritan however took pity on him, bandaged him, put him on his donkey and took him to an inn where he paid the innkeeper to look after him. Jesus asks which of these three was a neighbour to t...