Women Preacher Joke.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus. Galations 3:28.

I was already in my sixties when ordained as a Minister in the United Methodist Church in 1990, (after finishing all the requirments which included a college and Seminary degree, being interviewed and questioned by local and state Boards of Ministry( physical , psycological exams) .

At that time, as I have told in other posts, I was the widow of a UMC minister and had served as a "pastor's wife" for over 35 years.

In spite of my loss, I was energetic with a strong sense of the Lord's leading and calling as a preacher. Even as a "student pastor" I was surprised but always pleased to be invited to preach and accepted invitations to preach on special occasions at most of the churches where I had once served as a "pastor’s wife." I was called to preach the "greatest good news human ears have ever heard." I was not called to preach" women's liberation."
I chose not to be offended that there are still people who chose not to believe the many Bible references affirming women as preachers (as the one above of Paul to the Galations 3:28)

So I was pleased to accept the invitation to come back to be the guest preacher for Sunnyside United Methodist Church's annual Homecoming, even while I was still a "student pastor." My husband had pastored the Midway-Sunnyside- Vaughn circuit of churches during his four year as a Seminary student. It had been four extremely busy and penny pinching but happy and growing years for the all three churches and for us. I had happy memories of our many friends there.

After the worship service, as I was greeting the people at the church door as they “departed to serve,” an elderly man (visitor) and his wife walked up to me and the smiling man shook my hand and said, “This is the first time I have ever heard a woman preach”, then he lightly punched his wife in the ribs laughed as if he was about to tell the funniest story he had ever heard. His wife and I laughed with him as he added the punch line... “from the pulpit!”