Have you ever worked hard at something in the background, fine with being in the background, not expecting to ever not be in the background—only to one day have the leader of the conference announce from the stage how grateful they are to you for the work that made it possible?
To be the teacher whose student came back to say she is the reason he became the man he is today.
To be the driver who picked Ben Rector up from his hotel and realized months later he had inspired this song.
It’s the humble leader who always has their eyes on those who are in the background. So it’s no surprise to me when I read this scripture to find that’s where Jesus’ eyes were.
Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources (Luke 8:1–3, NRSV).
This month at Velvet Ashes, we are leaning into the idea of Sacrificial Overflow. We know we only exist as a ministry because of the sacrifices of others. And because God is so good, those sacrifices allow us to overflow with service to our community.
These verses are so sweet to me because I realized, when I read them, that Jesus also recognized that his ministry was born out of the sacrifices of others—and the humble sacrificers in the background were women: women who were content to be in the background and do whatever they could so that the message, the overflow of Jesus, could be proclaimed.
It’s not lost on me that Jesus, who doesn’t miss a thing, looked around for the sacrifice. His eyes landed on the women who were funding his ministry. Here in Luke, their names are mentioned for you and for me: Mary. Joanna. Susanna. Women, who would have had little opportunity to amass great fortunes for themselves in those days, supplied the sacrificial overflow so that today we can participate with resounding expressions of thankfulness.
I wonder if he knew that one day women would make up the majority of those who would carry his good news to the ends of the earth. I wonder if he smiled as he looked toward a day when others would participate in sacrificial overflow in order to provide for women who would carry on what He began.
At Velvet Ashes, we believe that God has given us this ministry of encouragement to women serving all over the world, and we are looking for those who are sacrificers to help us continue. Would you please give today?
And when you give, I hope we make you feel seen and valued. But I know one thing for sure—he won’t miss it. He’ll see and one day direct his attention to you, bringing you out of the background.
