Lauren Winner and the Midwives

When you think about God’s deliverance, do you think about childbirth? Do you envision the hands of an experienced midwife, gently massaging new life into this world with poise and wisdom?

In agrarian societies, it was often the old or childless women who served as midwives in a village. They had the personal flexibility to be available in ways that other women could not, and the arrival of their professional expertise was a comfort to the teenager laboring heavily among the women in her home. The midwife’s presence offered a measure of assurance.

Author Lauren Winner asks us to stretch our perspective of the trinity, considering what we might observe in scripture if we look for evidence of Mother, Baby, and Midwife. Would we begin to see a fuller picture of womanhood, where all are valued for the unique ways they image God?