We Remain

Made in the image of God

But not to image Christ 

Male and female

He created them

But not to image Christ

He saw that they were very good

But not good enough

To image Christ 

I don’t look like God’s human form

As if His maleness

Is more

Than His humanity

God made Himself small 

Small enough to be a man

But not small enough -

It seems -

To be a woman

In Christ

There is no male or female

But only men image Christ 

Fit to carry the Christ-child

Fit to finance His ministry 

Fit to remain at the foot of the cross

But not fit - you say - to image Christ

The first at the empty tomb

The first to meet the risen Christ

The first to spread the news

But not to image Christ

Backbone of the church

Children, flowers, teas

Made to be silent, obedient, busy

But not to image Christ

Don’t like it?

We can leave

You say

But we don’t come for you 

Not your table

We gather around

Not your body and blood 

We treasure

We remain for

Christ in the Eucharist

And myself

Hidden in Christ

©️Laura Moore 2025

Image by Falco, Pixabay

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This Body

This body
This fat body
Grew you

Birthed you

Fed you

These arms

These fat arms

All bingo wings and stretch marks

Carried you everywhere

Cuddled you as you napped

Stayed awake long nights holding you,

Comforting cries of hunger or pain

Make cakes for you

Still hug you close each day

The legs

These fat legs

Thunder thighs and chub rub

Walked your buggy til you slept

Bounced you on their knees

Paddled with you in the sea

Ran up and down stairs in answer to your call

This bottom 

This fat bottom 

Sat beside your car seat on every journey

Sits in the audience of all your shows

Will sit with you whenever you need me

This stomach

This fat stomach

Stretched and grew to accommodate you

What more does it need to offer 

After that?

This face

This fat, round face

Double chin, hint of a wrinkle,

Smiles

Laughs

Sings for you

Answers questions

Watches you grow and learn and live

Will be the face you remember

When you miss home

Or grow old, long after I am gone 

This fat body 

Has served and loved and taught you

Sacrificed

Adapted

Offered itself up

For you

Yet,

Someone,

Somewhere,

Somehow, 

Taught you to be ashamed of me

Told you

Fat is offensive

Fat is embarrassing 

Fat is displeasing 

How did they get to you?

When I have hidden those negative thoughts from you. 

When I have neutralised fat.

Used it as descriptor

Stated it as fact

Never shied away from the truth of my size

Fat 

And

Beautiful. 

Lived each day 

Speaking only good things about my body

Talking up 

Strong legs

And kind arms

Praising the tummy that was your home

Even when everything I see and hear

Seems to say

I am disgusting

Everything people do not want to be

Lazy, greedy, ugly, bad

Who ruined your precious heart? 

Made you look at me and see something to avoid?

Gave you the fear of speaking the word?

Started you doubting

Your own beauty?

I am fat!

Yes. 

Like Ursula

That fabulous sea witch. 

I am fat. 

Let your sister speak it.

She is not afraid of it. 

Yet. 

But

Deep inside -

And there is a lot of me

So it could be very deep -

I know that

Fear that

Somehow,

Somewhere,

Someone 

Will get to her too. 

And she will turn

And look at me

And feel the same shame

I have felt all my life. 

She will secretly hope to never be like me. 

Dear one

Don’t be that someone. 

Look at me

Look at this

This body

This beautiful 

Strong

Generous

Good

Hardworking

Protective

Nurturing

Soft

Loving

Damned beautiful 

Body

And love me for who I am

For all that I am

And all that I do

All that I have done and will do 

For you

To love yourself 

Will be

My enduring gift to you. 

©️Laura Moore 2020

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Women Bishops

This is going to be unpopular, I'm afraid, but I don't agree with women bishops. I don't agree with women vicars either.

But you're a woman, I hear you saying. How can you agree that women are second class citizens?
I don't. I firmly believe that men and women are equal. But they are also different. Just as 3+5 and 2x4 are equal but different. We have different roles to play.

How did I come to hold this highly unpopular viewpoint? I grew up in a Catholic family, so for the majority of my life I only saw male, unmarried priests. At my Catholic secondary school, all girls, I was taught my value as a woman, and even encouraged to question the seemingly inferior role of women in the church. And, as a teenager, I very firmly believed that women should be allowed to be priests too. Hadn't we been told that in Christ there is no male or female? I went to university and joined the Christian Union which was led by a fantastic female president. I went to various Protestant churches, all with varying views on female pastors - some encouraged, some refused, some allowed joint pastoring from a married couple with the husband the ultimate leader of that church. My mum became a Catholic chaplain, able to do much of a priest's role apart from the sacraments. This has frustrated her, because she must rely on frequently unreliable men, and be treated as though her 'thoughts' on the Word are not as important or helpful.

And I became increasingly aware of the lack of strong, masculine, Christian males in the Church. There were, still are, many strong Christian women, the majority of whom are single. I was blessed to snap up one of the few eligible, single men in my church. Of the other men, most were wishy-washy in one way or another - hen-pecked, soppy, heterosexual but not particularly masculine. Where are the Christian men of the New Testament? Strong, passionate, fiery. The Church has become the refuge of women and weak men.

I began to change my mind about women in leadership within the Church. I heard some female preachers and was impressed. I loved preaching and speaking myself. But I struggled to see how a woman could lead a man successfully.

There are many ridiculous arguments against women priests - outdated opinions, bible verses taken out of context, traditions. And I don't agree with them. But all the same, I just don't think women should be priests. I'm not saying they can't, but that they shouldn't. I believe we need to hear from men and women preaching the Word. I believe that women have a huge amount of experience and knowledge to offer. But I am quite convinced that if we are to enable Christian men to be strong warriors for Christ, then we have to stop feminising the Church and emasculating them.