Presiding Bishop Kristina Kühnbaum-Schmidt Sermon 50 Years Women’s Ordination Latvia
15. September 2025
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
Dear representatives of the churches in Latvia and around the world,
“You were called to freedom, brothers and sisters.”
With these words from Paul’s letter to the Galatians,
we are gathered in these days and especially today
to mark and to celebrate a significant anniversary —
50 years of women’s ordination in Latvia.
This is a moment of great joy.
We celebrate callings, life journeys, sermons, blessings,
decisions, and the gift of walking together.
Over the past five decades, women have shaped, supported, and helped
carry the church forward.
Their gifts have formed congregations and strengthened hearts.
There are many remarkable life stories that define these 50 years.
But none of these women walked alone.
Their strength came through community — through solidarity with one
another, with sisters and brothers in Latvia and worldwide,
and - first of all - through being rooted in Christ who’s our brother.
They carried his Spirit into the world.
Today, I want to highlight one part of this journey.
Let us remember an early voice without which this anniversary
would not be what it is.
In 1928, Agnes Pone completed her theological studies in Riga.
The faculty had only been open to women for five years.
It soon became a vital pillar on the path toward the ordination
of women — not only a source of theological wisdom and academic depth, but also a place where a community of women theologians
began to grow, a community that still exists today. In this community, she found strength.
After graduation, she worked as a schoolteacher and later as a university lecturer. When the Society of Women Theologians was founded in 1931, Agnes was a founding member. She later became its president. Together, they worked for the rights of women in the Lutheran Church.
They moved slowly — first to the lectern, then to the pulpit.
Their struggle was not only for justice in the church,
but also for change in Latvian society as a whole.
After World War II, as the Soviet regime brought repression and deportation, Agnes fled to Germany. There, she joined the Latvian exile church led by Archbishop Teodors Grīnbergs. She advocated for war refugees and continued her work in education. Her calling always drew her to the people.
In Germany, she was finally allowed to serve as a pastor —
at first still under the status of vicar.
Then, in 1974, just a few years before her death, she was ordained by Archbishop Arnolds Lūsis, becoming the first Latvian woman to be ordained.
But she never returned to Latvia. But only one year later, Archbishop Jānis Matulis ordained Vaira Bintēna,
Berta Stroža, and Helēna Valpētere as the first women pastors in Latvia.
Their ordinations were not loud political statements.
They were quiet, deep spiritual acts.
They did not happen out of protest, but because the Church had recognized their gifts for the service of Christ.
This happened at a time when Latvia was still under Soviet rule —
when faith had to be lived in secret.
And yet, in this silence, a new chapter began.
Paul writes:
"You were called to freedom, brothers and sisters.
Do not use your freedom for self-indulgence,
but through love become servants to one another." (Galatians 5: 13-14).
The lives of Agnes Pone and many others show us that the path
to women’s ordination was not only a fight for justice.
This path was made out of commitment and faith.
It was grounded in the knowledge that they were called to freedom.
It was sustained by a Spirit-filled community, reaching outward with Christ’s love.
Their legacy continues — in every sermon preached by women today.
In every Eucharist they share.
In every congregation they lead.
In every sisterhood that lifts up others.
These communities offer comfort when there are setbacks,
and healing when there is pain.
They go beyond borders — guided by the Gospel. They stand against injustice, and for the freedom to follow the call of love — love for God and for the people.
Paul continues:
“For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ But if you bite and devour one another,take care that you are not consumed by one another.” (Galatians 5:13–15)
With these words in mind, let us celebrate this Jubilee —
not naively, but with open eyes and open hearts.
We know this journey has not always moved forward.
There has been division. Pain. Setbacks.
One of the most painful moments came in 2016,
when the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia ended women’s ordination.This decision placed a burden and caused deeply concern among theologians in the Lutheran communion worldwide. And not only among theologians.
Most of all, it hurt many women deeply.
Women who had not sought power,
but who had faithfully followed their call.
Women who had taken responsibility — for their communities, for their people, for the Gospel. Paul’s words give us clarity:
The freedom we are given is not meant for personal status,
but for loving service.
And so, especially now, we need this compass:
“Serve one another in love. For this you are called.”
The ordination of women is not a minor issue.
And it is not just a matter for women.
It reveals how we - men and women - respond to God’s calling.
It is a measure of whether we are willing to accept God's gifts
in all their diversity.
It is a test for a Church that allows itself to be shaped and continually renewed by the Spirit of freedom.
We are called to examine our rules and traditions in the light of that Spirit.
We must ask:
Do our rules and traditions serve the freedom to which all —
men and women alike — are called?
Do they reflect the unity we have in Christ?
It is up to us to keep this Spirit alive in the Church.
This matters now more than ever.
Across the world, hard-won rights and freedoms are once again under threat. It is our task — even in these times —
to live as a community rooted not in division,
but in the faith that unites us as brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ.
It is our task to live as the one body of Christ.
One body - one spirit - one hope,
as the theme of the assembly of Lutheran World Federation in Krakau
two years ago reminded us.
A Jubilee year, as you, as we celebrate it in Latvia now,
is more than a moment of remembrance.
It is a call — to reorientation, to restoration, to return.
It is a call to share hope - so that we empower churches and impact the world. I am sure - this anniversary can be such a moment.
Not just a look back — but a new beginning.
So today, we thank God for all the women who walked this path.
We thank them for their courage.
For their faithfulness.
We are grateful for all the support they have received -
through God's power and the Holy Spirit,
through their community, through women and men worldwide
who were and who are at their side.
And we pray for all sisters today who feel torn —
between calling and rejection, between hope and pain.
We pray and hope for new ways towards one another.
We trust in the power of the Holy Spirit
and that he will always show us new ways
to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Spirit of the Lord is here — even now.
He calls us into freedom — not for power, but for love.
He calls us to serve — for justice, not exclusion.
He calls us into Jubilee — for healing, for joy, for renewed community.
“For the whole law is fulfilled in one word:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:14).'
So, sisters and brothers: carry on!
Amen.
