Like a Mother Hen #BreakTheBias

One of the most intriguing images in scripture is found in today’s Gospel lesson, Luke 13:31-35. “How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings…”

Like a mother hen—Jesus likens himself to a mother hen. I love that image because we are so used to masculine images that we might think that God is male.

Scripture doesn’t shy away from all sorts of images and ideas about God. God is shepherd, potter, and bread. God is breath and spirit. God is a teacher and a rock. God is light, Alpha and Omega, and a vine. God is a shield, a fortress, and a sun. God is fire and wind. God is an artist and a judge, a path and an immovable mountain. God is a companion and God carries me. God is a father and a mother hen.

I like all of these images for God. They speak to me in different ways and have had a great impact on my life over the years. Rather than being limited to images and ideas that other people find helpful, God has choose to be revealed to us in many different ways so that those images will speak to us in different ways, at different times.

Sometimes we need the comfort of a mother hen and sometimes a judge or an immovable mountain. Sometimes we need the rest found in a gentle breeze and it’s a clear path that helps the most. Either way, the Church shouldn’t limit our use of metaphors, similes and images for God. And, of course we shouldn’t limit our use either. By using masculine and feminine images for God, as well as other ones, we deepen our understanding of God and the potential of human beings.

This past week was International Women’s Day. A day when we are asked to imagine a gender equal world, a world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that is diverse, equitable and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated.

Maybe this is the new creation promised by God: promised to Abraham, Sarah and their descendants (us). The new creation is one where the gender bias we were taught are broken. International Women’s Day is in part about celebrating the achievements of women but it is also about making the world better for everyone.

Let’s not let our bias limit the human potential promised by God’s new creation.