This is a wonderful post. One comment: There's a great typo in the second to last paragraph: "...the Woman Clothed with the Son." Interesting to think about that meaning! And another comment: It's of course interesting to think about God as non-binary -- exactly how we should be thinking of "them" -- in a time when so many religious (and other) organizations are fighting gender fluidity and trans rights tooth and nail. It all feeds into the dangerous and seditious Christian Nationalism movement, which is also a white male supremacy movement. Thank you, Mark, for keeping us open-hearted.
Thanks for your compassionate and thoughtful reading, Betsy! Agree completely - what better time to use They/Them pronouns for God? Interesting to think about the possibilities of the "Woman Clothed with the Son" (does that take away her power to clothe her with the Messianic Son?). I hate typos so changed it, but that was a good one :)
Just thinking: I kind of feel clothed by MY son. He's in and around me all the time in the most visceral and everlasting way. He's separate from me (as is my daughter, of course, but it's different for me and her -- ) but I wear him with pride and concern and longing. Is that how the Woman is? Is that how God is?
Thank you for this wonderful and thought-provoking post! I am not unfamiliar with the concept of God as female and when we speak the Creed at church I alternate 'Mother' and 'Father' in the text, but as you say, it doesn't feel enough. I once asked our female vicar why we only used male pronouns for God and she replied, "God is neither male nor female so we're not saying that God is male", which of course we literally are, and she would not entertain the idea of changing pronouns. It is an ongoing work. Thank you for offering inspiration for the journey.
This is a wonderful post. One comment: There's a great typo in the second to last paragraph: "...the Woman Clothed with the Son." Interesting to think about that meaning! And another comment: It's of course interesting to think about God as non-binary -- exactly how we should be thinking of "them" -- in a time when so many religious (and other) organizations are fighting gender fluidity and trans rights tooth and nail. It all feeds into the dangerous and seditious Christian Nationalism movement, which is also a white male supremacy movement. Thank you, Mark, for keeping us open-hearted.
Thanks for your compassionate and thoughtful reading, Betsy! Agree completely - what better time to use They/Them pronouns for God? Interesting to think about the possibilities of the "Woman Clothed with the Son" (does that take away her power to clothe her with the Messianic Son?). I hate typos so changed it, but that was a good one :)
Just thinking: I kind of feel clothed by MY son. He's in and around me all the time in the most visceral and everlasting way. He's separate from me (as is my daughter, of course, but it's different for me and her -- ) but I wear him with pride and concern and longing. Is that how the Woman is? Is that how God is?
Wow, Betsy - I LOVE that insight! Very powerful.
Thank you for this wonderful and thought-provoking post! I am not unfamiliar with the concept of God as female and when we speak the Creed at church I alternate 'Mother' and 'Father' in the text, but as you say, it doesn't feel enough. I once asked our female vicar why we only used male pronouns for God and she replied, "God is neither male nor female so we're not saying that God is male", which of course we literally are, and she would not entertain the idea of changing pronouns. It is an ongoing work. Thank you for offering inspiration for the journey.
Jacqueline, thank you for reading and wishing you well in this ongoing work!