Rev. Reed Lee Pedersen's
In a previous rambling I discussed the fact that God has no gender. While it is true that gender and biological sex are created means which God is above, why then do we still call God, “Father”? The answer is pretty simple. We know God as Father because we have been made known by the Son. Jesus, the incarnate Son, addresses God the Father many times like in John 14:6-10: Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works.”
Does this not prolong and build up the gender specific way we talk about God? Does this not defend those who seek to use this information to explain why men and women are not equal? This role of Father has less to do with a gender and more to do with a role and more to do with the Triune nature of God (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit). What about addressing God as mother? There is no specific Scripture to support addressing God as a mothering God when using Trinitarian language. That being said, Jesus (the one with whom the Father dwells) relates himself to a mothering hen wishing to spread her wings over the people of Jerusalem (Luke 13:31-35). This can lead us to believe that we can certainly address God as our mothering God. If you think of the stereotypical archetypes of father (protector and provider) and mother (birthing life and nurturer) in terms of role rather than gender you will find that God does indeed fit both categories of Mother and Father. Either way I think it highlights a close relationship with God who is near rather than a distant relationship with a supreme being from far away. In conclusion, we address God as Father because that is what Jesus did. This does not mean God is a man. This does not mean God the Father is a man. Instead, God who has no gender is both mothering and fatherly to and for us. Points to Ponder:
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AuthorPastor Reed is a first call pastor at Augustana Lutheran Church in Andover, Illinois. Archives
July 2019
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