Motherly Father, Fatherly Mother
Sunday, May 8th, 2005
Easter 7
Jerusalem Baptist Church, Emmerton VA
Proverbs 31:10-15a, 20, 25-28, 30
E Frank Tupper was one of my theology professors at Southern. He also happened to be a fellow member at Crescent Hill Baptist Church while I was there. His was the first class I took in “the big room” next to the student lounge and above the old post office. It was a huge auditorium, really, where the seats and desks were arranged in an ascending arch going all the way to the back, where the sound and tech support desk was.
I had Introduction to Theology there with Dr. Tupper. He is from Mississippi, and loves country music. He used to quote Willy Nelson freely, both in class and from the pulpit. And had a sense of humor that always drew a laugh from most of those seated before him.
One of the earlier sessions we had dealt with basic language about God. Specifically, the use of the male pronoun “he” when referring to God, and the inadequacy of human speech to portray or address a transcendent God. The discussion revolved around the fact that God is neither male nor female, but that over the course of history, that “he” has become the common method by which to refer to God in the pronoun form. Dr. Tupper was intentional in mixing pronouns, or in eliminating them altogether, by using the word “God” again and again instead of using the pronoun. To be honest, it was cumbersome to listen to, as well as to use. There are times when it is just easier to use the commonly accepted forms when referring to God.
But the point was driven home to me through friendships with women whose stories made it sometimes difficult if not impossible for them to think of God in male terms, because of terrible things that had happened in their lives, and it is one I hope I don’t neglect. The morning that Dr. Tupper referred to God as neither Male nor female, but one whom the Bible describes as a ‘Fatherly Mother, and a Motherly Father’, was one of those times that I realized that what I’d just heard would probably stick with me for the rest of my life.
There are, of course, plenty of examples in the scriptures of God displaying attributes we generally associate with masculinity, but there are, amidst the images of an avenging, wrathful, angry God, images of a God who gathers his children under his wings, like a mother hen protecting her chicks, images of a God who sets a table for us in the presence of our enemies, or grieves like a mother who has lost a child. And there are images, those that have become so familiar and even the favorite to some, of a God who will do whatever needs to be done to rescue a lost sheep, or a God who wipes every tear away.
So our images of God trigger in our minds not only pictures of the men in our lives, but of the women as well. Can any of us here today recall a special Sunday school teacher who expressed her concern to and for us in such a way that it has made an impact on our lives ever since then? Can we point to some event when an aunt, or a grandmother, or a mother, or even a sister made a statement, whether in word or deed, which fleshed out what living by faith the life of Christ meant to the point where we have carried that with us for the rest of our lives?
You’ve heard me share stories of my mother, my Sunday School teacher, my aunts over the last couple of years. I don’t especially want to repeat them. I want you to picture in your mind such an event, or such a person, whether she was related to you or not, and acknowledge her … to God.
How many women in your life can you think of right now that you can thank God for putting there? How many of those events can you think back on and say to yourself, ‘yeah, God really was present there.’
I had the profound privilege to be present early Friday morning at the birth of Cesar Cervantes, born to Elvira at 3 AM at Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, 15 or 20 minutes after we got into the Labor and Delivery room (but that’s a whole other story). Elvira has another son, who is two, whom she left back in Mexico with her parents while she came here to make some money to support her family. She’d been told after HE was born that she’d be unable to bear any more children. So Cesar was unexpected.
The situation he has been born into is not an easy one by any stretch of the imagination. His father vanished shortly after finding out that he was going to BE a father. Elvira was taken in by a couple of her uncles and a cousin, and they have become both father figures to her and her cousin has already dropped into the role of doting uncle to Cesar.
I can’t say from here what kind of a mother Elvira will turn out to be. That has yet to be seen. What I can say is that motherhood comes naturally to her. She has a huge dose of common sense, which goes a long way towards balancing out any lack of education in her background. She is courageous, insofar as she chose to travel to this place so far from her home in order to support her family and her son, and she is honestly straightforward in her dealings with me. She speaks simply, doesn’t try to couch things in nice words when she is trying to get her point across. I think Cesar has a good chance. Just as he will have a strong mother, he will also have plenty of men who will be father figures for him. My hope is that, in the absence of the real deal, they, the family, will draw a balance. He will be exposed to both a fatherly mother and motherly fathers. Men who care for and tend to him as much as women would, who will show him the value of being part of an extended family, and women who model for him as much as men would what it means to be strong and self-reliant.
Speaking of families, our family of faith here at Jerusalem was blessed this past week in a way that might have gone unnoticed. Some of you may have noticed the National Day of Prayer flyer and sign-up sheet on the bulletin board in the hallway. Some of you who were here Wednesday heard me say that you could sign up for half-hour slots during the twenty-four hour period the day of prayer lasted, from Wednesday evening through Thursday evening. You also heard me say that signing your name wasn’t necessary in order TO fill a particular slot with prayer. I didn’t get a chance to check the sign up sheet until late Thursday evening.
There’s another image of God that we find in scripture, of the one who waits for us, the one who stays up and watches for us to come home. In a similar fashion, those persons who committed themselves to a dedicated time of prayer – whether they put their names down or not, were fleshing out that image of God in my mind. There were about six or seven slots filled, spread throughout the twenty four hours.
I caught a glimpse of God when I looked over the names. I’m not going to name them to you. They know who they are. But YOU need to know, as a congregation, that if we ever lose sight of a God who loves us like a mother loves her children and gives herself to them, or spends her time praying for the family of faith that we call Jerusalem Baptist Church, we will have lost a part of our souls.
So be thankful to God for the way God shows God’s self to us – whether through men or women, God is God, and God uses us ALL to make God’s presence known. But especially today, be thankful for the women through whom God has shown God’s self to you.
Let’s pray.
Sunday, May 8th, 2005
Easter 7
Jerusalem Baptist Church, Emmerton VA
Proverbs 31:10-15a, 20, 25-28, 30
10 A capable wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. 11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. 12She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. 13She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. 14She is like the ships of the merchant, she brings her food from far away. 15She rises while it is still night and provides food for her household 20She opens her hand to the poor, and reaches out her hands to the needy. 25Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. 26She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. 27She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. 28Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband too, and he praises her: 30Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
E Frank Tupper was one of my theology professors at Southern. He also happened to be a fellow member at Crescent Hill Baptist Church while I was there. His was the first class I took in “the big room” next to the student lounge and above the old post office. It was a huge auditorium, really, where the seats and desks were arranged in an ascending arch going all the way to the back, where the sound and tech support desk was.
I had Introduction to Theology there with Dr. Tupper. He is from Mississippi, and loves country music. He used to quote Willy Nelson freely, both in class and from the pulpit. And had a sense of humor that always drew a laugh from most of those seated before him.
One of the earlier sessions we had dealt with basic language about God. Specifically, the use of the male pronoun “he” when referring to God, and the inadequacy of human speech to portray or address a transcendent God. The discussion revolved around the fact that God is neither male nor female, but that over the course of history, that “he” has become the common method by which to refer to God in the pronoun form. Dr. Tupper was intentional in mixing pronouns, or in eliminating them altogether, by using the word “God” again and again instead of using the pronoun. To be honest, it was cumbersome to listen to, as well as to use. There are times when it is just easier to use the commonly accepted forms when referring to God.
But the point was driven home to me through friendships with women whose stories made it sometimes difficult if not impossible for them to think of God in male terms, because of terrible things that had happened in their lives, and it is one I hope I don’t neglect. The morning that Dr. Tupper referred to God as neither Male nor female, but one whom the Bible describes as a ‘Fatherly Mother, and a Motherly Father’, was one of those times that I realized that what I’d just heard would probably stick with me for the rest of my life.
There are, of course, plenty of examples in the scriptures of God displaying attributes we generally associate with masculinity, but there are, amidst the images of an avenging, wrathful, angry God, images of a God who gathers his children under his wings, like a mother hen protecting her chicks, images of a God who sets a table for us in the presence of our enemies, or grieves like a mother who has lost a child. And there are images, those that have become so familiar and even the favorite to some, of a God who will do whatever needs to be done to rescue a lost sheep, or a God who wipes every tear away.
So our images of God trigger in our minds not only pictures of the men in our lives, but of the women as well. Can any of us here today recall a special Sunday school teacher who expressed her concern to and for us in such a way that it has made an impact on our lives ever since then? Can we point to some event when an aunt, or a grandmother, or a mother, or even a sister made a statement, whether in word or deed, which fleshed out what living by faith the life of Christ meant to the point where we have carried that with us for the rest of our lives?
You’ve heard me share stories of my mother, my Sunday School teacher, my aunts over the last couple of years. I don’t especially want to repeat them. I want you to picture in your mind such an event, or such a person, whether she was related to you or not, and acknowledge her … to God.
How many women in your life can you think of right now that you can thank God for putting there? How many of those events can you think back on and say to yourself, ‘yeah, God really was present there.’
I had the profound privilege to be present early Friday morning at the birth of Cesar Cervantes, born to Elvira at 3 AM at Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, 15 or 20 minutes after we got into the Labor and Delivery room (but that’s a whole other story). Elvira has another son, who is two, whom she left back in Mexico with her parents while she came here to make some money to support her family. She’d been told after HE was born that she’d be unable to bear any more children. So Cesar was unexpected.
The situation he has been born into is not an easy one by any stretch of the imagination. His father vanished shortly after finding out that he was going to BE a father. Elvira was taken in by a couple of her uncles and a cousin, and they have become both father figures to her and her cousin has already dropped into the role of doting uncle to Cesar.
I can’t say from here what kind of a mother Elvira will turn out to be. That has yet to be seen. What I can say is that motherhood comes naturally to her. She has a huge dose of common sense, which goes a long way towards balancing out any lack of education in her background. She is courageous, insofar as she chose to travel to this place so far from her home in order to support her family and her son, and she is honestly straightforward in her dealings with me. She speaks simply, doesn’t try to couch things in nice words when she is trying to get her point across. I think Cesar has a good chance. Just as he will have a strong mother, he will also have plenty of men who will be father figures for him. My hope is that, in the absence of the real deal, they, the family, will draw a balance. He will be exposed to both a fatherly mother and motherly fathers. Men who care for and tend to him as much as women would, who will show him the value of being part of an extended family, and women who model for him as much as men would what it means to be strong and self-reliant.
Speaking of families, our family of faith here at Jerusalem was blessed this past week in a way that might have gone unnoticed. Some of you may have noticed the National Day of Prayer flyer and sign-up sheet on the bulletin board in the hallway. Some of you who were here Wednesday heard me say that you could sign up for half-hour slots during the twenty-four hour period the day of prayer lasted, from Wednesday evening through Thursday evening. You also heard me say that signing your name wasn’t necessary in order TO fill a particular slot with prayer. I didn’t get a chance to check the sign up sheet until late Thursday evening.
There’s another image of God that we find in scripture, of the one who waits for us, the one who stays up and watches for us to come home. In a similar fashion, those persons who committed themselves to a dedicated time of prayer – whether they put their names down or not, were fleshing out that image of God in my mind. There were about six or seven slots filled, spread throughout the twenty four hours.
I caught a glimpse of God when I looked over the names. I’m not going to name them to you. They know who they are. But YOU need to know, as a congregation, that if we ever lose sight of a God who loves us like a mother loves her children and gives herself to them, or spends her time praying for the family of faith that we call Jerusalem Baptist Church, we will have lost a part of our souls.
So be thankful to God for the way God shows God’s self to us – whether through men or women, God is God, and God uses us ALL to make God’s presence known. But especially today, be thankful for the women through whom God has shown God’s self to you.
Let’s pray.
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