On Mother’s Day, Tim Reardon spoke about God, Our Mother — a metaphor that helps us to image an aspect of God. Language is powerful, and can provide a lens to envision God more fully. And there is a history in the church of images of God as mother.

In the service, we read from Hosea 11:1-4, where God as parent calls Israel son, teaches Ephraim to walk, takes Israel into his arms and heals them, leads them with human kindness and love, lifts them as one would an infant to the cheek, and bends to feed them.

From there we read from John chapters 16 and 19, where Jesus refers to the sorrow of his death as like the woman giving birth to a child, where pain becomes joy; where Jesus gives his mother and the disciple John to one another; and when Jesus’ side is pierced after death, and blood and water flow out.

Hear in the audio as Tim explores the language of fatherhood interrupted by a parable of a woman giving birth to a child. Yet is this just a parable, or is John pointing to something more?

Who is this woman whose hour has come? Listen to three possibilities.

Hear these reflections in the audio linked below.

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