Non-Masc Names for God

The Bible is not shy about using creative language for God. In a world where patriarchy was the rule, the fact that any female images showed up for God is impressive. And there are plenty of them, like this one:

As an eagle stirs up her nest and hovers over her young,

as she spreads her wings, takes them up, and bears them aloft on her pinions,

the LORD alone guided [her people]. - Deut. 32:11-12

But it’s not just the feminine images - it’s the reality that the Bible use, what Brenna Rubio called in her brilliant sermon yesterday, ‘genderful’ language for God. Take this verse for instance:

You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth. - Deut 32:18

God is pictured as both male AND female in the very same verse! Surely that suggests that God is not overly concerned with what language we use in prayer and worship and in our journals and in our books.

The real question that Brenna challenged us with is this: When you think of the names you call God, what does it show about who you understand God to be? Perhaps you’ve only used male images of God your whole life (like “Father” and “Lord”). Is there a way that has limited your capacity to see the fullness of God? And are there ways that has limited your ability to see God’s full image in humans who don’t match those descriptions of God?

Take some time to ponder these questions and to think about how you want to address God.