God Is A Woman

I have this image of a church leader, red-faced and voice elevated, telling me in no-uncertain terms, “You cannot call God ‘she’ because he has no gender!” Ah, the irony. Jesus might see things a bit differently…

Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.  - Luke 15:8-10 

There’s something in this passage that few of us focus on. It’s so out there, so obvious.In this parable, God is pictured as a woman. Jesus is using an image of God that is female.

Let that sink in.

So think about these questions, and ponder how a simple pronoun change how we experience scripture. These questions are all based entirely on the passage Jesus taught, so sit with them, letting the questions inspire your imagination… and then pray when you are done reflecting.

• How much does She desire to find those who are lost?

• How excited is She when one wayward soul comes back home?

• How much joy does She have in heaven?