Expanding Our Understanding of God


What do you think of when you hear the word, “God”?  Does it conjure up an image or a feeling?  Do you think of a human-like entity?  If so, what gender would you say that entity is? 

For centuries, most of the images portrayed as “God” depict an old, white man, and as a result, many people have engraved that image on their hearts and minds when thinking about who and what God is. This forced limitation stops our creative imaginations about how we encounter, and even interact, with God depending on our interactions with other old, white men. 

The unfortunate reality is that many people have negative associations with men who have held positions of authority over them, and as a result, picturing God as such is a difficult, even traumatic, experience, and hence something to be avoided. The institutional church has been complicit in this approach by only allowing men to have authority for centuries – even though there was a biblical precedent counter to that.

At the same time, we do acknowledge that Jesus himself refers to God as “Abba,” which is best translated as, “Daddy.”  Yes, this is the English word for a male parent, and it also connotes an intimate, caring relationship based on unconditional love, not a relationship based on aggressive dominance.

We are also very aware of our current era where many people are becoming more aware of how gender plays a significant role in school, the work place, and society in that women are still considered “less-than” and unfairly treated in encouragement, opportunities and compensation.

All of this does influence how we approach God in our worship.  Are we imaging a fierce father-figure disappointed with our performance, or a loving, nurturing mother welcoming us at the dinner table? Even those depictions demonstrate a deep gender-bias that inhibit our experience of being with God.

At General Convention this summer, the recognition that our worship can unduly influence the faithful with its gendered language was highlighted in Resolution D046.  The Resolution asks for the ability to explore the use of “expansive-language” in our liturgy.  The intention is to not limit God with a human gender as much as possible, which maintaining the authenticity of our prayers and flow of our language. Many clergy have been using these changes for years; now we can do it legitimately!  Most of the changes are so subtle that they’re not noticeable to many in the pews. 

At St. Barnabas, we have been using the “new, old form” of the Nicene Creed for years, which uses the word “who” in the third paragraph when referring to the Holy Spirit rather than “he.” This change in language doesn’t affect the meaning or intent of the Creed; it expands our understanding of who God is and how God participates in our lives.

I found expansive-language resources for the Eucharist Prayers in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer.  Beginning this Sunday, we will be using Eucharistic Prayer A (Expansive Language) during our worship. Most of the textual changes is in what the priest says, but there is one big difference in what the congregation says, which is in the Sanctus.  We are used to saying (or singing):

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
The subtle change is:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
This is a quote from the book of Isaiah.  Theologians argue whether the individual being referred to is the Messiah or ANYONE coming to do the Lord’s work. The beauty of using “the one” rather and “he” is that it can refer to Christ (a term that has no gender) while not excluding anyone.  This is the very definition of expansive language.
Please note that other things, like the traditional Lord’s Prayer, will not change.  We are not completely eradicating gender-based references to God, but we are being more attentive to the language we use.
Just like any change, it will feel weird and strange at the beginning and it will take time to incorporate into our liturgical heartbeat, but I am asking you to try it, experience it and even learn from it.  The way we pray is the way we believe.  I believe we all want God to be more than we can possibly imagine.
In Christ,
Rev. Valerie+

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