God is My Refuge
If I asked you to draw a picture of Jesus, what would you draw? A shepherd holding a staff or a lost sheep? A light flickering but never going out? A bridegroom? Perhaps, if you are a fan of The Chronicles of Narnia, A lion? A loaf of bread and a cup of grape juice? Or maybe you are more literal and would draw Jesus as a middle eastern man with kind eyes and a glow about him. What about a chicken? Would it occur to you to draw a chicken?
Read:
This is one of a handful of times that scripture uses feminine, maternal imagery in connection with God.
But here’s the thing. If maternal power, awareness, or success were the characteristics Jesus wanted to emphasize, he could have used any number of more-appropriate Old Testament images to make his point.
God as enraged she-bear (Hosea 13:8).
God as soaring mother eagle (Deuteronomy 32:11-12).
God as laboring woman (Isaiah 42:14).
God as mom of a healthy, happy toddler (Psalm 131:2).
God as skilled midwife (Psalm 22:9-10).
But those are not the images he chooses. Instead, on this second Sunday in Lent, Luke’s gospel invites us to contemplate Jesus as a mother hen whose chicks don’t want her.
Now it’s important to note what Jesus the mother hen offers is not the absence of danger, but the fullness of his unguarded, open-hearted, wholly vulnerable self in the face of all that threatens and scares us.
And because of that we are free to face the scary things of life. Even when we push God away. Even when we think we know better. God is still there. There is nothing that can separate us from God’s love. And isn’t that a beautiful thing.
Pray
Loving God,
Who cares for us as tenderly as a hen gathers her chicks, I thank you for your protective, maternal love. When life feels heavy, when I am anxious or afraid, help me to find my refuge under your wings. Help me find the courage to invite others in and be brave in the face of adversity, knowing your wings are wrapped around me.
Amen.