As an experiment, I have begun working through the hymnal, stopping at familiar hymns and asking "How would this feel, what would this mean, how would this be different if we simply replaced the pronoun for our God-beyond-gender with the other accessible English pronoun that we have, a female one?" I'm not sure what all I might find, but I am looking forward to the process.
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#4 - To God Be the Glory
To God be the glory
Great things she hath done!
So loved she the world
That she gave us her son
who yielded his life, an atonement for sin
And opened the life gate that all may go in!
Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, let the earth here her voice!
Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, let the people rejoice!
Oh come to the Mother through Jesus, the son
And give her the glory, great things she hath done!
Great things she hath done. It takes my breath away. She has done beyond what could be hoped for or dreamed about. She has transcended the possible to accomplish great things. What a word of hope. In a world where I expect to here about a "him" doing great things (of course he did), how differently and gently and beautifully this lands on my ear, to hear that she has done great things. And in what manner?
She so loved the world that she gave her son. The image of a mother giving her son, taking him from her breast, wrenching him away from the very body in which he was formed and from which he has drawn nourishment and found safety. The devastation that she must feel. The emptiness. The enormity of that gift. To hear of a father giving his son, rightly or not, does not ring out in this way for me. I have trouble imagining the tenderness and ache of this action when it comes from a father. But from a mother, the enormity of the sacrifice is illuminated, bringing out shades and dimensions that otherwise may have been unseen. That she would do this, suffer this loss, that her son may have the opportunity to yield his life for the world.
In this act, this giving and yielding, she opens the life gate for all. All. I can picture Mother God, glowing with radiant smile, throwing open the gate, arms outspread in a gesture of welcome, revealing herself, the fullness of female form, strong from holding her children, from birthing them, from lifting and crawling and bouncing; and soft for rocking for nourishing, for soothing aches and pains and the discomfort over the overtired child, made restless by her weariness and unable to sleep. I see this beautiful Mother God with arms outstretched, holding open the gate for all, smiling and offering open words of welcome.
Praise this God! And may we all here what she has to say! What wonderful things must she have to share, what wisdom and love! Oh, let us circle around her and hear her tell us her stories, her joy and her pain. Let us hear from her! Let us see what she has done, her gift and her love, and let us commend her for her bravery and strength, her selflessness and love, her grit and determination! Because she is incredible, and she has shown that to us!
