'I AM' More Than a Man

“‘I AM’ More Than a Man” was preached on March 29, 2016 at Princeton Theological Seminary as part of my “When Sundays Come Quicker Than Sermons” course. It was part of the social justice unit. Inspirations for this sermon include Scripture, feminist theology, inclusive language, and biblical titles for God.

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Exodus 3:1-15

1 Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” 4 When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then [God] said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 [God] said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

7 Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. 10 So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12 [God] said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.”

13 But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” [God] said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I am has sent me to you.’” 15 God also said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’: This is my name forever, and this my title for all generations.”

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A few months ago I preached and led worship at my home congregation First Presbyterian Church in Sterling, Colorado. As the service ended, I said a particular word towards the end of the benediction that left some of the congregation members in shock. Before I fully realized what I had said or how it would be received there, I looked out and saw faces varied with sly smiles or confused glances. While some of the members rejoiced in my word choice, I could tell others felt uncomfortable. When I asked myself why this would be, I made the conclusion the words I spoke must have been somewhat of a new and almost foreign concept. In all honestly, it was different than what most of us are used to when we make a reference to God. After I thought about this more, I realized the problem was I ended the service with a benediction without even explaining what I said or why I said it. Today I wanted to address that conversation.

Let us go back to that benediction. My exact words were, “May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord look upon you with favor and give you her peace.” It is a well-known benediction coming from the book of Numbers, but I made a few addendums with the word choice. We are okay with “his face.” Actually, I am sure some of us did not even notice the word “his” in there. We are used to that. We are comfortable with that. But when I said “her peace,” we seem to notice that one. The word “her” sticks out like a sore thumb, an awkward word placed towards the end of a phrase we know all too well. However, it is not meant to be awkward. It is meant to be inclusive. The idea is if I am going to refer to God with masculine language, I want to then balance it out by referring to God with feminine language. When it was received with shock and confusion, I knew we should have a conversation about why preachers such as myself occasionally use feminine language in reference to God and how I believe it can help us understand who God is and how God reveals Godself to us.

First, throughout Scripture in both the Older and Newer Testament, God is referred to both as male and female figures. In Genesis we are told both male and female alike are created in God’s image. In the Psalms and other Old Testament books God is sometimes referred to as a woman with labor pains and as a woman giving birth. There is an image of God as a midwife delivering humankind from suffering and hostility. Another time God is compared to holding the same compassion for her children as the compassion a woman has as she nurses her child. In some examples God is likened to a mother of humankind and other examples she is likened to a mother to a variety of animals such as bears, eagles, and hens. There is even a parable where God is explained as a woman searching for her lost coin. In other words, God as feminine figure is rooted in Scripture.

Now to the next idea. Whether God is referred to as a mother or a woman or as a king or a father, we must consider what we are actually saying and why we are saying it. We will never be able to fully explain who God is. Our human minds cannot fully grasp this topic. After all, even Moses had to turn his face when looking upon God. But to understand God the best that we can, we need to be open to embracing the variety of ways God reveals Godself to us. Therefore, I find it necessary to use masculine, feminine, and gender-neutral language when talking about God. Whether we refer to God as a male or a female, we must remember God is still God. God has always been God. God will always be God. God is… God.

We hear this in the words God spoke to Moses. When Moses poses God the question, “What is your name?” God responds with a cryptic yet oddly self-explanatory declaration. “I Am who I Am.” In Hebrew to English, this could also be translated as, “I Will Be who I Will Be.” In the years that have passed and in the years to come, the Great “I Am” has and always will be God. The “I Am” is the same God of Moses’ ancestors, the same God of Abraham, the same God of Isaac, the same God of Jacob, the same God of all. Always present, never changing; God as God. The “I Am” as the “I Am.”

I love this name for God. I love it because I do not believe there are words in our human vocabulary that can completely describe or encompass who or what God is. The closest we can say is “God is who God is. God will be who God will be.” Whether we refer to God as a masculine or feminine figure, we are not fully explaining who or what God is, but when we do, we are using words and images that help us understand God even better. Only referring to God as a masculine figure would limit our possibilities of explaining who God is or how God comes to us. By further limiting our vocabulary by only using masculine language in a vocabulary that is already limited by human knowledge constrains the idea of God to a reduced, incomplete, and a not-always-so-well-received figure. Using feminine language to describe God opens doors to new and greater possibilities of understanding the mystery that is God.

Refer to God as a man or refer to God as a woman; just understand that either way we are not fully describing who God is or how God reveals Godself to us. Rather, when we use both masculine and feminine language to describe God, we are expanding our understanding of God while being intentionally inclusive to the people around us. For some of us it is easier for us to see God as a father; for others it might be easier for us to see God as a mother. Be open to the possibility of both. Be open to the possibility of God as a masculine or feminine figure as truly, God is both and God is neither. After all, we are talking about the Creator of everything, everything including gender and the language we use. God as Father; God as Mother; God as the great “I Am.”

God is God. God was God. God will be God. God is who God is. That is enough of a reason to give thanks to God. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; one God, Mother of us all. Amen.

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