Mothering God, You Gave Me Birth, ELW 735
Devotion
While not identified as a baptismal hymn in Evangelical Lutheran Worship, this beautiful text calls us to imagine God as a divine Mother who births, feeds, nurtures and faithfully tends to us—her children—as we grow. It seems to me to be a beautiful proclamation of the gifts given in baptism.
When I was pregnant with my children, the images of God as Mother fascinated me and drew me more deeply into the mystery of faith. The child in my womb was completely dependent upon me for life, as I am dependent on God. The child "lived, moved, and had its being" (Acts 17) in me, just as I live, move, and have my being in God's love by virtue of my baptism into Christ. And in the same way as I have held my children in arms of (mostly!) patience while they flower into young adults, God holds me, encouraging me to root, grow, and flower in love for God and for my neighbor. And finally, when my baptism is fulfilled in death, I will "know" my Mothering God and rejoice in her presence.
Prayer
Mothering God, nurture us by your patient love, so that we may grow and flower as caring partners with all your creation. Amen.