Out Our Way: His mother's voice - 1 Peter 1:13-25

Out our way young calves usually stick close to mama and stay with the herd. Although Tiger Ridge is fenced and we seldom even see coyotes up there, mountain lions still roam the Bear Paws and a lone calf might make a tempting prey.

As it was, Charlie and I were actually just riding fence that day, checking the barbed wire for any loose or broken wire, when we ran across a lone calf. What he was doing out there on his own and so far from the herd is anybody's guess, but he was scared and lost. So Charlie and I started herding him toward the water and good grazing where the main herd could usually be found, and sure enough, after a bit we spotted the main bunch. He saw them and smelled them, too, and let out a calf bawl - and it was quickly answered by his mama. When he heard her call, he started racing toward the herd and she came trotting out calling to him all the way. That was one happy little calf. 

Some time ago the book "The Shack" came out, followed by a film version, and, if you have read it, you know how a broken and devastated man is invited to meet God, and when he arrives, to his amazement - and ours - God appears to him as a loving black woman who embraces him as a long-lost son. There is something in that image of God that somehow speaks more deeply than our typical Michelngelo depiction of a stern looking man with a long beard. At least it did to me. And, in the book, God explains that, at this moment, our devastated and broken-hearted man is needing a mama's love.

Now, of course, God is neither male nor female, but neither is God distant and aloof. Seems Jesus wanted us to get this, for while usually calling God "Abba" - literally "Papa" in Hebrew - He also suggested the image of a mom as equally part of who God is. He used the image of "a mother hen gathering her chicks" (Luke 13:34). There is something special about a mom's love that is also part of God's nature.

Now, my father was a loving man, but also strict and a bit aloof. He was loving, but also stern and somewhat distant. If I fell and skinned my knee, he would likely say something like, "cowboy up," or "Don't be a wimp." He encouraged me to be tough. But sometimes I needed more. I needed a Mom who would hug me and let me cry, embracing me with her love and never shaming my tears.

Well, God is both "Papa" and "Mama" to those who seek to draw close and know God. I guess that is what "The Shack's" portrayal of the Almighty - first as "mama" and later as "papa" - seeks to remind us as we struggle along unknown trails.

Remembering that, the words of encouragement by Peter to the early Church even in times of persecution and hardship seem to take on a deeper and more powerful meaning. So often, like that lost calf, I feel alone and afraid. And then I hear "mama's" voice calling out to me and welcoming me home. 

Be blessed and be a blessing! 

Brother John

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The Rev. John Bruington is the retired pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Havre. He now lives in Colorado, but continues to write "Out Our Way." He can be reached for comment or dialogue at [email protected].