Metaphors for God - Mother and Father

For the past couple of weeks we have been exploring the question, “What is God like?”

This is a really big question! One way that we have been learning more about what God is like is looking at metaphors for God in the Bible. A metaphor can help us know what God is like by comparing God to things we understand well. Last week we thought about God as a shepherd taking care of their sheep. Today, we will be looking at some verses in the Bible where God is compared to a mother and a father.

Bible Verses

Psalm 91:4; Isaiah 66:13; Matthew 23:37, Luke 11:1-4

Wondering Questions

If we think of God like our mother or father, what can we learn about who God is and what God is like?

  • I wonder what a mother or father does for their children?

  • I wonder what God wants to do for us?

  • I wonder what God feels towards us?

Video + Songs

Animals Parents video - Watch real animal parents take care of their babies! Didn’t God make amazing creatures? It’s fun to see all different kinds of families and how they care for each other.

Good Good Father song - This song with actions focuses on God as a father–a good good father who loves us so much!

Take Care of Me song - This song is a joyful celebration! When we trust God’s love for us, it can feel really happy!

Read Aloud: When God Was a Little Girl by David R. Weiss and Joan Hernandez Lindeman

It might be easy for us to imagine God as a parent or caregiver who takes care of, comforts, and protects us, but what if we imagine God as a child instead of a grown-up? We are all made in the image of God - it doesn’t matter if we are young or old. In fact, God came to be with us as a baby, when God could have chosen to come as anything in the world. Today, Evelyn will read to us this story of God imagined as a little girl joyfully creating our world. (And as much as I tried to avoid it, you’ll hear joyful baby noises in the background, as well as the grown-up taking care of him!)

Prayer

Loving Parent Prayer.png

Thanks for joining us today! Next week we will look at even more metaphors for God to learn more about what God is like. Happy week!