On Sunday, July 20, 2025, Beth Stovell, Professor of Old Testament and Chair of General Theological Studies at Ambrose University in Calgary, preached for us via Zoom. She spoke about the imagery of God as both a Warrior and as a Mother. Both analogies are complicated in their own way, but they both show up in the Scriptures and are relevant to our understanding of Jesus. In Isaiah 42, God comforts his people, currently in exile, by telling them of a servant who'll come to them and act as their champion. This servant will suffer with them, suffer for them, and bring justice to his people. We know today that this servant was Jesus, and he carried out the role both as a warrior, who fights and protects, and a mother, who waits quietly until it is their time to labor and create new life. [JL]
