God is not a Man

So, the other night in Vespers our speaker prayed, "Mother, God..." and... then, of course people started freaking out... well, from what I've seen via media outlets. Which is fine, I understand the tension of calling God a woman. I'm not calling God a woman. I'm also not going to call him a man. Yes, dominantly, the character traits we put on God are masculine. 

But, there are beautiful characteristics that come from our mothers. I want to think of God with those characteristics as well, not just strong and protective. Yes, those are wonderful characteristics of God. And I do not want to be without those, but... I want to think of God as nurturing and gentle as well. I want to think of God holding me closely and being kind, and attentive.
I just wish people would look at this other side of God. Because God is not a man. There is a song, by Michael Gungor entitled "God is Not a White Man"
These are some of his lyrics:
God is not a man
God is not a white man
God is not a man sitting on a cloud

God cannot be bought
God will not be boxed in
God will not be owned by religion


God is love. 

Really, meditate on those lyrics. I think we're all guilty of putting God in a box, and part of that box is giving him a gender.