Happy Christmastide & Happy New Year! Vocal Divine Singing “Our Mother Within Us”

A Happy Christmastide and Happy New Year gift to you: Vocal Divine singing “Our Mother Within Us” at Ebenezer/herchurch Lutheran in San Francisco (Pastor Stacy Boorn).

Vocal Divine (left to right): Lana Dalberg, Dionne Kohler, Alison Newvine, and Kathleen Neville Fritz.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoXLptmIcsg&feature=youtu.be

Our Mother within us so holy and blessed,

You nurture our spirits with comfort and rest.

O give us your wisdom and strength for each day,

and fill us with love for all people we pray.

 

Our Mother within us, so many your names,

revealing our power, you help us to claim

our voices of courage to speak against wrong,

and joy overflowing to sing a new song.

 

O Mother within us, forever abide,

with blessings unfolding and arms open wide;

You give us new visions of life full and fair;

Your angels surround us with tenderest care.

 

Words  © Jann Aldredge-Clanton, from Inclusive Hymns for Liberating Christians (Eakin Press, 2006).

Although many churches limit God to male names and images, Scripture does not limit God to maleness. The Bible gives a multiplicity of divine names and images, including female divine names and images. Maternal divine names and imagery occur throughout the Bible. The prophet Isaiah pictures God as a comforting Mother: “As a Mother comforts Her children, so I will comfort you” (Isaiah 66:13). Biblical maternal images also include a “Nursing Woman” (Isaiah 49:15), “Mother Eagle” (Deuteronomy 32:11-12), and “Mother Hen” (Matthew 23:37).

“Our Mother Within Us” also refers to the biblical call to sing to God a “new song” (Psalm 96:1; 144:9). This new song to a familiar tune is my response with the hope that singing new songs that include female names and images of the Divine will contribute to a new story of love, peace, and justice in the world. Happy New Year with new songs creating this new story!

Vocal Divine creates music for Ebenezer/herchurch Lutheran, San Francisco (http://www.herchurch.org, and plans to branch out to more venues in the coming year. Here is an excerpt from the church’s mission statement: “Our mission is to embody and voice the prophetic wisdom and word of the Divine Feminine, to uplift the values of compassion, creativity and care for the earth and one another. Our purple church is home to a diversity of spiritual traditions and perspectives that are woven together to create a strong, stretchy fabric that provides everyone with ample room to grow.  We are committed to acts of justice and peace as we help shift the worldview from domination systems to mending and caring for the web-of-life.”

Vocal Divine released their first CD, “HER Sacred Songs,” in November. To purchase this CD, contact Alison Newvine: alison.newvine@yahoo.com.