Theotokos — Mothers of God

The ancients debated whether Mary was Christotokos — the Mother of Christ — or Theotokos — the Mother of God.   But I wonder about the ways that we are all Mothers of God …

Mothers of God

Micah 5:2-5a  Luke 1:39-45;46-55 

Many centuries ago, in the 14^th century, Meister Eckhart, a German priest and mystic, penned the words I used for today’s reflection in the bulletin: “We are all meant to be mothers of God.” Those words have haunted me this week,

pondering the reminder that God is always waiting to be born – born in us and born into the world.

The term “Mother of God’ has a long and distinguished career of debate and heresy. In the fifth century a theological controversy raged about the correct way to describe the role of Mary. On one side, led by Patriarch Nestorius, were those who called her Christotokos, Birth-giver of Christ, or more simply, Mother of Christ. On the other side, led by Cyril of Alexandria, were those who called her Theotokos, which means God-bearer or Mother of God. For those of us living in the twenty-first century, it is hard to have a sense of the depth of passion and the nuance of theology that this debate aroused. The matter was resolved, at least for the church of that day, by a decision of the Third Ecumenical Council held in Ephesus in 431. Cyril and his followers prevailed, and the title Theotokos was bestowed on Mary. Today, it is members of the Orthodox and Eastern Christian churches that are most likely to call Mary Theotokos.

The real issue in that great theological debate was really Christology – the nature of Christ as both human and divine. The focus on Mary was about the ways in which her motherhood was different from the motherhood of all other humans. But the words from Meister Eckhart draw us in a different direction – towards understanding the ways in which Mary’s experience was akin to everyone else’s. If he is correct, then all of us are Theotokos; all of us are God-bearers, mothers of God. So as we come near to the end of the season of Advent, of waiting for the coming of God of human form, we might reflect a bit on our place as Theotokos.

And because we are in a season of nostalgia and memories, I invite you this morning to think back to those people in your own life who have been Theotokos – people who have been God-bearers for you. They may have people of faith, Sunday school teachers or pastors or one of the saints of the church; they may have been family members, neighbors, or friends. They may have been artists, musicians, authors; they may even have been fictional characters. One way or another, they touched your life with God, whether they did it intentionally or unconsciously, in words or in actions, traditionally or idiosyncratically.

Bring to heart (and not just mind) first those people who have named God for you. How did the Theotokos help you to understand who God is and what God wants for you and from you in this life? Was this first image of God one that you have kept up to today, or one that has been replaced by another image? Take a moment to offer a prayer of thanksgiving for this Theotokos in your life. [pause]

Now reflect and bring to your heart a person who has tended you spiritually. How did this Theotokos bring God’s love to you? Did you recognize at the time that you were being offered a sacred gift, or has that understanding come later? Take a moment to offer a prayer of thanksgiving for this Theotokos in your life. [pause]

Invite into your heart someone who has nurtured your faith along the way, someone who has discerned what you need to hear or experience to deepen and enrich your spiritual journey. What did that Theotokos see in you that you had not seen before? What did s/he help you see of God in the world around you? Take a moment to offer a prayer of thanksgiving for this Theotokos in your life. [pause]

Finally, bring to your heart someone who has shown you the way of God’s justice and invited you into action on behalf of those who are hungry, homeless, imprisoned, or suffering. How did that Theotokos embody God’s compassion, and how did s/he awaken your own compassion? How did your encounter with this person change the way you see the world? Take a moment to offer a prayer of thanksgiving for this Theotokos in your life. [pause]

These are, of course, the things that Mary sang about in the lovely passage we know as the Magnificat – the passage which we heard at the beginning of the service, and which we are singing today. I had always thought of the Magnificat as a response to the Annunciation, the visit from the angel Gabriel that brought Mary the news of her surprising and miraculous pregnancy. But if you listened to the passage that Jessica read for us, you will notice that Mary’s song is offered in response to being greeting by her cousin Elizabeth. It is not her song alone, it is a song she shared with another person whom she loved and trusted, another person who had been touched by God.

So it is our song together, we who are part of this community of faith, and all who are part of the greater community of Christendom. It is our song of naming God, caring for each other, nurturing the faith, and changing the world.

So let us all sing Mary’s song today, and let us all put on her blue robe and white veil and enigmatic smile. Let us all claim for ourselves the mysterious and holy name of Theotokos, and let us each of us be a God-bearer in this world where suffering and darkness often seem overwhelming. Let us be bearers of the light that has come into the world, the light that the darkness cannot overcome.

Prayer for December 20, 2009

Almighty and everlasting God, creator of all things seen and unseen, hear now our silent prayers, as we open our hearts to you in the sacred quietness.

God of faith and hope, we bring before you our prayers for those we have named this morning – we especially remember … Bring to each of them the gifts of mercy and grace that are most needed, according to your wisdom and love.

During these holiday preparations, O Lord, we often feel as though we are living two lives. One is full of joy and anticipation, busy with plans for gifts, meals, music, and social gatherings. The other is marked by sadness and disappointment, as we remember loved ones who are gone, and acknowledge the ways in which Christmas never quite meets our expectations.

So we pray this morning for the greatness of heart to honor both of these truths – the brighter and the grayer.

Of course we thank you for the wonders of the season – even for the overwhelmingly cheerful bluster of the commercial and social holiday. The explosion of benevolence that comes at this time of year restores our faith in the goodness and generosity of humanity; the plethora of sentimental stories of hope and compassion are good for our souls.

More deeply, though, we thank you for the profound mystery of the season – for the stirring and humbling realization that you have chosen to live among us, not only in Bethlehem in ancient times, but also in Northfield in our time. We pray that this story of incarnation will be our story all year long, and not just in the dark winter.

And in this dark winter, to be honest, we must also bring you our sadness and disappointment. Some people that we love are not with us this year – separated by death, estrangement, carelessness, misunderstanding, or betrayal. Surely those who came to Bethlehem suffered from these things too, and yet you did not hesitate to enter their lives. Enter, then, into our lives, for we are longing for your presence and comfort.

But perhaps those first Christmas celebrants did not have to reckon with outlandish expectations. Insulate us, we pray, from the economic and social forces that tell us how much we need to be doing and buying, and how happy we are supposed to be. Unloose the bonds of unexamined tradition that bring so much work and anxiety and so little peace and joy. Open our hands that are tightly grasping “how it is supposed to be” so that we may gently receive “how it really is.”

Hear, then, our prayers for all our Christmas moods, because waiting for you stirs up our lives, stirs up our spirits, and stirs up our world. We offer this prayer in the strong name of the one for whom we wait, even Jesus the Christ, and we pray together now in the words that he taught us ….