This week’s sermon from Pastor Eric is about the multidimensional reality of motherhood / womanhood / personhood, moving beyond shallow holiday ideals to acknowledge the visceral grief, joy, and political struggle inherent in the experience. Pastor Eric draws on the story of Mary, mother of Jesus, to challenge the traditional religious approaches to her—either ignoring her or turning her into a sanitized, passive icon. Both strip Mary of her humanity.

By examining biblical narratives through a feminist theological lens, Pastor Eric helps us meet Mary as a complex, relatable woman who faced systemic violence and displacement, along with the typical stresses of parenting. As with women across time, motherhood is only one facet of her identity. As such, we are invited to celebrate the "thousand different women" an individual becomes throughout their life. Ultimately, this invitation is for all of us: to honor the full spectrum of one’s history and the evolving journey of human becoming.