christian@topaz.UUCP (02/11/87)
A couple of weeks ago the Sunday service at my church, and at many United Churches across Canada, was devoted to celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the United Church Women's organization. I expected it to be highly tedious, since the UCW is best known for earnestly baking muffins, but in fact the speaker (a returned missionary to Korea) was lively and interesting and the whole service kept me awake. In view of recent discussions about sex-specific language and liturgy, I thought I would post this four-line benediction which was used at the end of the service: The blessing of the God of Abraham and of Sarah, The blessing of the Son, born of the Virgin Mary, The blessing of the Holy Spirit who broods over us as a mother with her children, be with us all. Now is *anybody* going to say that such a benediction distorts the Christian religion by introducing its female images? Chris