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Good Morning, This week the governing body of the Church of England, the General Synod has affirmed the belief that God is beyond gender and is looking into how this might be better reflected in its language than the masculine gender that has dominated for centuries. Some are arguing for a change of all texts to gender neutral while others would like to keep prayers said for generations such as the Lord’s Prayer which starts Our Father, and they don’t believe you should change God to placate modern issues. But, in truth, there has never been an age where faith, devotion and theology have not been in a creative discussion about the definition of God and what a spiritual life looks like. In my own journey finding the women around Jesus and in the early church in their unwritten history was really important for my calling as a Priest. And discovering texts with God as the Divine feminine, for me, created a deeper possibility of contemplating God. For centuries Christians have recognised that God is both masculine and feminine. In C14th Julian of Norwich writes ‘Jesus Christ therefore, who himself overcame evil with good, is our true Mother.’ The Acts of Thomas an ancient text describing the travels describing the travels of Thomas, a disciple of Jesus travels through India is written in Syriac which, like Hebrew and Aramaic, does not have gender neutral. That only came later with Greek and European languages. He Baptises calling: ‘Come, thou holy name of the Christ that is above every name. Come, compassionate mother, she that revealeth the hidden mysteries… Come, holy spirit.’ As a priest, in retreats and 1-1 spiritual direction I have seen these texts be cathartic for men and women both in their relationship with a transpersonal God and in the intimate support of God as both Father and Mother. But it is natural for new generations to examine ancient questions in new ways. As some people try to find God beyond our current understanding of gender I've heard them call God "The Universe". Inspiration is also being found in the collaboration between physics and metaphysics . There, God is likened to the creative weave of potential in dark matter, which is not visible, but is thought to make up so much of our universe. Whilst others talk of God as the conscious NOW. It is my hope that the church doesn't swap a dominant masculine title for a dominant abstract neutral and lose a creative wealth of intimate and inclusive titles. If we can find the right theological places for a complex language of worship, it will reflect the freedom of a rich relationship with a loving God. The question is can the church provide a language that allows freedom to explore the abstract while providing for a fully inclusive heart felt devotional life.