Mother hen

Such a good sermon today about Jesus being a mother hen. It's based on this verse...

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!"
Luke 13:33-35

When we think of an animal that represents Jesus, it's often a lion or something strong, but Jesus compares himself to a mother hen.
Sid was saying how there have been records of when hen houses catch on fire they will find the mother hen scarred and burned and underneath her are the baby chicks alive and well, saved by the devoted mother.
Just like Jesus sacrificed himself to save us.

Jesus wants to gather us under his wing and protect us and care for us... are we willing?
...are we willing to let go of our own plans?
...are we willing to trust that Jesus will protect us from troubles?

Jerusalem wasn't willing and often we are rebel chicks running away from our mother's loving care and warm safe wings.

For me it seems like each day it's a struggle to just trust.
To not worry,
not stress,
not try to do everything on my own.
I feel like I keep wandering away from the safety of the mother hen when I put the weight of everything on myself instead of trusting God to be my strength and trust that he's taking care of everthing.

Jesus gives us such a lesson by calling himself a mother hen. He humbles himself to a female fowl, totally opposite of what a strong leader is expected to be. But also asking us to humble ourselves to be willing to be baby chicks who don't need to find all their own food or venture out on their own, but just need to be gathered under loving wings.