Royree Jensen preaches on the mother heart of Father God at Rivers Apostolic Centre on Mother's Day
A Mother's Day sermon and service at Rivers Apostolic Centre, featuring Aaron Salisbury, Apostle Royree Jensen, and several congregation members sharing from a recent conference in Adelaide.
Summary
A full Mother's Day church service at Rivers Apostolic Centre opens with Ps Aaron Salisbury preaching on the wedding at Cana before Apostle Royree Jensen delivers a theologically rich sermon titled "The Mother Heart of Father God."
The service opens with Ps Aaron Salisbury preaching on the wedding at Cana (John 2), drawing out the symbolism of the six water pots — representing mankind emptied under the law — being filled with water (purification) and transformed into the best wine (blessing and celebration), with Mary's intercession as a Mother's Day centrepiece. This is followed by communion, tithing, and the honouring of mothers in the congregation, including Sue Crawford (honoured for her tireless service to the church) and Deb Hammond (honoured for years of mothering before preparing to go to Cambodia on mission).
She then delivers a theologically rich message arguing that the femininity of God is expressed throughout Scripture — from the name El Shaddai (meaning "the many-breasted one") to the mercy of God being linguistically derived from the Hebrew word for womb. Jensen also shares that the early church referred to the Holy Spirit in the feminine, and that Jesus himself used feminine imagery when speaking of Jerusalem. Several congregation members also share reflections from a recent intercessory conference in Adelaide, which drew on the legacy of missionary Ed Miller and his connection to Argentine revival.
She closes with a personal story about her mother, whom she lost in early childhood, illustrating through a childhood memory involving a tooth fairy and her grandmother's false teeth how mercy and grace triumphing over judgment can open a child's heart to the supernatural.
The Faith Missions Giving campaign reached $55,601 for the 2026–2027 year, with Jensen believing for $65,000.
Key Takeaways
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Opening Worship and Communion
Aaron Salisbury: Jesus, we love your name. And it's sweeter every time. Let's just say the name of Jesus. Jesus. We love your name, Lord. Wow, let's just take a minute to worship. Jesus, you are the fullness. You're the fullness of the blessing. You are not dead. You are alive. And you're here in this place today. You're seated on the throne and you're here with us. We love you, Jesus. Amen and amen.
Well, great to see you, church. Happy Mother's Day to our amazing mums. We love you. Life would just absolutely be terrible without you. You make life awesome. Can we say that? Children, you make life awesome.
I want to just acknowledge my mum today. She's here — Marie. And I'm reflecting back when I was a teenager. In our family, we had three boys, and someone defined boys really well: noise with dirt on. And that was us growing up. We'd be playing cricket until we couldn't feel our feet, it was so cold. And Mum would be yelling, "Come on, get in, get in. It's dinner time." I just wanted to acknowledge my mum today because she would pull things out of nowhere. We would have nothing in the cupboard that I could see. I'd go in the kitchen: I'm hungry, I can't see food. Mum goes in the kitchen — voilà, a feast arrives. And I want to pick that up because in John 2 we have a similar situation. Mothers know how to make a home a place of blessing. Dads are not so good at that, but we've got other strengths. But we're honouring mums today.
Let's read John 2. This story is written by John — the guy that Jesus said on the cross, "Can you look after my mum?" Isn't that cool? John has an adopted mum. John's the son that she never knew she was getting. Isn't that awesome? So to all the mums who adopt out there, God bless you.
"On the third day there was a wedding, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they had run out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to him, 'They have no wine.' Jesus said to her, 'Woman, what does your concern have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.'"
Jesus is not looking for ministry. He is not coming to this wedding going, "This is my chance." He is so rested in the Father's timing. And he's like, "What has this got to do with me?" And Mary's like, "Ah, but I know who you are. Because the angel showed up and told me. And I've been carrying you. And I've been looking after you. And now it is your time. I'm telling you, it's your time. I was there in the beginning and I said, let it be according to your word."
"His mother said to the servants, 'Whatever he says, do it.'"
And she probably just walks away. Think about what was going on for Jesus. He showed up to this ceremony, probably thinking about the symbolism of the wedding. He's thinking, "I am called as the bridegroom. I'm coming for a bride. Father promised me a bride." He's thinking about the symbolism, the calling on his life to be the bridegroom.
But he sees six water pots. Now these water pots were empty. What did they symbolize?
"Now there were six water pots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty to thirty gallons apiece."
That's about 75 to 120 litres per pot made out of clay. That's about 600 litres total. How much water do you need to wash your hands? This is a lot of water.
"Jesus said to them, 'Fill the water pots with water,' and they filled them up to the brim. And then he said to them, 'Draw some out now and take it to the master of the feast.' And they took it. When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine..."
Everyone say "tasted." Where else does it say that in the Bible? Taste and see that the Lord is good. We were singing that, weren't we?
"...and did not know where it had come from — but the servants who had drawn the water knew — the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, 'Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. But you have kept the good wine until now.'"
Mary knew where it came from. And the servants knew what had happened. Guess who got the praise? Guess who got the glory? The bridegroom. And he said it out loud in front of everybody.
This is the beginning of the signs. This is Jesus' first miracle. And it involves his mum. Happy Mother's Day, mums.
The Symbolism of Water and Wine
Aaron Salisbury: There's so much we can draw out of this passage of Scripture. We could draw out the fact that another time in the Word where water gets turned to wine — or rather water gets turned to blood — is with Moses at the Nile, at the point of deliverance. That was a picture of judgment. It wasn't just the Nile River; it said any water in any basin. Any bath that was filled, any basket, anything that had water in it at that time turned into blood. That spoke of judgment.
We could also draw out the fact that the water in this particular passage is talking about ceremonial washing, cleansing. The law required that when you entered the house, you were to wash. It was a symbolism of "he who has clean hands and a pure heart can ascend, can come into the house of the Lord." So Jesus uses the pitchers as a symbolism of himself.
What's the number six represent? It means mankind. On the sixth day, God created us. So the six water pots represent man. They had already been emptied out to fulfil the law. But man was still unclean. Jesus says to the servants, "Fill up the pitchers — fill them up to full." It even says to the brim. He's filled it up with water. What does that represent for us when we come to him? It represents that in Jesus, all of the purification that the law requires is fulfilled.
It's still good to wash your hands, isn't it? But what can wash away our sin? Only the blood of Jesus. So not only is he the living water, it transforms into wine. This is our God's heart. He just doesn't bring us up from below zero. The water brings us up to being clean. But what does the heart of the Lord want to do? He wants to pour out his new wine. What is wine for? It's for blessing. It's for celebration.
Here is the heart of our God. In the death of Jesus is the water to wash your sin. But it doesn't stop there. Because the water converts to wine. And it's not just okay wine — it's the best. What is the heart of the Lord? That there would be celebration in the house. That there would be joy. Does God want you just to be clean from your sins? Absolutely. But he also wants something more. Blessing. He wants you blessed.
This is such an overflow of the mother heart of God. Mothers only want their kids to be blessed — abundantly blessed. I just want to bless all the mums in the house. You know how to call on the Lord to do something with nothing. Mums, you know how to do it yourself, but he knows how to do it even more. And I just bless every mum in this house, particularly those who are believing for children not walking with the Lord right now. God's turning their nothing into something.
Communion, Tithes, and Missions Giving
Aaron Salisbury: Everyone say this with me: blessed coming in, blessed going out, and blessed in between. Jesus, we honour you. Your first miracle. We honour the blood of the Lamb. The wine today. As we drink and we eat, we remember you and we celebrate you. Taste and see that the Lord is good. Come and eat of the table that's being prepared for you today. Eat of Jesus — everything you need. There's particular joy in the wine today. So make sure you get into the joy of the Lord. Amen.
We're praying for those who are heading out on mission. I want to make a mention of an amazing mum in the house. Deb Hammond is an awesome mum. She took on a beautiful young girl at the age of eight months and she mothered her beautifully all the way up until now, and she's now a young lady. And Deb finally has the freedom to go and do the desires of her heart. So please pray for her as she prepares to go to Cambodia at the end of June. Debbie, we honour you today for being an amazing mum. We bless you today.
Part of our FMG this year — we couldn't land on a particular scripture, so we chose three that are so pertinent to the blessing of the Lord and the abundance of the Lord. As we consider our tithes, offerings, and missions giving today, today is the last day, technically, to bring your coins in, that you were writing your pledge and stepping out in faith to support missions. So the missions baskets are there. You're welcome to put your token in if you haven't already. And today, James is going to be tallying that for us, and Royree is going to be announcing what our amount is for the 2026–2027 FMG campaign. So we're super excited about what the Lord is doing.
Psalm 65 says — and the truth is we have to give the Lord all the glory for that, because we're just not that good and he's just that good.
I was driving along Park Road about a week ago and I was thinking about my own family. I bless my mum today, who's in South Africa. She's 88 years old and she's just been a beautiful and amazing mum and provider for our family and then for our extended family. But I was thinking of a blessing that she and my dad gave me as a daughter, and I was saying, "Lord, how am I going to be able to do that for my children? I really want to be able to bless my children in that area. Lord, give me strategies. Help me to be wise. Help me to do this." And I didn't think about it again. I was just having a thankful conversation with the Lord about my mum and about my parents, driving along.
And last week on Sunday, somebody put a dedicated offering into the first fruits basket for me personally. It was addressed to me personally. And what they gave me — whoever it was, I bless you and give the Lord thanks for that — will give me the ability to bless my children like my family blessed me. God is so good. He answers our prayers. And I wasn't even thinking about receiving anything. I was thinking about what do I need to do. But the Lord is generous. He's generous to the mums. And he helps us when our heart's cry is for our children.
One of the verses we have for FMG this year is Psalm 65. I'm going from verse five:
"You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God, our Saviour. You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail on distant seas. You formed the mountains by your power and armed yourself with mighty strength. You quieted the raging oceans with their pounding waves and silenced the shouting of the nations. Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders. From where the sun rises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy. You take care of the earth and water it, making it rich and fertile. The river of God has plenty of water. It provides a bountiful harvest of grain, for you have ordered it so. You drench the plowed ground with rain, melting the clouds and levelling the ridges. You soften the earth with showers and bless its abundant crops. You crown the year with a bountiful harvest. Even the hard pathways overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the wilderness become a lush pasture and the hillsides blossom with joy. The meadows are clothed with flocks of sheep and the valleys are carpeted with grain. They all shout and sing for joy."
Let's stand together and joyfully bring our tithes, our offerings, and our missions giving to the one who is worthy and who deserves all the praise.
Honouring Mothers in the House
Aaron Salisbury: Well, this morning we have the opportunity to say thank you to all of the mums for the amazing love that you give your children and that you give into this community. If you popped in this morning, you would have been stopped and blessed with a happy Mother's Day. There are some picture frames outside as a gift for you to take with you. If you're visiting with us, please take one of those with you. There are a couple of youngsters who are taking photographs as well in front of a beautiful space there. And you can either put that in your frame — but no doubt the mums will put pictures of their kids in the frame instead of themselves. But hey, you'll have a photo on your phone.
Today we wanted to particularly honour two mums in the house. There's a beautiful morning tea for all of the mums. And welcome to all of the visitors, including two visitors from Melbourne as well. Bless you, so nice to have you in the house.
But today we wanted to honour a mum in the house who is just epically a mum. Everything that she does is to love the children of God. She is kind. She is caring. She gets up early. She stays up late. She works in business. But she works in this house like a mum does. She comes early. She stays late. And she cleans up the mess of everybody else in the house. And she does this quietly without wanting to be honoured or blessed publicly. But it is good to honour. So this morning, we want to rise up and say thank you, Sue Crawford, for being the most amazing mum in this house. Hallelujah.
We brought you a little gift. These are like little gumboot things — because Sue's never going to rest, she's just going to keep on blessing and blessing. They've got a little bit of fur on the inside. She's got some comfort while she's doing her mucking about. So yeah, we love you, Sue. And we bless you abundantly. Awesome woman of God. We love you. And beautiful to have Sue's grandies in the house as well, blessing her. She is beloved by her family, and she's also beloved by many other families across the globe, as it turns out. So we bless her.
We also have another woman in the house who is powerful. She's strong. She's kind. She's caring. She's wise, and she's compassionate. She will say she is not pastoral, but she's probably one of the most pastoral people that I've ever met. And today we get blessed to hear from her the word, but we want to bless you, Apostle Royree Jensen, for being one of the most amazing mums on the planet. We love you.
Reflections from the Adelaide Conference
Royree Jensen: Good day, everybody. How are you? Praise God. Thank you. Thank you, Wendy. Thank you, church. Mother's Day. My goodness. Hallelujah.
Well, last week I was not here — I was in Adelaide, doing a conference down there. And there were some ladies from this house who came with me, because 27 years ago they were involved in something that I was doing in South America. And it's funny how the wheel goes round — a quarter of a century later, the secondary purpose of that trip to Argentina lands here in Australia, in Adelaide. Quite amazing. God keeps stuff on record. He doesn't forget. And if you only knew the cycles that he has going on in your life, we would not be so surprised at his goodness, and we would be gobsmacked when he shows up the way that he does.
We're not going to talk about that conference much today — I'm happy to talk with others afterwards if you would like. But there are mothers in the house here who were — we were all teenagers together, some of us. And so Andrew's already honoured Marie, and I want to too, as being one of my very dearest friends. A mother in this house forever and ever, who still prays and considers each one of you. She's just a mum who makes something out of nothing.
I'm going to ask Marie to come up. And I'm going to ask Ruth Ford to come up. And Lucia to come up. Now, I've spoken with Kim today — Kim, give us a wave. Kim was also at the conference but was not with us in Argentina, and so has said she'd rather not come up, but she has things to share with you if you want to know about it later. So thank you, Kim. But the other three, I just ask if you'd come up and give us a couple of minutes on how you felt, what you felt about the conference.
Marie: The night before I heard about this conference, I had a dream. And it was just such a real dream that when Royree rang me and told me, I started weeping — and who knows, I'm not given to tears very much. But I knew that I was going to be a part of this conference. And just like I go to my cupboard to pack and I found clothes that I hadn't ever worn — this one being one of them. And I thought, oh, why haven't I worn that? I even found it's got pockets, and girls love pockets. And then you wouldn't think there was stuff in here that you'd never seen or never found.
If I tell people: I haven't yet landed back home. I still think I'm coming in for a landing, if I ever do again. Because the Lord opened up a realm to me that I wasn't looking for, didn't know I missed. Cycles — 40 years ago, I got so hungry for God that I started seeking the baptism of the Holy Spirit and found stuff that was in here that I didn't know about. It made me like a hungry person. I couldn't get enough. This conference has opened up another realm to me that I have not seen — that it's possible. So revelation was the major thing for me, because scriptures kept coming up. And I saw all these different tracks I could run down. I haven't got enough time in the day to run down them all.
We've been watching The Chosen, so it's very real to me how Jesus walked and worked with the twelve guys that he picked out of nowhere. And it just so dovetailed into the revelations for the now. 40 years later. A cycle of 40 years — you only get a couple of them in your lifetime. But there were a lot of little stages along the way. And next year and this year, Malcolm and I both enter into that amazing privilege.
Lucia: When she called me just before the conference, she wanted to ask me lots of questions about what we did. My brain went a bit funny because it was so long ago. But it's amazing how the Lord reminds you what you have done or where you've been. And then Ps Royree asked me, did I want to come to this conference? She had been invited. And I thought, what have I to give? So I thought, well, Ps Royree asked me, I will do it because I'm obedient — trying.
So I went. And it was an amazing conference for me. It opened my eyes to see about intercession, which I never really considered myself an intercessor. I pray when the Lord prompts me to pray for whoever he prompts me to pray, but I would never call myself an intercessor. But it was an eye-opener for me in a sense to see how intercession is not what I understood. The Spirit of the Lord opened my eyes to see another realm of intercession which I had never seen before.
Also, it was freeing for me, because you only have to pray for whoever the Lord puts in your heart. You don't have to pray for everyone or everything. So it was quite — the longer I do what he says, I'm all right. And I don't have to cover it all, and I don't have to feel guilty. I felt freedom. And that was very amazing for me.
Also, it was an eye-opener because they pray for the Greek mentality. And you don't think — I'm not a greatly knowledgeable person in many ways — but Greek mentality we all have, because we live in a world of Greek mentality. And to that, we repent. I felt freedom. There are a lot of times I analyse everything and I don't do lots of things that God called me to because I analyse them in my head. So I realised that I had much more of the Greek mentality than I thought.
But then Ps Royree preached about Argentina and shared when we went to Guatemala, and she spoke about the spirit of unbelief. And she said it in a joke — she said it sent it to her room when it manifested in her room, the spirit of unbelief. But in reality, I think she was right. I did carry the spirit of unbelief. And even when I pray, I hope that the Lord would do what I pray. And it's a big space between hope and belief. And I think a lot of the time I have prayed in hope, not in believing. So I had a lot to repent in that area also.
So for me, it was a great eye-opener, and the Spirit of the Lord was so amazing there. Ps Royree was brilliant, as she always is. She carries the Spirit of the Lord with her, and wherever she goes, she ties the Spirit with her. And I'm really honoured to be with her.
Ruth Ford: As you get older, you do look back — at the good things and at the bad things — and it's time to reflect. At the conference, there were things that came up that were like — as Marie was saying — a long time ago, when we were baptised in the Holy Spirit. I was in my 40s. I'd been around a little while. And God had to tell me that I'm basically a spirit that lives in a body. Stop looking at the outside.
I was managing aged care facilities at that time, and I'm saying, "God, what am I doing here? All these old people." And the Lord said, "Do you remember a book called The Saggy Baggy Elephant?" Probably most of you don't even know it. But it's a story about an elephant with baggy skin. And he said, "You look at the older folk — you just keep looking at the outside. That's not the outside. Get past the saggy, baggy bit. Look at the spirit." So that changed my focus.
But over time, I was fairly left-brained. God makes us left and right, and some of us go a bit further the wrong way, so we need to come back to the middle. So when I was baptised in the Holy Spirit, God gave me a gift of poetry, which I thought was a joke at the time. I thought, well, you got that wrong. Okay. So I've been on a journey for a long time.
But at the conference again, I was reminded. God told me to take teddy bears. Now, you know I make teddy bears. And he told me to take three in a bag. So I went and said, "Which three?" Put them in a bag. And I said, "Okay, this is just a test to see if I'm listening. I can bring them back home. That's not a problem." I told God that.
And as the conference went on — and Lucia referred to it before — about the whole Greek mentality. I like all my ducks in a row, and I like things very ordered. And that's been my life. So when I retired, I'm saying, "Okay, God, so what do I do? I've been all these years managing, so what do I do now?" And so I've been writing poetry and making teddy bears. Not exactly what I felt I would do, and therefore I didn't even value it. I enjoyed doing it, but I thought it was nothing. What am I supposed to be doing?
What the Lord showed me at this conference was that it's the little things you have in your hand. And it's the little things that you give to the Lord that he uses in ways that you have no idea. There were two people at that conference who just stood out. One received a teddy bear. I was also told to take one book, and it went to the same lady as the bear. She said, "You don't know me." And I don't know her. I didn't even talk to her about her life. But another lady came up who was looking after her parents, and her mum had a form of dementia. And we had a long talk, and God said, "That one's for her." And he had a word for them.
So I know that I need to learn again to tell my head to shut up. You need to do that — it's an action. You've got to say, "Shut up," and spirit, rise. It doesn't matter how old you are, whether you're making decisions now when you're 18. There's a little voice, something you think — "Oh yeah, that's not me." Listen to what the Lord says and just take a step.
The Story of Ed Miller and Argentine Revival
Royree Jensen: Just to give that a little bit of context, in case you're wondering about teddy bears and conferences — here's the trip. Over 25 years ago, we went to Argentina to meet a man called Ed Miller. If you haven't read his books, you should. He's going to affect this house more profoundly than what he already has.
He was a missionary who went to Argentina from Canada. He decided he wasn't having enough success to make the mission's life worthwhile, so he decided to go back to Canada. God spoke to him and said, "You once preached that if a man would pray and fast for 10 days, then he would have success. Pray and fast for 10 days." Well, about 40 days later, this guy has an amazing story to tell. From that prayer time, which continued on with miracles, signs and wonders — and if it wasn't Mother's Day, I'd go there today, I'm almost tempted to — out of his prayers came seven revivals that he oversaw that are still going on today. He was there at the end of the Second World War. And Argentina has lurched from one revival into the next, into the next, into the next.
The guys from Adelaide had been over to Argentina to do a lot of missions work. They go over there and speak to hundreds of thousands of people — it's a mega setup. And they were wondering what happened, and they came to somebody who said, "This is all the end result of an intercessor called Ed Miller." So they rang me and asked me if I'd come to the conference. And I said no, because I'm not sure that I should speak on intercession — when I intercede, it's kind of a bit different. And they said, "He started to tell me about Ed Miller." And I said, "Yeah, I know him." And they said, "Well, how do you know him?" I said, "Because I went to Argentina from Australia, knocked on his door, and said, 'I want what you've got.'" And so he prayed over me and Lucia. We came back, stuff happened in our church at that time in a big way, and then it seemed to have just settled. And I often wondered if there was anything further. These guys have put on a conference and they're patterning their whole church on the way that they learned from Argentina through Ed Miller. Does that give you some context?
Another time when I speak, I'll tell you the whole story. When I get up here, I just want — this matters to me. I want the word in you. I want the word in you. Maybe sometime I'll give you that full story and take a whole session to do it.
Faith Missions Giving Announcement
Royree Jensen: Meanwhile, the Faith Missions Giving for the next 12 months has reached $55,601. You can give praise to God for that. That's amazing. And you know what? I believe more will come in, and I'm believing for $65,000. Come on. Oh, hallelujah.
The Mother Heart of Father God
Royree Jensen: Well, happy Mother's Day and all that. As we celebrate today, I want to talk on the mother heart of Father God. We are not confused. We are not confused. But in the very beginning, God created male and female. Genesis 1:27:
"So God created man in his own image. In the image of God he created him. Male and female he created them."
Here's the trip. If there was no femininity in the Godhead, there would be no females on the earth. If there was no femininity in the Godhead, there would be no females on the planet. Because in creation, God brought forth out of who he is. And within him was all of creation — within him were the oceans and the mountains. In fact, the whole of the universe, the seeds and the stars and the day and the night — it was all in him. So as he spoke it out, it became. Just like he separates day and night, light and darkness, so also he separated male and female. Thank God he did. Not to oppose or contradict, but to complement and complete.
If you had a family of all males, there'd be something very wrong. Would there not? And the church would be the first ones to stand against it. I'm just dropping seeds. You can pick them up if you want.
Because I believe that in the Scriptures, a lot of the femininity of God is expressed. And did you know — not even in my notes, I'm feeling bold now — did you know that in the first centuries of the church, back a couple of thousand years ago, the Holy Spirit was not referred to as "he," but in the feminine, as "she." Now I've said it. I'm going to write a book before I die on the femininity of the Holy Spirit, because we all think we can't get our heads around this one — it just doesn't work for us. We've got to be within the constriction of what we already know. It was that they referred to the Holy Spirit as "she." That may just change your whole impression of the Holy Spirit and your expectation of the Comforter. Anyway. So when I write my book, just before I die, you guys can pick up the mess.
So he separated male and female. He made man out of the dust of the earth — like a big dirt bag. And then he took the woman out of Adam's rib. So man was at best a form of clay, but woman he made out of bone china. Happy Mother's Day.
God's Feminine Language in Scripture
Royree Jensen: God is not shy about expressing his mother heart. He is not shy about it. Isaiah 66 — amazing. It says these words:
"Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give a delivery, says the Lord? Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery, says your God? Rejoice and be glad. For you will nurse and be satisfied at her comforting breasts, and you will drink deeply and delight in her overflow and abundance. I will extend peace like a river and the wealth of the nations. And you will be nursed and carried on her arm and dangled on her knees. As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you. And you will be comforted, O Jerusalem."
There's a lot of mother language in that. And then in a previous chapter, it says:
"But Zion said, 'The Lord has forsaken me. The Lord has forgotten me.' But God's reply is: Can a mother forget her baby at her breast? Probably not. But if she does — though she may forget — I will not forget you. See, I have engraved you. I have tattooed you on the palm of my hands. And you are ever before me."
So there's a lot of expression of God that is in the feminine. And you go, "We know that. What's that got to do with Mother's Day?" Everything.
The Mercy of God and the Hebrew Word for Womb
Royree Jensen: The mercy of God is feminine. The mercy of God is feminine. Because the word "mercy" actually comes from the word "womb." The mercy of God — in the Hebrew, it is derived from the word for womb. This nurturing, this mercy, is nurturing, protective, and compassionate. Similar to a mother's love for her child in the womb, mercy is deep compassion. So when you're feeling that you need nurturing or you need mercy, it's the mother heart of God that comes through and brings to you what you need.
God's mercy is frequently described as picturing God's love as a safe, sheltering womb. What a merciful God we have. Mercy is not pity, but it's an active, giving, protective force. When someone receives mercy, it brings fresh life — like a mother giving birth. That's what mercy will do for you. It will bring new life, because it's coming from the womb of the father heart via the mother thing of God.
Everybody okay? You know, I wondered what to talk about at Mother's Day, because I think I've done 40 Mother's Day messages and I've used up every barren woman in the Bible who couldn't have a baby. So anyway, you're getting a bit of theology today. Is that all right? Cool.
El Shaddai — The Many-Breasted One
Royree Jensen: Genesis 17:1 is an amazing thing where God is speaking with Abraham. Abraham is struggling with the fact that he's 99 in the shade and no kids. Sarah's so post-menopausal, it's not funny. And they've been promised. They've been promised. And it's like, not going to happen. And Abraham says, "Look, I know it's not going to happen." But he's yet to meet with this God who he only knew till now as Elohim. He only knows God as Elohim. But he is about to be introduced to the God who brings something out of nothing — like a mother. And what word does he use when he meets with Abraham? He says, "I am God Almighty." Being interpreted: I am El Shaddai. I am the many-breasted one. I am the one with the womb that brings forth. You don't have to worry about this because I'll bring something out of nothing. Does that grab your heart? It does it for me.
So the first mention of El Shaddai is in a situation about having a kid. Up until now, God was just Elohim, but now he is El Shaddai. And you would read it in your word as "God Almighty." El Shaddai — the name means and reveals the all-sufficient one. The one who shows up and brings something out of nothing. Whether it's wine out of water or Marie getting dinner for her kids, El Shaddai is the one who brings something out of nothing.
The many-breasted one — the baby nursing at the breast — is the second way in which God reveals himself. Strength giver, nourisher, supplier. Not from what you have done, but from the source of giving life and the source of all creation. You ought to get some hope into your heart, mums.
See, God is inspiring Abram. When he comes and says "El Shaddai," he says, "I'm in charge of the reproduction thing here. I'm El Shaddai. I am the mother heart. I am the one who has the womb. So I'm the one who sheds forth, pours out, sustains and blesses. And from El Shaddai, you can get all your needs met and everything that you need."
We actually called our house El Shaddai because we came back from Papua New Guinea with nothing. We called our house by faith El Shaddai. It's got a great big sign at the front of it if you've been to our place. Why did we do that? Because we needed something out of nothing. We needed somebody who could produce a meal when the fridge is empty. We needed somebody who could provide materials that we could not supply. And obviously he did. Praise his name. Thank you. El Shaddai. Almighty Father, El Shaddai.
So there's a mother heart in Almighty God. And this should give us courage to ask for what we need, especially when we think we've got nothing. And mothers often face this. They've got nothing. Maybe sometimes you've got nothing to give your kids physically, but sometimes you haven't got an answer. You haven't got an understanding. You're just like, "Oh, my God." Well, El Shaddai, the mother heart, will bring all of that into you. Mercy, fruitfulness, multiplication — always used in context of multiplication. That's the big deal. And blessing.
And the blessing from El Shaddai — here's where it comes from. The Scripture says it's from the depth of the earth and underneath the ocean. That's how deep it is. And from the breast and from the womb. We should get to know El Shaddai. We should get to know this one. Because we think "Almighty Father" is yet another Father figure. But that's just the English interpretation of the word El Shaddai.
El Shaddai Throughout the Old Testament
Royree Jensen: It's translated seven times in the Old Testament as "God Almighty." Five of them are in Genesis, one in Exodus, and one in Ezekiel. I'm just going to give you those references without too much comment.
Genesis 17:1 — like I said, the Lord meets with Abraham and says, "Hey, Abraham, you only know me as Elohim, but I'm here to tell you I am El Shaddai as well. And you're worrying about having a kid and bringing something out of nothing — well, I'm here for you. I'm the one that does that." So that's the first time he mentions it.
And then in Genesis 28:3, Isaac uses the name El Shaddai to bless Jacob, promising him fruitfulness, multiplication, and that he will become a great nation. So when Isaac blesses Jacob, he uses this same word, El Shaddai, because there's a blessing on it.
Genesis 35:11 — God reaffirms his covenant with Jacob, calling himself El Shaddai. Because he says, "You will be fruitful and multiply as a company of nations, because a company of nations shall be born unto you."
Exodus 6 — God tells Moses he was known to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai. When God is talking to Moses about his heart to deliver the people and his mercy on the people.
Ezekiel — Ezekiel is full of visions. And there were many other names of God by the time we get to Ezekiel in the Old Testament. But when God gives Ezekiel a vision of the depths of his compassion for the people as he is exiting the temple — the people of Israel are all over in Babylon, they've all been sent there because they've been ignoring their God — God pulls up Ezekiel and shows him what happened in his heart as he had to leave Jerusalem because of the sin of the people. And so as he ascends with the cherubim, it says that the El Shaddai of God was there, and that the cherubim — the sound of the wheels and the wings and all that stuff — were like the sound of the voice of the El Shaddai.
Because the cherubim were there to show the mercy of God. What sits above the mercy seat? The cherubim — the expression of the sound of a God who is full of mercy. For you, from his mother heart, from the depths of the underground, from the depths of under the water, through the womb of God comes mercy. This is the mothers. This is the mothers.
The Feminine Heart of Jesus and the Holy Spirit
Royree Jensen: Mothers, you represent an amazing part of who God is. Don't think that that's somehow less. It is as important as justice and mercy — foundation, male and female, father and mother. The God who created Adam and Eve puts as much weight on the mercy of God as he does on the judgment. In fact, he says, "Mercy triumphs over judgment."
Flick into the New Testament. Jesus was unashamed to use feminine language. He says:
"How often I would have gathered you together, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem. How often I would have gathered you together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you wouldn't."
Jesus himself is coming through with a feminine heart. And he says, "I will send you another Comforter" — the Holy Ghost from heaven, the Father's promise given. The Comforter is feminine. The hovering of the Holy Spirit over creation is feminine.
Girls, you are important to God. You express God's heart through the mercy, the love, the compassion, and the grace. Mercy and grace and comfort are the attributes of God. The mother heart of God.
I don't know if you appreciate your mother. But today's a good day for it. I hope you gave her a cup of tea in bed. I get one every day, just saying. Because it's just not getting out without it. You want me to get up, Dave? A cup of tea. He knows.
But if we honour our parents — and you think your mother may have been a bit whatever — look, you're honouring God. That's why it's so important. You're honouring the femininity in the Godhead. And so to honour your father, absolutely — we'll do that on Father's Day. Sorry, blokes, you're getting a bit whatever today. But the mother heart of God is to be honoured. And so honour your father and mother, that your days may be long, so he can keep on pouring out as the El Shaddai on you the blessing.
A Childhood Memory of Mercy
Royree Jensen: I'm going to give you a couple of minutes to give thanks to El Shaddai, the mother heart of God. But I also want you to take a moment to think about your mum and to give thanks to God for your mum. If you don't think she was good enough or you have disappointments, a thankful heart will help you, and El Shaddai will pour out upon you the compassion that you missed out on from a mother who perhaps wasn't able to give it.
I want to share a little story. I didn't know my mother for long. I only had her for the first decade of my life. So it's 70 years since I've seen her. And if I bump into her in heaven, I hope we can work out who she is. However, I actually have really good memories of my early childhood because it was very unique and different.
I remember feeling very jealous of my older sister who had lost some of her teeth — they fell out, is what I mean. What inflamed it was the fact that there was talk that the tooth fairy was going to come. And come, the tooth fairy did. My sister, being very educated — she would have been about six, I suppose — she wrote a note to the tooth fairy on a piece of paper and she put the teeth on the paper. Well, next morning, there's money. There's money. I didn't get any money. She got money. And I remember just — it wasn't even much, three pence or something. It wasn't the amount. It was that somebody had visited in the night and deposited something. That's what got my heart.
And it was back in the day, we didn't have rubbish collection out in the bush. We just burnt our rubbish. And in that burnt rubbish, I remember seeing the false teeth of my grandmother in the fireplace. So without telling anybody, I washed them. And I hid them to see if it would work for me. I couldn't write for nuts back in those days, but I saw my sister put it on a piece of paper. So I've got this set of my grandmother's teeth on a piece of paper, and I hid it so that nobody would ever know. And I would know: if this thing happened for me, then the tooth fairy was for real.
I go to bed. First thing in the morning, I wake up. The teeth have gone. And there's money. Not only is there money, there are the footprints of the fairy on the piece of paper. Footprints about the size of your little fingernail across the paper. I don't know how that baby powder got on there to make the indent. But I went across the paper. I was like — smitten forever. I lived in the miraculous.
Why do I remember that? Because I often remember it, and I remembered it as I was trying to prepare for today. And it was like — I had flogged those teeth. I had told a fib. I pretended that they were my kind of thing. And yet the fairy came and took the teeth and left the money. I'm like, oh.
But you see, just as Mum could have said, "Now listen, Rory, that's not the way we do things. You know where those came from. You just put them out there and you're just pushing it." Had she said that, I probably wouldn't be remembering her today. It's not just what she said — it's what she did. She El Shaddai'd the thing. She made it not just no judgment, but blessing out of nothing. She made it blessing out of nothing. I was convinced.
She also told me — and with this I'll finish — that those little circles you see in the cooler weather, where the dew leaves a cobweb-like ring on the grass, she had the audacity to tell me that was where the fairies danced, and they danced so much they left their skirts behind. And I believed it. I was never very smart as a kid.
But I want to tell you something. In a funny kind of way, the Lord opened up a crevasse in my heart that instead of judgment, there was an opening into the supernatural, the possibilities of life — from somebody who didn't know God, who didn't know stuff like we know, but who knew how mercy and grace triumph over judgment. Knew how to bring something out of nothing. And knew how to bless and bring forth multiplication. And that's what mothers do. That's what my mum did for me. And I hope to meet her again someday.
But in the meanwhile, I want you to be thankful for your mother and for the mother heart of God. Let your heart go to the mother heart of God. Let him comfort your mother heart. And give thanks for your mum.
I pray, Father, for the blessing of El Shaddai on every mother in this room, on every mother's heart that's rejoicing, that's blessed, that has a need of any kind, any mother that's grieving or afraid. I pray the Comforter shall come, the El Shaddai of God shall come and shall minister deeply into hearts today. I pray, Father, for your anointing and your blessing to rest upon every mother in this house. And we give you thanks and we give you praise. In Jesus' name, amen.