church metaphors – Rev. Tim Ehrhardt

Since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. That’s why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was. (NIV)

Metaphors matter. How we view, imagine, and picture God influences the way we live.

Recently, I met with a young man who was severely distressed, depressed, and had attempted suicide several times in the past several months. After listening to his story, I asked him a question: “How do you see or picture God?” Without hesitation, he answered, “God is my CO (Commanding Officer).” He went on to portray and picture General God who gives commands and of good soldiers who obey what’s expected of them.

As a soldier, you would never walk up to your CO and vent all your feelings. You wouldn’t have a dialogue. There would be no extended conversations. In the throes of trying to deal with emotional trauma, General God isn’t a metaphor that’s helpful.

Today’s New Testament lesson reminds and invites us to consider Jesus, the Son of God. Christ is pictured as our great high priest. A priest is a person who intercedes for you with God. He stands in the gap and effectively communicates your needs, desires, and feelings to a gracious and loving God.

When you are too emotionally tired to face another day, Jesus our great high priest, has our back and is graciously present with us.

Soldiers don’t have confidence to approach General God with their abject weakness or their ongoing temptations. There is only the giving and receiving of orders and strategies to be implemented. Far too many Christians have such an understanding of God and think there is something wrong with them when they cannot live up to be the kind of soldier that would make others proud.

Grace and mercy, however, are found through the confidence of approaching our great high priest. It is Jesus who thoroughly, completely, and mercifully has a first-hand understanding of what you are dealing with and is able and desirous to help.

As our permanent high priest, Jesus is uniquely positioned to hear us, empathize with our situation, and care for us in ways which truly aid us.

It’s easy to get discouraged. It takes no effort to find yourself on the outside of happiness and on the inside of a black hole. Living in this broken world can sting and hurt like hell. Yet, we have a Savior who has brought deliverance from hell by taking on hell itself. Jesus, the pioneer of our salvation, knows better than anyone what brokenness feels like. Christ absorbed all the sin of the world on the cross.

Jesus is presently, this very moment, sitting at the right hand of the Father in heaven, awaiting your approach with merciful eyes, a compassionate heart, and listening ears. Jesus is our risen and ascended Lord. Christ is so much more than a military officer. Jesus is our ample and able great high priest. He is awaiting you now….

Ascended and living Lord Jesus, you are my colossal high priest. You live to intercede for me. What a privilege! May you strengthen my nascent faith today and bolster my confidence as I consider your grace and mercy in this messed-up world. Thank you for your kindness, empathy, and ability. Amen.

“But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.
They spread their wings and soar like eagles,
They run and don’t get tired,
they walk and don’t lag behind.”

(Isaiah 40:31, The Message)

Language is a beautiful thing. It’s able to evoke powerful images within us, emboldening us and encouraging us. This biblical verse from the prophet Isaiah demonstrates the enduring quality and strength of words to communicate wonderful truth and soothing grace to our hearts.

Our choice of words and our selection of stringing those words together in metaphors is vital and important. A metaphor is simply a figure of speech, an image of something that describes an object or action in a way that isn’t literally true, but helps explain an idea or make a comparison. Isaiah used the eagle to picture what God can do for us when we are weak and weary and need fresh strength. We can’t literally soar above everything, but metaphorically, we can transcend our earthly circumstances and wait on God to invigorate us.

We can use metaphors in funny ways. I’m a cartoon connoisseur. One of my favorite characters, Foghorn Leghorn, is a master of metaphor: “That boy’s about as sharp as a bowling ball.” “Nice boy but he’s got more nerve than a bum tooth.” “That woman’s as cold as a nudist on an iceberg.” “His muscles are as soggy as a used tea bag.”

We can use metaphors to impart wisdom and cause us to think about things from a different angle: “The moon does not care if the dog barks at it” (Czech proverb). “However black a cow is, its milk is always white” (African proverb). “When the root is deep, there is no need to fear the wind” (unknown). “The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life” (Proverbs 13:14). “You are the salt of the earth” (Jesus, in Matthew 5:13).

Metaphors take us on a journey toward an expected end or outcome. It’s why we ought to be careful and not careless with our words. Consider some of the common metaphors we use, and think about the trajectory of those words.

“She battles cancer.” This is clearly a military metaphor. It might be great if you “beat” the “invading” cancer cells and “win,” achieving a cancer free status. But, is cancer really within your control to beat? Is it your choice to win or to lose? What if you don’t win? Is there something wrong with you? This metaphor communicates that if you lose your battle, you’re a loser – and that’s neither comforting nor helpful. Methinks we need a different metaphor for cancer. John McCain, a person familiar with both war and cancer, interestingly said this about the two: “For me, cancer never felt like a war. Cancer wasn’t something I ‘had,’ but a process my body was going through.” In his metaphor, cancer is a journey that he needs to take, a “process” he must go through.

What if we changed the metaphor (for any disease or condition) and, for example, said something like, “I did not invite fibromyalgia into my life; he is an unwanted guest, but I will sit with Fibro Fred (go ahead and name it an actual name) for awhile and listen to him.” Now we aren’t attempting to conquer, but explore, and in discovery you might find new, fresh, or just mindful ways of coping with a reality you did not choose.

Another example of metaphor is describing a difficult reality for many people: depression. Oftentimes we image depression as “a thick fog” or “the invisible enemy” and, in many corners of society it is still just referred to as “sin,” or “the demon of depression.” Again, think about the direction these metaphors take us. The thick fog implies there is nothing we can do but sit and wait for it to lift. The invisible enemy implies just the opposite, and brings us yet again to the military metaphor, as if we can simply choose to drive it out. But depression is neither a condition which we can do nothing about, nor a sinful enemy which we can fight and exorcise out of our lives.

Having been through a major depression myself, I would look back and describe it as having a dead car battery. It doesn’t help to swear about it, do nothing about it, think you can magically will the car to start with the power of your mind, or quote Bible verses at it in the belief it will spring to life. Nope. When your car battery is dead, you immediately find a way to jump start it, head to a place that can help you replace it with a new battery, and move on down the road of life knowing that you have fresh power to keep going, not forever, but at least for few years. It’s not sinful or evil to have a dead car battery. It just is, and there are choices you can make when you’re in that unwanted and awkward situation.

The church needs a solid toolbox of metaphors to use in all kinds of situations, so that she can encourage, comfort, help, support, build-up, and walk with hurting people, for whatever reasons, through their intensely personal experiences toward fresh hope and vital spiritual health.

What are some metaphors that have served you well? What are some which have been hurtful to you? Can you think of different metaphors to describe your condition, or the condition of your friend or family member?