Yesterday I was reading a blog post titled ‘Anthropomorphising the Church’ by Mark Porthouse at http://www.sundaypapers.org.uk & he got me thinking about the metaphor of the church as the bride of Christ. Far from being a tired image of institutionalism, I found myself being energised by the possibilities of this metaphor.
I know there can be problems with mixing metaphors but stay with me. The bride of Christ reminds me of a similar image in Ezekiel 16:4-14. Israel is depicted as an abandoned baby girl flailing about in her own blood, with umbilical left uncut. It is an image of weakness & absolute vulnerability. Yet the image builds to one of extravagant love, of wholeness & completion. God is depicted taking care of the baby through to womanhood. Then when you think God’s responsibilities are ended, His love extends even further by taking her as His bride & lavishing her with dazzling gifts.
The power of metaphors is in their potential to evoke new possibilities in a way that defies habitual thinking & dogma. For me, metaphors are the perfect antidote to the baggage of the rigid institution & tired old habits precisely because of their ability to generate creative zones of anti-structure around themselves.
David Bosch initially brought the image of Ezekiel 16 to my attention, when he used it to describe the missional Heart of God. I want to belong to a company of disciples in whose presence it is safe to be weak & vulnerable - who are a significant missional presence in the world because they are regularly being smitten by the extravagant love of God. I want to be this kind of blushing bride of Christ. Outwards & downwards !
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