This is sort of a follow up to my previous post on the de-personification of God.  When we think of God, the metaphors we use to address him most often are metaphors that do not signal relationship.  For instance, we call him Lord, God, master, ruler, creator.  Those are all terms that do not indicate the relational nature of God.  I agree with those metaphors, they are both valid, theologically correct and pertinent.  But are they pertinent to a true Christ-Follower?

For example, Jesus tells us that he no longer calls us servants but friends.  Jesus, in relationship to his disciples, stopped using the servant metaphor.  His relationship to his disciples, and thus to us, it that of friend.  Yet we still see Jesus as master.

Jesus referred to God has Father.  We are told to refer to God as Father.  Yet why do we, as Christ-Followers refer to God as Lord?

As I consider the metaphors we typically use, they put us subservient to, but out of relationship with the one we who wants to be in a relationship with us.  I think we struggle with the personal, relational metaphors because we find it easy to see God as Lord and Master, but not as friend or father.  Some of that can be laid at the feet of an elevation of the cerebral and the rejection of the experiential. This is a modern concept and demonstrates a concept of fear.  The experiential moves us into the mystical, but we fear the dangers we find in that expression as well.

But I am a friend of God and He calls me friend!  I am a child of God; He is my father! That is what we should celebrate!