The Bride

What a beautiful wedding! The church adornments were simple but elegantly beautiful. The flower girls were precious. The ring bearer walked down the aisle even though he discarded the “bothersome” ring pillow after the first ten feet. The groomsmen looked like real gentlemen. The bridesmaids were beautiful in their flattering navy blue gowns. Scriptures were read, songs sung, rings exchanged, and vows made. The bride in her beautiful and flattering gown stood by the spiffed up groom. Both seemed truly to enjoy their wedding. They were pronounced married. Then came the surprise of guys donning sunglasses and the bridal party dancing out of the church. This is a couple who not only knows how to be committed and proper but also knows how to have fun together.

"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." Matthew 19:4-6 NIV

Scriptures say that a married couple is to become one. Pastor asked members of the audience to pray for the couple for the next 365 days that they will truly be able to do this. Becoming one in purpose, dreams, and goals is the difficult part of marriage. It is so easy to become self-centered while handling the stresses of life because it takes time and effort to be “one.” It takes communication, consideration, and constantly praying to keep the oneness in a marriage.

“Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord... Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself…However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” Ephesians 5:22, 25, 28, 33 NIV

Right in the middle of his exhortation on marriage, Paul makes an odd statement.

“… but I am talking about Christ and the church.” Ephesians 5:32b NIV

So what is going on? In various places in Scriptures, the church is called the bride of Jesus. In many passages the believer is instructed to be submissive to God and to put him first. The believer is to love God above all else as a bride loves her groom, to please God as an adoring bride strives to please her groom, and to become one with Christ through studying the Bible and prayer.

Sometime, hopefully soon, we will see prophesy fulfilled. Revelations 21 describes the second coming using the analogy of the bride.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Revelations 21:1-4 NIV

So I can be assured my God loves me, a believer, with a deep and abiding love.

“…as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.” Isaiah 62:5b NIV

Lord, I love you and desire to be one with you.