Information Related to "You're Invited to the Wedding!"
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This Is the Way... You're Invited to the Wedding!by Robin WebberThree days from now our youngest daughter, Amy, will be taking her wedding vows. She is the last of our three daughters to get married. Most of the preparations are complete. That's a big relief! She has done a wonderful job of preparing for this treasured moment. But, there are still enough little items popping up to keep the family on the move and a little anxious until the big day comes. Indeed, it will be a memorable day as Amy will take the arm of Ben, her fiancé, and make a commitment to live with him and love him for better or for worse "until death do us part." As the ceremony commences, those who love her and have watched her wind through life to this special moment will surround her. Embracing her with the sureness of their presence and hopes for success will be her family members and lifelong friends, as well as Ben's family welcoming her into their own lives. Yes, it's a day of powerful and meaningful transitions. As the officiating minister, mine is a unique opportunity, as I will not only be looking into the young couple's eyes, but also the eyes (and maybe, too, the hearts) of the audience as they reflect on life. Weddings are unique that way. There will be moments of glee, a hush, a chuckle, a tear or two, an elongated "ooh" or "aah" as the circle of life takes one more joyful turn. And then comes the wedding supper! Now, with the formalized ceremony over and all the legal documents signed—it's real. They are married! Now, we can celebrate and relax with good food, music, dancing and laughter. We can catch up on family news and meet new family members. All the effort has paid off. All those anxious moments between frustration and prayers, joy and disappointment are eased and tucked aside in the wake of the reality that a new family has indeed come to life. I wish you could all join us for the occasion, but seeing my wife and I are paying for the wedding and the meal, we can only invite so many. Sorry! But, I'm sure many of you have "been there" and fully understand. A Bride adorned for her Husband But my ponderings about life and marriage are actually designed to guide our minds and hearts to another wedding of a much greater magnitude. While grand, it will be very personal, because you are invited—in fact, you have the opportunity to be the bride. Imagine that! And that's exactly what I want you to do. Yes, even you guys. Get your imagination gears humming. Revelation 19 talks about an incredible wedding between the Lamb (Christ) and His Bride (the Church—see Ephesians 5:23-32). Just imagine the size of the wedding party! The firstfruit saints of God are going to enter into a deep and everlasting relationship within the family of God. These are individuals—past, present and future—who have entered into a compact with Jesus Christ toward this ultimate end of a divine marriage union. The apostle Paul speaks of the relationship in 2 Corinthians 11:2: "I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." Simply put in modern-day terms, as Christians we are engaged to the very Lord of the universe. Imagine that! And our spiritual Fiancé is coming back to make good on His pledge to be our Husband. The marriage of the Lamb has come But the book of Revelation not only speaks of the bride, but also describes the marriage itself and something very special that comes with it—a blessing. Notice how the invitation is sent out and what it says. "And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, 'Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.' "And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the clean linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, 'Write: "Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!"' And he said to me, 'These are the true sayings of God'" (Revelation 19:6-9). Weddings and the accompanying festivities are always special. But, back when this was written, these activities had an even more incredible status. It was a time before people traveled for pleasure or had 24-hour entertainment brought into their homes. It was a world that was not living to eat, but eating to live—a world of survival! Thus, in a world of drudgery and daily survival, a wedding was a "show-stopper." In fact, the entire village or town would come to a halt. A wedding of old Ralph Gower, in his book The New Manners and Customs of Bible Times under the headings "The Wedding" and "The Wedding Feast," grants us a glimpse of some of these customs. The wedding involved dressing up. The bride was literally adorned like a queen (see Revelation 21:2). She was bathed and her hair was braided with as many precious stones as the family possessed or could borrow (Psalm 45:14-15; Isaiah 61:10; Ezekiel 16:11-12). The bridegroom, too, was dressed in finery and jewelry (Isaiah 61:10). The dressing up for the wedding was so important that it was unforgettable (Jeremiah 2:32). Another important element of the wedding was the procession at the end of the day. The bridegroom set out from his home to fetch his bride from her parents' home. At this point the bride was wearing a veil. At some point the veil was taken off and laid on the shoulder of the bridegroom. A procession then set out from the bride's home to the couple's new home. The dark roadway would be lit with oil lamps held by wedding guests. In the story told by Jesus, the groom was later than expected so the oil in the lamps began to run low. Only those who brought a reserve flask of oil were able to refill their lamps and welcome the groom (Matthew 25:1-13, especially verses 8-9). There was singing and music along the way (Jeremiah 16:9), and sometimes the bride herself would join in the dance (Song of Solomon 6:13). Then would come the wedding feast or "supper." The bride and groom entered under a canopy when they arrived at the house. Very wealthy families would actually provide guests with wedding garments. The couple along with their guests spent a great deal of time in eating and drinking. Festivities often lasted for seven days (Judges 14:12) or even longer. During the festivities, God's blessing was asked upon the couple, and it may well have been for this reason that Jesus was invited to the wedding at Cana (John 2:2). Lifting our sights Much like the villagers of antiquity, today we, too, live in a world of drudgery and survival. It is simply wrapped in the illusionary safety blanket of technology and materialism. Ever since Eden, humanity at its best has traveled 7 feet—1 foot backwards and 6 feet down. Through His Holy Word, God lifts our souls and raises our spirits to a future event that will break the cycle of human history. Even as I write today, Israel and the Hezbollah terrorists are locked in mortal combat in the hills and valleys of Lebanon. North Korea and Iran are playing the fatal game of nuclear brinkmanship with the West. Tonight people will go to sleep hungry in Africa and Asia never to wake up in the morning. Europe continues to slide into the bog of human secularism, and America keeps tossing the coin to see what part of its split personality it will demonstrate today—"In God we trust" or the lust and greed of materialism. God lifts our sights to a time when all His preparations and longings come together with those who truly seek Him. Do the words of Isaiah 61:10 match the message that God finds in your heart for Him, today? "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." God has not held back in spiritually equipping and dressing us with everything needed to shine before Him at that moment mentioned in Revelation. Get in the picture! Yes, He uses the analogy of a marriage and a wedding feast to give us a hint of what that moment will be like when faith, sacrifice, relationship, longing and fulfillment all come to the fore. He wants you to see yourself in that picture. He wants you to see Christ, the Bridegroom, coming down from the heavens from His home to ours on earth and "fetching" His bride. He wants us to lift our spiritual veil and declare, "the government shall be upon His shoulders." He wants us to picture a time of celebration and quality feasting that has no end. God wants us to remember and rejoice in the fact that our Groom is the same One whose first miracle was turning the water into quality wine at the wedding feast at Cana (John 2:1-10). Yes, He is the same One who said, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). Just imagine that future celebration, as Christ greets and spends time with every member of the wedding party—yes, with you. And imagine the eyes of God the Father filling with tears of joy as He sees it all come together before Him. And, best of all, it's not the end of life, but really just the beginning of the rest of forever. When we understand the immensity of what God is calling us to—literally being the Bride of Christ—and our eyes are set on being there at that moment for Him—everything changes in between as we prepare, anticipate and measure our movements toward Him. We'll begin to listen and take more earnest heed to the words of our spiritual Fiancé who encourages us to be wise in the provisions He has granted us of "oil" so as to keep our human vessels burning brightly in anticipation of His arrival. "Come!" Meanwhile, things are still buzzing here as we prepare for Amy's wedding. I'm sure all is going to work out just fine. And I still wish all of you could come. But I'm even more confident of a future wedding event to which you are all invited. Perhaps the words found in Revelation 22:17 sum up the direction we should all be headed as they resonate with the echo of Isaiah 30:21—"This is the way, walk in it." It is a walk toward God's gift and blessing to you. "And the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely." The invitation has gone out! The fulfillment of this part of prophecy and your part in it awaits. WNP |
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Keywords: wedding wedding of Christ bride of the Lamb
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