I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband
(Rev 21:2).
A wedding calls for a great deal of preparation.
There is much to consider: venues, caterers, flowers, photographers, invitations, music, cakes, decorations, garments, rings . . .
But, for the bride, it all starts with the groom.
There is a Groom who readies His bride with utmost thought and care. (Because there is no such thing as a “ready-made” bride. No! She must be prepared). And there is a Father of the Groom preparing a celebratory wedding feast.
Said Groom is Jesus. And the Bride I’m referring to is His Church.
The Church belongs to Christ, its Bridegroom. And the wedding imagery used in the New Testament portrays Jesus’ perfect love for those He came to save.
You are a vital member of that Church, invited to the wedding of God’s Son. But you must be willing to be prepared. You must show up ready.
Let us rejoice and be glad
and give Him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and His bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.
(Fine linen stands for the
righteous acts of God’s holy people.)
(Rev 19:7-8)The righteous deeds performed by the bride prepare her for the Bridegroom. What are they? That, my dear one, I will allow you the honor of discovering for yourself (as part of that personal preparation).
I encourage you to dive into what the New Testament has to say about weddings and brides. You might start with one of the following parables.
Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids – Matthew 25:1-13
There, you’ll read of five wise and ready and five foolish and unready bridesmaids. Those ready were watching for their returning Groom.
Parable of the Wedding Feast – Matthew 22:1-14
In this parable, you’ll read of a King who prepared a banquet for His Son. The invitation extended is not one to be ignored! Nor are the King’s garments offered to wear.
Many weddings were planned and prepared this year—the year of the pandemic. And many were cancelled. Or significantly altered. But the wedding feast God has prepared for our Groom will continue as planned.
And the Bride must be ready.
Let’s pray His Church is fit for His arrival—so the Groom will be pleased with her readiness—when He comes.
#The2ndAdvent #ReturnOfTheGroom #GodsWeddingFeast #PreparedAtChristmas