The Wedding Ceremony

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of being a guest at the wedding ceremony of two beautiful lovers of the Lord, and although I have not known this couple for very long, it was a very emotional experience for me.


As the church is portrayed in scripture (particularly the Song of Solomon) as being a bride with Christ as her bridegroom, when I was witnessing the ceremonial coming together of two people yesterday, it was a spiritual experience for me as it was a portrayal and a foreshadow of what The Great Wedding Ceremony is going to be like when the rider on the white horse comes back for his ravishing bride.


Tears flowed from the eyes of yesterday's bridegroom as he awaited the arrival of his beloved. Before he even had a glimpse of her in all her bridal glory, he was beset with emotion and just watching him weep tears of love and joy made me, as a witness, very emotional as well.
Much like this groom, one day, Jesus will be standing awaiting the arrival of the bride that has for centuries been prepared for him, and as he stands and anticipates her, his eyes will be decorated with the colours of passion and love as his heart burns for her, for the church, for us.


After the procession of elegant bridemaids had paved the way for the gorgeous bride, she finally appeared, and arm-in-arm with her father, gracefully walked down an aisle of rosepetals, with eyes locked on her beloved who had been waiting for her, anticipating her, desiring her. She was clothed in the finest white dress elegantly caressing her female figure, and her head was adorned with a veil that cascaded from the top of her head.
As I saw her, The Bride of Christ came to mind. As we are called the Bride, we too will one day walk down the aisle, and standing before us, desiring us with every fibre of his being, will be Jesus, our bridegroom King. Just as yesterday's bride had been prepared for her beloved, so the Bride of Christ will be. She will be clothed in a gown of righteousness, not her own, but the righteousness paid for on her behalf by the Lord Jesus. She will be dripping with grace and the favor of the Lord's face will shine upon her, and she shall reflect this magnificent light to the world that watches her dance towards Him. As I saw the bride with her beautiful veil flowing around her face, it was an image of the Holy Spirit. Much like this veil that covered her, so The Bride of Christ will be saturated and submerged in the Holy Spirit who will escourt her down the aisle as he has been the one helping her, over time in the preparation process with which she now resembles the bride she was destined throughout scripture to be. She is perfect, she is flawless and her eyes have no peripheral vision, they only have the ability to focus on that which is before them, The Bridegroom King. She has no spot, no blemish, and she knows this. She does not wear a black cloak of condemnation, guilt or fear, this was removed from her long ago, on the day she first met her beloved. As she floats towards the face of beauty she has been dreaming of her whole life, her mind is solely flooded with thoughts of him. She is not concerned about how she looks for she knows she is the most beautiful thing in all creation according to her beloved. To him, she is a lily of the valley, there is no one like her. She is mature, not schooled in the things of this world, her mind not distracted by every wind of teaching, but she knows, by personal experience, the love, grace and favor of her beloved. She believes who she is because he whispers words of identity into her ears. His voice is the one she is familiar with and is the voice she has followed and will follow for all eternity.


He brings her then, to the banqueting table where together, they feast on the abundance of his house. His provision for her stretches beyond what the eye can see or what the mind can comprehend. Joy overflows as they drink new wine from the cup of salvation with arms interlinked. When she has drunk her fill, he whispers "Come away with me my darling" and together they go into eternity with hearts ever praising, and eyes ever gazing upon eachother's beauty.