The Bride of Christ – November 19, 2020

“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! The wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!”
Revelation 19:6-9

The Bride of Christ

Ever since she was a little girl, she had dreamt of and longed for this day. For years, she had filled a scrapbook with all the things that would make her wedding day perfect. The white linen dress. The names of her bridesmaids. The gowns that her bridesmaids would wear. The color of those gowns. The flowers that would adorn the altar. The bouquet she would hold in her hands. The ever-growing and changing list of guests. The banquet to follow.

But now, as she stood at the end of the aisle, all those things faded into the background. In that moment, she forgot about the gown and the guests. She gazed past the bridesmaids and bouquets. All she could see was her groom standing before the altar. Her eyes locked onto his. Her heart swelled with soothing joy. She was blessed.

Even if marriage is not part of your or God’s plan for your life, God wants to bless you through the wedding supper of the Lamb. The Lamb, who is Jesus, wants to join with you and me in a perfect, eternal union, to be one with us, and live with us forever. He wants to care for us and shower us with eternal pleasures from his hand.

But are we a suitable bride? Soiled with sin, we wouldn’t be fit to be carried over heaven’s threshold. Still, Jesus wants us to be his. So, he gives us his love. On the cross, he piled our sins on himself and paid for them all. The blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin. His perfect life covers all our guilt. We are forgiven and fit to be his bride.

Are you ready for the wedding feast? Invited by the Father and clothed in Christ’s righteousness, you are. Don’t let the worries and pleasures of life distract you. Keep dreaming of and longing for the day when Jesus comes and calls out, “Everything is ready. Come to the feast!”

Prayer:
Lamb of God, by your power and grace, keep me ready and waiting for your heavenly feast. Amen.