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The Bride
Posted on May 6th, 2014 No comments“But the father said to his servants,
‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him.
Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Bring the fattened calf and kill it.
Let’s have a feast and celebrate.
For this son of mine was dead and is alive again;
he was lost and is found.’
So they began to celebrate.
Luke 15:22-24
I had a mini-revelation at the wedding I recently attended. It was an international wedding. The bride is American, and the groom is African. I heard someone wonder aloud why traditional American weddings make such a big deal over the bride, with the groom almost being an afterthought. One metaphor that Christ uses to describe His relationship with the church is that the church is His “bride”. I’ve known that metaphor for years, but I think it finally came alive for me that weekend, esp. when I compare it to the story of the prodigal son. When the son finally came to his senses and returned home, his father (God) was so happy to see him that he ran to his son, cleaned him up, gave him new clothes, and had a party. (Several pastors have explained to me that, in the context of the culture, it was considered undignified for a man to run, especially to an ungrateful son.) Essentially, to the extent that He’s depicted as our Father, God rejoices when His kids come home; and if He’s our Bridegroom, He exults over the Bride. In my opinion, that’s why traditional weddings make such a big deal over the bride.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth.
Psalm 19:4-6