One of my favorite parts of being a pastor is the privilege of officiating weddings.
It’s so much fun to watch all of the nervous energy before the ceremony begins. The groom and groomsmen impatiently waiting for the ceremony to begin… the bride and bridesmaids making last minute adjustments to hair and makeup… the murmur of conversations as the crowd settles in… the family is seated… the processional begins… the bridesmaids take their places…
Then… it’s time.
The music begins to play… everyone stands up… the doors open…
And there she is.
When the bride makes her entrance, it really is a sight to see. Every eye is drawn to her (especially the groom!) as she makes her slow approach towards the altar.
It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, married or single, man or woman: the gravity of the moment when that bride appears is incredible. As everyone watches her come closer to the groom, the meaning of what’s happening becomes more and more apparent. Two lives are being joined together in a supernatural way.
Out of all of the images that Scripture uses to refer to the Church, the one that means the most to me is found in our text this week, Ephesians 5:22-33: the Church is the Bride of Christ. Paul uses the analogy of a marriage to describe the relationship that Jesus has with His Church, with all of its complexity. Why would Paul do that? What does being the bride of Christ mean? What can we learn from thinking about our relationship with Jesus in those terms?
I invite you to join us this Sunday for an in-depth look at these questions as we begin our new preaching series, The Church in Action.
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Submitted by Pastor Tom, 1:06 pm
