A Wedding For The Ages

It's the greatest wedding in history. All the faithful have gathered to attend. This wedding has been anticipated for thousands of years. The bride is adorned, "clothed with fine linen, bright and pure" (Rev. 19:8). The groom - a King - is marrying the bride He has loved with everything He has ... even His life (Eph 5:25). The bride is the church - the faithful who believe Christ is the Son of God, sent to die for their sins, who rose again. The betrothal took place the moment Christ hung on the cross and rose again. The wedding will take place when He returns to gather us all to Him. "Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready." (Rev. 19:7) It will be the wedding for the ages. All will rejoice in this marriage. "Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals, crying out. 'Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.'" (Rev. 19:7)

That's what today is all about ... knowing that we, the betrothed, have that beautiful marriage to look forward to. It was on this day nearly 2,000 years ago, that Christ got on one knee and proposed, asking, "Do you believe?" "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life."  Our response according to Paul in the book of Romans 10:9: "If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." 

Jesus is Lord! He is risen! I do! I do believe!

It is the greatest "I do" you can ever say.

Ayla and Kayla (and now my sweet niece, Lindsey) have all said "yes" to their fiances. The "I do" will take place for all six of you within the next 17 months. What rejoicing will take place! So when you are standing there before one another, pledging to love "as long as you both shall live," know what gravity is placed on that vow. Because Christ has made the same vow. Your earthly marriage is truly a symbol of what the greatest marriage of all will be. So honor it. Cherish it. Delight in it. Work for it. Proclaim the beauty in it. Be faithful to it. Share the joy of it. Let what you do on your wedding day and throughout your marriage be an example of the bright and pure wedding yet to come of the Lamb and His bride.

As the lyrics of Holy (Wedding Day) by The City Harmonic say:

This is the story of the Son of God
Hanging on the cross for me
But it ends with a bride and groom
And a wedding by a glassy sea
O death where is your sting
Cause I'll be there singing
Holy Holy Holy
Is the Lord

This is the story of a bride in white
Waiting on her wedding day
Anticipation welling up inside
While the groom is crowned as king
O death where is your sting
Cause we'll be there singing
Holy Holy Holy is the Lord

Holy Holy Holy Holy Holy Holy
Is the Lord Almighty
Holy Holy Holy Holy Holy Holy
Is the Lord Almighty
Who was and is and is to come
Who was and is and is to come

Praise to the King of Kings! We adore You! Holy, Holy, Holy! Praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever! (Rev. 5:13) Καλή ημέρα του γάμου! (Happy Wedding Day - in Greek, the language of the book of Revelation and nearly all the New Testament). And Happy Easter! He is risen indeed!

Discussion: How important is the comparison of your wedding to that of Christ and the Church to you? Have you answered the question, "Do you believe?" giving yourself over to the Bridegroom?

Prayer: Glory to you Father God, who loves us so! How blessed we are to be so loved! Thank you for your mercy, patience, grace and perfect Son, Jesus Christ! We rejoice with all the angels in Heaven and proclaim the great mystery of faith, "Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again." We praise you in Jesus's name, Amen.

Here Comes The Bride

Typically when brides walk down the aisle holding onto the arm of their daddies, you hear the traditional "Here Comes The Bride" play on the church organ. Dum-dum-da-dum, Dum-dum-da-dum. People are pretty familiar with it (You can hear it here.) English speaking Americans will sing to themselves "Here comes the bride, all dressed in white." Not too many know what comes next but the lyrics are:

"Here comes the bride
All dressed in white
Sweetly serene in the soft glowing light
Lovely to see
Marching to thee
Sweet love united for eternity."

But actually those aren't the lyrics. Though often called "The Wedding March," the song's true title is "Bridal Chorus." It comes from a German opera called "Lohengrin" by Richard Wagner, written in 1850. The bridal party sings it to the bride after the ceremony.

What the bridesmaids sing, in part, is this:

"Faithfully guided, draw near
to where the blessing of love shall preserve you!
Triumphant courage, the reward of love,

joins you in faith as the happiest of couples!"

Doesn't work rhythmically in our English as well as in the German but the words are sweet and encouraging

It was this song that Princess Victoria walked down the aisle of the Chapel Royal in St. James Palace in 1858 to her beloved German Prince Albert. And she was indeed dressed in white. Matter of fact, it is Victoria who is credited with starting the tradition of brides wearing white. Prior to that brides wore any color.

With your wedding less than 350 days from now, I don't know whether you've both decided that will be the song Ayla comes down the sandy aisle to or if you'll even have music. In our wedding, our bridesmaids came down the aisle of the church to "Trumpet Voluntary" written by Jeremiah Clarke (previously incorrectly attributed to Henry Purcell) in the 1700's and was titled "Prince of Denmark's March." I chose it because Princess Diana came down the aisle to it when she married Prince Charles in 1981. After the bridesmaids came down, I came down to "The Wedding March."

Another traditional and popular processional song is Pachelbel's Canon in D, but there are hundreds of different songs brides will step-together-step-together as they saunter down the aisle.

I don't know that it matters, or that you need a song at all. But the whole idea of a bride being presented to her husband by her father started when the father and groom arranged the marriage as a business deal, and the father literally handed her over. I am guessing little music accompanied such an exchange in these loveless arrangements. 

Yet there will be another wedding in the future where a bride will join her Groom, and I can tell you there will be great music and singing that day. The church is called the "Bride of Christ" and John writes in Rev. 19:7 "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife has made herself ready," and in Rev. 21:2 "I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband." Rejoicing indeed.

If our marriages on earth are to parallel this relationship between the church and Christ - Ayla being presented to her beloved Rob - then there isn't enough pomp in the world to herald such a blessed celebration. So whatever you do, do it big, do it memorably and have fun!

Discussion: Have you both thought about if you will have music during the ceremony and if so what? Why have you made these selections? What do you think of the comparison of your marriage to that of Christ and the church?

Prayer: Almighty Father, to get to witness the New Jerusalem will be cause for celebration indeed. We rejoice in you, Lord, and thank you for processional music. May it glorify You. In Jesus, Amen.