Our hope and prayer is that on this Lord’s Day you are headed to Wedding Rehearsal. What, pray tell, are you talking about Preacher? I’m glad you asked. Let’s talk about that…
One of my prized reference books is by Alfred Edersheim, a Messianic Jew who found the Messiah in the mid 1800’s in Vienna, Austria. In his book, Sketches of Jewish Social Life, Edersheim describes the process of a Hebrew wedding ceremony and all of it’s preparation. As we study the wedding at Cana in John 2, we can envision a wedding day in the not so distant future where Jesus will be the center of attention instead of simply attending. Malachi 2 verse 14 tells us that the union of a bride and groom is one of companionship and a covenant. That covenant was established before family, friends and the Father in heaven. It was preceded by a betrothal.
As the father of two beautiful, Godly daughters, I am personally interested in the idea of being integrally involved in the selection of a groom for my girls and would be happy to arrange a husband of my choosing. Before the hate mail begins, Edersheim explains that any bride had the prerogative to refuse an intended groom before a betrothal engagement would become official.
When the engagement was settled the bride would go home and assemble a wedding party of attendants while the bridegroom would go to prepare a home for his bride. In the middle of an undisclosed night, the groom would come with a band of attendants who would precede the groom carrying 10 staves with lights attached to the tops of staves to display the fact that the groom was on his way (Matthew 25:1). They were called ‘friends of the bridegroom’ (John 3:29, Exodus 19:17,Ezekiel 28:13). He would come to the door of the bride’s house and knock on the door, retrieve her and take her away to her new home where the wedding proceedings would begin. Edersheim further explains that the bride and groom would wear crowns (Isaiah 61:10, Ezekiel 16:12). Hallelujah!!
On Sunday’s, and Wednesdays for good measure, and any time a ‘meeting’ is taking place, I love to gather with fellow members of the Bride of Christ as we learn more about our groom, sing songs about Him, and read His love letters to us. We discover his care for us and learn of the promises of the home that He is preparing. In the distance we can hear the footsteps of a glorious gathering of a heavenly attendants and can see the lights of announcement, He’s coming. It is almost time for a wedding. We seek to make our wedding garments spotless and white and keep our lamps trimmed and burning so that we may not be ashamed when He takes us from this house into our new home in Heaven. What a wedding it will be. The halls of heaven outshine any cathedral ever conceived down here and that bride will be perfect, because of her groom.
Until then we will just keep rehearsing for that time when Jesus comes for his bride. The anticipation of that moment requires no media pump or generated mania. There will be no thought of, “Will it last…” It is and shall be an eternal union of bride and groom. Glory to God! Enjoy your rehearsal today. Keep looking up for the lights of the Groom who is soon on His way.
God Bless You!
BroAdamB evangelistadamborden.com
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evangelist adam borden 