At The Altar Rail -- Marriage
Devotional
Holy Moments
A Study Of Burning Bush Experiences
Object:
"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be
joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This is a
great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church.
-- Ephesians 5:31-32
I think the Holiest Moment of a wedding occurs at the instant that the bride appears at the entrance to the church. Time seems to freeze. Hearts are warm. The groom, standing at the end of the aisle near the altar, gazes at the woman he is about to marry. Everybody else is also looking at the bride; there is a myriad of emotions and thoughts occurring at that Holy Moment.
The mother of the bride is crying tears of joy because her baby is grown, beautiful, and loved. Perhaps a couple tears are because of a separation that is occurring in this Holy Moment.
The father of the bride has butterflies in his stomach as he is about to walk his daughter down the aisle.
The bride is loved by everyone at the wedding; love radiates from her as she steps into the view of the congregation. All eyes are on her.
The groom loves the bride and looks affectionately at her as she approaches him.
The stage for the miracle is set. Two are about to become one. As words and promises are exchanged, the world is once again given a foretaste of the wedding that will occur when the bride of Christ, the Church, will be gowned in a robe washed white in the blood of the Lamb, and will approach the Groom, who is Jesus Christ. Then will the stage -- the final stage -- be set for a miracle -- the greatest and longest lasting marriage feast ever!
Questions
1. Describe the Holy Moment of when the bride appeared in the doorway of the church at the last wedding you attended. Did you sense the holiness?
2. What does God's Word mean in Ephesians 5 when it says, "This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church?"
3. What can you do to rescue marriage from its current state in our culture and reverence it in the sacramental way that the Lord designed it?
Prayer
Gracious Lord, Lover of all souls, Redeemer of a lost creation, and Keeper of covenants and vows made to Your Church: How You love us! How we fail to understand the depth of love with which You love us! How faithful You are! How blessed we are! How happy we will be when we stand, by Your grace, garbed in Your righteousness, before You. Then, and only then, will we see, no longer dimly, but face to face. Then, and only then, will we finally understand -- even as we have been all along fully understood and loved by Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, our Savior, and our Bridegroom. Amen.
-- Ephesians 5:31-32
I think the Holiest Moment of a wedding occurs at the instant that the bride appears at the entrance to the church. Time seems to freeze. Hearts are warm. The groom, standing at the end of the aisle near the altar, gazes at the woman he is about to marry. Everybody else is also looking at the bride; there is a myriad of emotions and thoughts occurring at that Holy Moment.
The mother of the bride is crying tears of joy because her baby is grown, beautiful, and loved. Perhaps a couple tears are because of a separation that is occurring in this Holy Moment.
The father of the bride has butterflies in his stomach as he is about to walk his daughter down the aisle.
The bride is loved by everyone at the wedding; love radiates from her as she steps into the view of the congregation. All eyes are on her.
The groom loves the bride and looks affectionately at her as she approaches him.
The stage for the miracle is set. Two are about to become one. As words and promises are exchanged, the world is once again given a foretaste of the wedding that will occur when the bride of Christ, the Church, will be gowned in a robe washed white in the blood of the Lamb, and will approach the Groom, who is Jesus Christ. Then will the stage -- the final stage -- be set for a miracle -- the greatest and longest lasting marriage feast ever!
Questions
1. Describe the Holy Moment of when the bride appeared in the doorway of the church at the last wedding you attended. Did you sense the holiness?
2. What does God's Word mean in Ephesians 5 when it says, "This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church?"
3. What can you do to rescue marriage from its current state in our culture and reverence it in the sacramental way that the Lord designed it?
Prayer
Gracious Lord, Lover of all souls, Redeemer of a lost creation, and Keeper of covenants and vows made to Your Church: How You love us! How we fail to understand the depth of love with which You love us! How faithful You are! How blessed we are! How happy we will be when we stand, by Your grace, garbed in Your righteousness, before You. Then, and only then, will we see, no longer dimly, but face to face. Then, and only then, will we finally understand -- even as we have been all along fully understood and loved by Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, our Savior, and our Bridegroom. Amen.
