So my son got married this last weekend, and that’s kind of a big deal. You know, one of those life-changing moments when everything clicks into place and it’s so wonderful that it’s surreal?
We sat around the dinner table later that night with some of the family and friends who had come to town. It occurred to me then how our activities on Samuel and Jameson’s wedding day foreshadowed the future marriage supper of the Lamb.
One day, all believers will gather to raise their glasses and enjoy a feast together in the presence of the Lord Jesus (Revelation 19:9).
It will be the best party the universe has ever seen.
I got a small taste of that this weekend.
The random assortment around my dinner table after the reception included my husband Scott and me, our son Jed and his girlfriend Rebecca, my brother Wil, his wife Kathy and their daughter Rachael, Rach’s boyfriend Brenden, and Josh, a family friend from Canada.
Conversation flowed freely, though not everybody knew each other. Topics naturally turned to spiritual things. Everyone was interested in what God was doing in one another’s lives.
We had just finished eating when Scott requested that we all stop and pray for baby Emma, a five-month-old girl in our church who was due for a heart transplant later that night.
We pushed our plates aside and took turns praying aloud for Emma and her family. (She is adjusting to her new heart, by the way, and the prayers continue.)
Afterward, swiping away tears, I remarked how amazing it is, this phenomenon when believers gather, believers who barely know each other and may have very little in common except for Christ, yet we share an immediate, sacred bond as brothers and sisters in Christ.
There is this richness and sweetness. There is this depth to relationships in Christ.
We are not bound by time or age or geography or people groups. God lives outside such restrictions. The way he instantly knits the hearts of his people together never ceases to amaze me.
Wil commented how he and Kathy had recently experienced the same thing in Germany, spending time with family members who are wholehearted Christians.
It’s a God thing, this ease of connection, this bearing burdens together until tears flow and laughing with joy until cheekbones ache, this thumping bear-hug love between guys who met just hours ago.
It’s the presence of God’s Holy Spirit, transcending human relationships. It’s a taste of eternity.
Here’s another beautiful thing: young Christian men holding and nurturing their friend’s babies. I saw this several times at the wedding, and thought, That’s the Father’s heart shining through them.
Mirroring the love of the Father. Dwelling together in unity. Sorrowing and rejoicing deeply with one another. Loving each other despite differences.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. — Galatians 3:28
There’s neither Canadian nor American, neither old nor young, neither German (my family) nor Native American (Jameson’s family).
We are all one. The unity of believers, already evident in this life, will culminate when Christ comes for his bride.
On my son’s wedding day, as he and his bride exchanged tender, sweet, powerful vows, they promised each other they would love Jesus more than each other, all their days.
Samuel and Jameson know that their romance reflects something greater.
The bigger story is the love of Christ for his Church.
To comment, click on title.
Photo courtesy of Ange Movius Photography. See more photos from the wedding here: (http://angemoviusphotography.
