5 of 10

Write now Article Tools

The story of the Bible is a romantic comedy.
A happily-ever-after.
The Groom gets the Bride.
After getting engaged, my days were full of marriage dreams. I showed off my ring to everyone I met and bragged nonstop about my husband-to-be. I registered and planned and prayed. We talked about what it would be like living together, not having to leave each other as the evening ended.

The metaphor of the Church as the Bride of Christ emphasizes the anticipation of our reunion and Christ's tenderness for His Bride.
This metaphor permeates John's writings. Steeped in the teachings of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Hosea, which compare God's relationship with Israel to that of a husband and wife, John uses the Jewish ceremony throughout his gospel and Revelation.
It starts with Christ's introduction to society. He proposes at a wedding with the miracle of turning water into wine, a symbol of our happily-ever-after, of the Prince's kingdom.
"Will you marry me?" Jesus asks.
"Yes," the disciples say, for John tells us they believed.
Fast forward to the night before Jesus' execution. "I'm leaving," he tells them.
In Jewish marriage practices, this was not unusual. After the bride and groom got engaged, the groom left for a year, maybe more, maybe less, to get their house ready. When he returned, there would be a great wedding feast.
Before Jesus left, he said, "I'm going to prepare a place." He's readying our home. And he will return.
On that return we fix our hopes and dreams.
In the final chapters of Revelation, John completes his writings with the image of the reunion of the Groom and Bride.
"The wedding celebration of the Lamb has come," he writes, "and his bride has made herself ready" (Revelation 19:7, NET). He describes the bride, adorned in her beautiful wedding gown, walking down the aisle to meet her Groom.
The best part about weddings is watching the faces of the bride and groom. The groom, awed by the beauty of his emerging bride as the doors open and she walks toward him. The bride, glowing with excitement and anticipation.
We will bounce and glow and smile, and our Groom will look on us with delight.
It's a good thing to dream about that day. Some people think that dreaming about the way things will be is escapism, but I don't think so. I think it's part of being a Bride dreaming about her wedding day.
It's called hope. C.S. Lewis said, "The Christians who did the most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next."
Dream away. In dreaming, we set our face toward our Groom, who tenderly loves us. We brag about him and love him and partner with him in his work, as any bride does. We long for the day when we won't have to part at the end of the evening.
As we approach Valentine's day, take some time to dream about our reunion with our first love. The more we think about that day, the more we will spend these engagement days preparing.

Learn more about this author, Heather Goodman.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Worship: A love relationship?
We want to hear your view. Write now!