Well – it’s officially June and we’re into wedding season officially now. The thoughts of many young couples have turned to dreams of white dresses, big parties, family celebrations and the beginning of a new life together. It’s a wonderful and whimsical time of the year and for our part whether young or old, many of us will end up attending a wedding this summer. And while every couple will put their own unique spin on the day’s festivities most weddings in this part of the world will have more in common than not:
Whatever wedding you go to the Bride will look radiant.
The Groom will almost always be nervous
It will be a bittersweet day for the couple’s parents
Someone will ALWAYS be forgotten when it comes to writing thank you cards
But the one thing that all weddings have in common for sure is that every successful wedding begins a long time before the wedding day with lots and lots of planning.
From the moment the groom gets down on one knee and asks the most terrifying question of his life until the moment when the pastor gives the couple permission to kiss in church – not a day goes by that is not at least somewhat interrupted with wedding thoughts and details.
Finding a church, finding a Pastor, finding a venue for the reception and a caterer to provide food; finding a band or a DJ for the reception, sorting out the guest list, preparing and sending invitations, selecting the bridal party, planning a honeymoon and of course...Finding the dress.
And what do we (generally) do just as we get close to the big day? Well the couple separates and the groom is not allowed to see the bride until the moment she starts walking down that aisle. She leaves her husband-to-be and goes away to make herself beautiful for her wedding day so that when he finally sees her she takes his breath away.
It’s a terribly romantic moment – brought on by months or years of anticipation and waiting – and in God’s divine plan for people it marks the beginning of a whole new way of living in this world. And as you are reading this and your thoughts are drawn back to weddings you’ve attended or perhaps your own wedding I want you to realise something very profound – that event is merely a shadow of what is waiting for the church when her bridegroom returns for her.
This weekend we mark Ascension Sunday. It’s the day we celebrate and remember Jesus leaving this world after spending forty days in his resurrected body teaching and preaching to the early church. I’ve personally always found it a confusing day to celebrate – why would be happy about Jesus leaving? Isn’t the whole idea of Christianity to do what it takes to bring him back?
To welcome the King back to his kingdom?
To reunite the Bride of Christ with her Bridegroom?
In some ways these (weddings and the ascension) seem to be topics that have no commonality. Weddings are about coming together in celebration, they are about a couple giving themselves to each other in holy matrimony – becoming one flesh. We quote Matthew 19 in weddings – “what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Weddings and leaving don’t really fit together thematically – so what does this have to do with that?
Join us this Sunday at 10:30 to discover along with us just why when it comes to weddings – both human and heavenly – Leaving is better.
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