December 1, 2006 - Friday in the Last Week
Daily Lectionary: Is 7:10—8:8, 1 Pet 3:1–22
“Alle- / luia.* Alle- / luia.
I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heav- / en from God,* prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Alle- / luia/” (Verse for the Sunday of the Fulfillment – Revelation 21:2)
The traditional Christian marriage is filled with beautiful images from Holy Scripture. The most beautiful of those images is demonstrated with the entrance of the bride into the church.
The bride, dressed in a gown of the finest white, enters with a smile of joy upon her face to greet her bridegroom in the house of the Lord. She is glorious in her splendor, radiant in beauty, and the congregation rises with joy to greet her.
The congregation does not rise to worship the bride, but in celebration of the joyous event being proclaimed by her entrance into the House of the Lord. The image set before us is the image of Christ and His bride, the Church, coming together in joyful union unto everlasting life.
This is the image in our text from Revelation 21:2 for today, where the bride represents the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven as a bride adorned for her husband.
We, who have been baptized into Christ, have been clothed with the glorious white robes of His righteousness. We have been called by name and added to the body of Christ, the fellowship of all believers. We have been set apart for a sacred purpose and promised a place in the Kingdom of Heaven.
We are the bride of Christ – the beautiful and glorious bride spoken of in Ephesians chapter five: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” (Ephesians 5:25-27)
Heavenly Father, as your sons and daughters, we look forward with joyful anticipation to the day that we join you at the marriage feast of the lamb in His Kingdom which has no end. Amen.
Higher Things would like to thank the Rev. Jeffery Grams ( jgrams@atcom.net ) of St. John Lutheran Church, Scottsbluff, NE for writing this season's Reflections.
Questions or comments regarding the Reflections may be sent to the Rev. Mark Buetow, Reflections Editor, reflections@higherthings.org.
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