Weddings

We were happy to attend a wedding, yesterday.  It had been quite a while.  Since we are in such an in between age group, we have our child married but no nieces and nephews yet, and those in our age group are thankfully mostly in stable marriages not requiring us to deal with second marriages.  Also, in our age group, not many have died yet, so that we don't have widows and widowers remarrying, either.  So, as we see, all has been quiet on the weddings front. -- Funerals, yes.  Funerals of the generation ahead of us are coming rapidly, as of late; sad to say.  `

Therefore, a wedding to attend, and to not be the mother-of-the-bride for, just relaxing and enjoying, turned out to be a rare treat.  It filled me with no regrets about my life not going the way I want it to, as some weddings had when I was younger, since a good chunk of my life must be over already by now.  I just took it in, contentedly.  What filled me with joy and amazement besides the glorious young couple in splendor of youth, of  gorgeous hair and lovely complexion, not to mention stunning figures--were the opening readings.  Christ is our bridegroom and the church is the bride. -- We know this of course, but there is a difference between knowing it and having the object lesson come down the isle in full regalia.

Oh, but really what a homely bride this church seems at time, we the church full of sinner/saints, and yet resplendent in the clothing of righteousness given to us.  We are to our groom this glorious creature.  What love in his eyes.  His eyes.

The world may think we are a joke and derides us.  We ourselves don't know our own value and dignity always. It is a humbling thing to be the bride of such a great man.  What mercy and love.  We sing about it all the time.  But look at this bride and groom.  We are the crown of creation, of our God's achievement, the assembly of the blood-bought.

This bride came down the isle by herself because her father was the minister. The Father and the groom were both waiting at the front.   So it is.  Our loving God has everything ready for us, and our time will come. And we will be just as happy and just as white.