Valerie Rae Hanneman
Revelation 19:7 (NIV) “Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.” (NIV)
A few weeks ago I was privileged to attend the wedding of Debbie Dornier and Stan Jenks. Both of them were already friends of mine before they noticed each other in Joe Varian’s Sonday morning class. When they started attending the same small group as I do I was able to watch their relationship continue to grow. I will admit that there were a few times that they were so “lovey-dovey” that I rolled my eyes in “mock” disgust. But really it is a joy to be around them.
Pastor Willie, Stan Jenks and his best man, Joe Varian, came into the sanctuary. Willie looked as happy and composed as always. Joe Varian - in his brand new suit - was positively beaming. And Stan Jenks looked like he was about to puke. He kept shifting from foot to foot and tugging at his collar as if he were choking. His hands looked like they were shaking and he had this pale expression on his face. I hid my smile behind my hand because Stan was just the epitome of a nervous groom. The bridesmaids came in and took their places. There was a pause in the music, then the Wedding March began and Debbie entered the sanctuary. She was breathtaking. As she walked down the aisle, I looked back at Stan. The nervous bridegroom was gone. He was standing straight, no shifting feet or tugged collar. His entire focus was on his bride coming to him. The look of pride and love that shone from his face was so profound that tears filled my eyes. I glanced again at Debbie and she was looking at him with just as much focus. To see them at that moment is a picture my mind will always carry.
There’s another wedding coming and I am going to be part of it. In fact, I am going to be the bride. It is not going to take place here on earth - instead it is going to take place in the most glorious place in eternity. The Temple of the Living God in the New Jerusalem. This is the wedding of the Lamb (Jesus) to His bride (the Church). Now I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of questions about this wedding. For instance, are the Older Testament saints included in this? After all the Church was born on the day of Pentecost after Jesus ascended back to His Father. Maybe they will get to take part because their faith looked forward to the Messiah. Who knows? I don’t. And how about the ceremony itself? How is that going to happen? Will it be a mass ceremony between Jesus and the millions of millions who make up His Church? Or will it be more of an individual encounter between each of us and Jesus? If it is an individual encounter - that may take quite awhile. But then again - it’s not like we don’t have all of eternity and no better place to be! Who knows how it’s going to happen? I don’t. Here is what I do know. No matter who it encompasses or how the ceremony is done it is going to be absolutely perfect because Jesus has always had this ceremony planned. The other thing that I know is that when Jesus looks at us - His bride - His Church - His face is going to be radiant with love and pride just as Stan’s was. (only maybe multiplied a few thousand times) I ache to see Jesus look at me like that. And when I look back at Him, my face will be radiant as well.
Debbie was so beautiful as she walked down the aisle. Although Debbie has always been as beautiful on the outside as she is on the inside - on this day, she was stunning. Her dress was perfect, her hair was perfect, her makeup was perfect, the flowers were perfect. I wonder - if Debbie had been dressed in shorts, T-shirt and sandals - would Stan have been just as radiant when he looked at her coming to him? Yes, he would have. His radiance and joy was not based on how Debbie looked - but rather on the foundation of love they share.
But that was not what Debbie wanted for this special day. She wanted to be as beautiful as she possibly could. She did everything that she could to be ready on her wedding day. And it wasn’t for me or anybody else in the audience. It wasn’t for the bridesmaids, or the preacher or Joe. It was all for Stan - because that is how much she loves him.
I also want to look beautiful for my Bridegroom in Heaven. I want to make myself ready for that day. But I am not going to make myself ready by buying a dress, fixing my hair or buying flowers. Revelation 19:8 says that the bride is dressed in fine linen which represents the righteous acts of the saints. That is how I make myself ready for Jesus. With righteous acts. Now just to be perfectly clear - just as Debbie’s clothing did not earn her place in the sanctuary, my righteous acts will not earn me my place in Heaven. Jesus already did that. And just as Debbie’s dress did not affect how much Stan love’s her, my righteous acts will not affect how much Jesus loves me. He has already promised that He loves me with an everlasting love. Just as Debbie did everything she could to make herself ready because she loves Stan, I am going to spend my life making myself ready for Jesus. Because I love Him. Because I want to be clothed in the finest, whitest linen when I finally see Him.
What are my righteous acts? Are they feeding the hungry? You bet. Are they visiting the sick? Absolutely. Are they giving comfort to a hurting friend. Yes. But they are also turning away from a gossipy person. They are stopping that unkind thought before I voice it. They are being honest when I am given too much change. They are staying calm when I am cut off on the freeway. My righteous acts are the big things I do - and the little things I don’t do. They are what I do to set myself apart from this world and make myself ready to be His bride.
Are you ready to be His bride? How will you be dressed?
LORD Jesus, I don’t know a lot about the wedding of the Lamb - or about how it is going to take place. All I know for sure is that I am going to be there based only on what You have done and on nothing that I could ever do. I can’t wait to be there with You. Help me in every day and in every way to make myself ready for You.
Contact Valerie at Valerie@fresnofirst.org
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Posted by Valerie at June 3, 2005 08:02 PM