A little over a month ago, our only daughter, Elisabeth Anne, married Mr. Joshua H. Lee. Darby and I wrote the following letter, and I read it to Josh and to the family and guests before escorting Beth Anne down the aisle:
Dear Josh, family, and friends of the bride and groom:
Early in the book of Genesis, it is revealed that God ordained marriage. And in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, we are told that marriage is a profound illustration of the love and faithfulness that Christ, our Bridegroom, has for His betrothed bride, the Church. Later, the book of Revelation depicts the fulfillment of the covenant commitment between Christ and the Church when He comes to get His bride and present her without spot or blemish at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
Marriage as a picture of Christ and the Church has been symbolized in the Christian wedding ceremony for generations. But, through the years, the emphasis in the ceremony has shifted to a greater and nearly exclusive focus upon the bride and her arrival. The entrance and activities of the groom, who should draw our attention to Christ, are seen as almost insignificant. But they are not.
Scripture reveals in a multitude of ways, that Jesus Christ fulfilled the role of a bridegroom in betrothal to his intended bride in very specific detail. John the Baptist clearly identified Jesus as the Bridegroom. Jesus Himself illustrated this role at the Last Supper when, taking the cup, He toasted His bride with a blessing and made His betrothal covenant vows in His own blood. After telling them He was leaving where they could not then follow, Jesus responded to His disciples’ grief by telling them that He was going to prepare a place for them in His Father’s house, and He reassured them of His return to bring them there. In the Garden of Gethsemane, three different times Jesus reaffirmed His commitment to pay the brideprice His Father had chosen, and on the cross, He declared, “τετέλεσται,” which means, “It has been finished” or “It has been paid in full.” And in relating the parable of the ten virgins, Jesus encouraged readiness for His return after He spoke of a cry ringing out, “Behold, here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!”
This is the high point of history, as revealed in John’s vision in Revelation: when Christ, the Bridegroom, will fulfill His promise to return, take His bride, and as Paul wrote in Ephesians, “present her to Himself as a radiant Church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”
In the last two verses of her hymn, “The Sands of Time,” 19th century Scottish pastor’s wife, Anne Ross Cousins, using references from Song of Solomon and Revelation, beautifully articulated the significance of the Bridegroom in the biblical imagery of the marriage ceremony:
O, I am my Beloved’s, And my Beloved’s mine! He brings a poor vile sinner Into His “house of wine.” I stand upon His merit – I know no other stand, Not e’en where glory dwelleth In Immanuel’s land.
The bride eyes not her garments, But her dear Bridegroom’s face; I will not gaze at glory, But on my King of grace. Not at the crown He giveth, But on His piercéd hand; The Lamb is all the glory Of Immanuel’s land.
So, Josh, as you have taken your place today at the front of this sanctuary, we invite you and all who are here to reflect on the love and faithfulness of your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In a few moments, when Beth Anne enters, wearing her white wedding garments, remember that these represent the purity and righteousness given to the Church to wear, through the sinless life and loving sacrificial death of our Bridegroom. When you descend from the altar, walk up the aisle to take your bride’s hand from her father, escort her to the front, and lift the veil to reveal Beth Anne’s beaming face, rejoice with her that, though for now our vision is limited, one day we shall see our Savior and Bridegroom face to face, and that “we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord.” And, Josh, when you ascend the stairs with Beth Anne to the altar again, give thanks that our Bridegroom has been preparing a place for us and has promised us, His bride: “I will surely come again and will take you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”
Finally, to all of you who have joined with us to celebrate with Josh and Beth Anne today, we want to remind you of what the angel said to John in Revelation 19: “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” If you know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent, you are doubly blessed because you are not only invited to His wedding feast, you are part of the Bride of Christ whom He has redeemed from every tribe and language and people and nation. All will gather in a great multitude one day and loudly proclaim: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come!”