Have you had fortune of being the one deemed special enough
to meet the family? I have. And, oh. Honey, let me teeellll you...there are times when meeting the parents might be all
kinds of red flags and sirens ringing. Meeting the mom on a first date…red
flag. Meeting your college boyfriend’s mom at school because oddly enough, she sits
next to you in Literature class…red flag (and AWKWARD!!). Meeting the mom of
the 30-something you’re dating because he still lives with her...red flag,
yellow flag, blue flag, checkered flag…RUN!!! Since this isn’t a post warning
about who not to date, I’ll move along…
Imagine a bride-to-be being introduced to her future
husband’s family for the first time. Aside from being a bit nerve-racking, how
incredibly special and set apart she must feel knowing her man thinks so highly
of her that he takes her home to meet the people whose opinions matter most to
him. The people with whom he shares the most intimate relationships with-his parents,
his family. The relationship is solidified, it’s officially official. The
bride-to-be begins to form relationships with his loved ones and his family
becomes her family.
In the Bible, the church is referred to as the bride
and Jesus the bridegroom. Envision a
day, long before creation began (see Ephesians 1:4), our Groom, Jesus, went to
God, His Father and said: “Father, there is someone I want you to meet. This is
(insert your name). She is THE one. I’m madly in love with her and
intend to spend the rest of my life with her. I will sacrifice my life to save
hers. I will do anything for her. She means the world to me and I’ll step
outside our heavenly kingdom to earth and endure the worst kind of persecution,
ridicule, betrayal, and even death to make her my bride. Father, she is more
than special, she is worth more than the very air I breathe. I want to give her
the moon, the stars, and all her heart desires. What’s mine will be hers. No
good thing will I withhold from her. Now, please let’s welcome her into our
royal family so that one day she can wear a crown and be my queen and your daughter.”
I get chills picturing such an exchange between Father and
Son--all for little ol' me. How extraordinarily
special I feel knowing Jesus chose to take and introduce me to His Father,
declaring His intent to make me His bride. He welcomed me in and made me part
of His family. I love the Message Bible’s version of Luke 10:22: “I’ve been
given it all by my Father! Only the Father knows who the Son is and only the
Son knows who the Father is. The Son can introduce the Father to anyone He
wants to.” Jesus chose to introduce us to His Father. Jesus chose us to be His bride. How awesome
is that!?! It’s hard to fathom all the privileges that come with being the bride
of Christ: all kinds of authority comes with bearing Jesus’s name, we share in
His kingdom, we’re promised peace, joy and life everlasting. Oh, I can go on
all day listing privileges of being Christ’s bride. He personally went to the
Father and sought to welcome us into the majestic family. With outstretched arms
and a crown of thorns, Jesus proposed to you and me an unbreakable, everlasting
union. I’ve accepted His proposal; I’m part of the royalist royal family. Are you?
“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.” -Revelation 19:7 (NIV)
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