Its just not about the dress...

The Bride of Christ.

As a church we are supposed to be Christ's bride waiting for his return to come and get us. So what kind of bride are we supposed to be? The beloved of Christ it is hardly befitting to be a bridezilla is it?
On occasion I think about my wedding day what it will be like waiting at the back of church for the music to start walking forward into a new chapter of my life. Its in all probability a long way off for me, but the whole paraphernalia that goes with weddings intrigues me and fascinates me and I am not the only one just remember how 2 years ago the royal wedding captured imaginations all over the world. The whole Engagement to wedding to marriage interests me being a bride means more than being a fiancée but not as much as being a wife it is a very transient state, in human terms you are only a bride for a day there is an intrinsic immediacy about being a bride it only lasts a set amount of time. the bible does not say we are Christ's fiancée neither are we yet his wife as a church we are his bride.

It got me thinking you know, what are the qualities of a good bride therefore what should we be doing as a church to be a good bride? I am going to explore two of these qualities that really hit me recently which inspired this drawing.

Brides are Beautiful;

There is something about a bride on her wedding day whether she is  my big fat Gypsy Bride or Catherine (Kate) Middeton she somehow not just looks beautiful but almost ( in worldly terms that is ) defines it, in one of my favourite films  27 Dresses Katherine Heigl plays the serial bridesmaid. and she and James Marsen's character discuss the favourite moment at a wedding they both say its the groom's face when he sees his bride for the first time. Brides are beautiful, they are worth looking at. In 1 Peter it tells us that ' true beauty does not come from outward adornment but from a quiet and gentle spirit which is precious to God ( 1 Peter 3:4). As a church we shouldn't be flashy in our faith just quietly and diligently serving him and furthering his kingdom in our communities that makes us a beautiful bride.

Brides are expectant/ anticipative; 

Brides know what they are waiting for even if they don't quite know exactly what it means in real terms . They are expectant and anticipative because they know that life as they know it is about to change. in our modern world of co habitation we have in a way lost this element. Most modern brides know what living with their husbands will be like, this is not the case in Jesus day or even 70 years ago. Now it seems it is the exception and not the rule. Marriage is a public declaration of intimacy and togetherness, In many cultures marriage brings an elevated status to the woman. I'm not saying that is right or that it is wrong for us to be co-habiting in the modern age although I do know of some churches ( not one I have been to I might add) who won't marry couples who live at the same address. All I am saying is we know what is coming its all in the bible we don't know the full extent of what it means but we do know it will change everything.

Go on be beautiful - we know what... well who... we are waiting for.