At a wedding reception I attended recently, the groom came up to me and asked how I thought the ceremony went. I told him what a lovely service it was and repeated some phrases the minister said that I particularly liked. Then I asked him what part he liked the best. With a light in his eyes he began to speak not of the wedding but of the wonderful qualities of his bride. It was clear he thought she was something special and he was excited and happy to have found her.

GOD AS BRIDEGROOM

I was really blessed by his enthusiastic delight in his bride and it reminded me of Isa 62:5B:[as] the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, [so] shall thy God rejoice over thee.

Later as I reflected on the experience and the scripture, I remembered one of my favorite books, The Divine Romance by Gene Edwards, subtitled "The most beautiful love story ever told." In the Prologue Edwards says this about God and why he created humankind: "He was Love. Passionate, emotional, expressive ... love." He also said, "Of all love stories I find this one unequaled."

BIBLICAL BRIDEGROOMS

After history's first wedding, performed by God, Adam, also was a happy bridegroom. First God let him experience bachelorhood, then he said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make a helper suitable for him." I've heard it said that Adam's response to Eve in Genesis 2:23 was the equivalent of "Wow!"

I continued thinking of biblical examples of bridegrooms and of weddings. In the Song of Songs, the bridegroom (the One Who Loves) is considered by many to represent Christ and the bride (the Beloved) is thought to represent the Church, the bride of Christ. I think that must be true. After all, Jesus' first miracle was performed at a wedding. His miraculous gift of wine allowed the celebration to continue, proving he had a special love not only for the bride and groom but for wedding celebrations.

LIVING EXAMPLES

The definition of bridegroom is simply "husband of the bride." Which brings me to this question: Are there husbands among us today who reflect Christ's love for his bride, the church? Several come to mind, one in particular. Many times I heard the bride say she wanted a husband like her Dad, who has loved his wife and children with unconditional and sacrificial love. (I can testify to the truth of that statement, not as observer but as wife.)

We, the bride's father and I, also think the bridegroom in this story is off to a good start. When the minister asked, "Who gives this woman in marriage?" the confident response was, "Her mother and I."

A PERSONAL NOTE


We are pleased to publicly say to our new son-in-law, "Welcome to the family." And to our daughter, "Good choice!"

Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. O!

Two are better than one,
and a chord of three strands
is not easily broken.

Eccl 4:9&12