Here Comes the Bride

I have had the privilege of doing several weddings in my short pastoral ministry and everytime I do one, there is the moment when I'm standing at the front with the groom and his attendants and the time comes for the bride to enter the building. When the bride appears to begin her walk down the aisle I always have a catch in my throat and a quickening of my heartbeat.

I had such a moment a week ago this Saturday at the wedding of my niece in Texas. That's what made me think about this again. As I thought about what makes this a heartstopping moment for me I realized it reminds me that there is coming a day and a time when Jesus is going to come down from heaven to this earth for His bride, the church. I can only imagine being able to visibly see Jesus for the first time and what an awesome sight that will be.

"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud comand, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so will we be with the Lord forever." I Thes. 4:16,17

My hope for you is you're ready to see Jesus if today was the day He made His appearing to take his bride home to live with Him forever.