In October our little community will have its first wedding.  A special couple will be getting married after preparing for over two years.  Summer and I will have the privilege of being apart of this celebration of two lives coming together as one.

Something that is obvious about any wedding is that it’s mostly about the bride and some about the groom.  She does most of the work and He does most of the _____ (you fill in the blank).  On the big day the attendee will smile when they see the groom, but they will stand in respect when they see the bride.  She is beautiful, pure, and glowing; just what a bride should be.  When Jesus walked the earth there was a betrothal period during which the bride and groom were separated until the wedding. It’s this imagery and symbolism of marriage that is applied to Christ and the body of believers known as the church. These are those who have trusted in Jesus Christ as their personal savior and have received eternal life. In the New Testament, Christ, the Bridegroom, has sacrificially and lovingly chosen the church to be His bride (Ephesians 5:25-27).

Recently in our gatherings we have discussed Colossians – Christ is enough.  We have been reminded that Jesus is the Head of the Church, He is everything.  But personally I have been asking the question, “What is the Brides responsibility?”  Just as there was a betrothal period in biblical times, so is the bride of Christ separate from her Bridegroom during the church age.  So our responsibility is to be faithful to Him (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:24).

Before I expound let me say I love the Church.  I think she is beautiful in spite of everything.  But no one should find her more beautiful than the Bridegroom (Jesus Christ).  Actually I think sometimes He is the only one that finds her stunning.  But over time I found we tried to make her more attractive.  I guess a little make-up can’t do too much harm, unless we try to make her more attractive for the wrong reasons. 

The point I want to make is that we can become so in grossed in making the church more attractive to people that we take away from make makes us glow – Jesus. When people hear the good news it should be about Jesus and not the church.  Jesus is our hope of salvation.  We exist as the church because He lives.  Simply put it’s more important we are attractive to Jesus.