We are almost there! Christmas is just around the corner! Hang on for the last three of these Advent devotionals on the theme of preparation.
Most everyone reading these devotionals has attended a wedding. Many of the women have been brides, walking down the aisle, dressed in a beautiful gown. Many of the men have been grooms, standing nervously at the front of the church, awaiting the first glimpse of their bride. And some of us have been parents and friends gazing with pride as the young woman approached. I remember the inexpressible joy of seeing my daughter and daughters-in-law walk down the aisle.
My father was a pastor. He loved standing at the front of the altar and watching the bride draw near. When he came home after performing a wedding, I remember as a child asking him how the bride looked. Dad would beam and say, “She was the most beautiful bride I’veever seen.” And he said the same thing every time!
In Rev. 21:2, the apostle John tells us of a similar vision: “And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully prepared, adorned for her husband.”
Her Husband is eager but he is not nervous. For thousands of years, he has anticipated this special day. He himself replaced her filthy rags (Is. 64:6) and instead offered her clothes of the finest linen, bright and clean (Rev. 19:8).
The bride could have refused to wear those clothes and opted for comfy jeans or even pjs, but instead, she chose to make herself ready for the wedding. Can you imagine the joy we will one day feel seeing our Lord waiting for us at the far end of the aisle?
