Monday, July 11, 2016

Marriage: A Scene of God's Grace

Weddings are grand and wonderful occasions.  We celebrate together the beginning of something new and beautiful in the sight of God.  One man and one woman united in an earthly picture of Christ the great Groom and the church His pure bride.  In all weddings where the bride and groom are God’s children by faith in Christ, we can see Christ sitting in the seat of honor as an invited guest.  In John 2 Jesus was an invited guest at the wedding in Cana.  It was the beginning of the working of miracles in His ministry.
Adelaide Thrupp and Godfrey Thring combined their talents in the mid 19th century to give us a lovely wedding song, “Lord, Who at Cana’s Wedding Feast”.  This song reminds us of our bonds as husbands and wives, not just partners but a couple, with God given roles in a God created institution.  It reminds us also of the presence of Christ in each wedding of His children.  The hymn clearly calls on each partner in a Christian home to be zealous to stir up ever greater faith in the one with whom God has sealed them in the marriage covenant.  Lastly it speaks of the hope that we have in our true marriage with Jesus Christ and the eternal home we have with Him. 
God’s grace in Christ is richly evident in this hymn.  We, the sinners of the world (meaning all mankind) were alienated by our sins from the hope of God.  God, in Christ, took our sins rightful punishment and made us acceptable to Him.  He just didn’t “make us acceptable”; He took us as His very own bride.  Now we are wedded to Him; that is an eternal covenant and there will be no separations.  In this beautiful marriage Christ labors in us to produce His grace to a lost world.  We are joined with Him in the purpose and work of life.  That is what marriage is – being joined in purpose and work with Christ always in view.  He calls us to both this earthly and heavenly joy by His wonderful grace.

Let us enjoy together a verse from Thrupp’s wedding song. “Lord, who at Cana’s wedding feast didst as a Guest appear, Thou dearer far than earthly guest
vouchsafe Thy presence here. For holy Thou indeed dost prove the marriage vow to be,
proclaiming it a type of love between the Church and Thee.”  


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