Are You Ready...for the Wedding?

*This is my article for the June 2012 President's Page in the Sabbath Recorder.

Letus rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of theLamb has come,

and his Bride has made herself ready;

(Revelation 19:7 ESV)

The Jewish wedding ceremony took place in three parts. Each part is symbolic of a much greater wedding.

It began with the betrothal period, which was preceded by intense bargaining between the father of the bride and the father of the groom. The price was generally very steep, even sacrificial. The price Jesus paid for His bride was also very steep. It was not silver or gold, but His own precious blood. As Christian churches, we have put our trust in that blood and we are betrothed. In the days of Jesus, this part of the ceremony symbolized a permanent commitment. It is the same with our church's relationship with Jesus. We have been purchased with a price and committed to Him alone.

In the next part, the groom went away in order to add a room to his father’s house. It usually took about a year but the actual time was determined by the father. It was the father who decided when things were READY. In John 14, Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many rooms, if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” Jesus will return to bring His bride to the place that He has been preparing when His father says it's READY.

During the time this room was being built, the bride would be preparing herself and her gown for the wedding day. This was a process that involved a lot of patience and intricate detail. As the bride of Christ, the church anticipates the great marriage feast when Jesus returns. As our churches clothe themselves in and for Christ, we realize our sanctification and anticipation in what we will become. However, rather than fine linen, the church's wedding gown is made of faithfulness to His mission and readiness for His return.

The third and final part of the marriage was the actual wedding and feast. This is a time of celebration of the eternal union of bride and groom. This is what the church is looking forward to upon Christ's second coming. A continual and eternal celebration of Him and those who abide in Him.

So while He is preparing a place for us, He is also yearning to sanctify us and make us Holy. Let us prepare ourselves for Him in faithfulness, commitment, and practice! ARE YOU READY?

When we gather every week in our churches, we get to celebrate a little, yet imperfect, foretaste of what our celebration in eternity will look like. This summer at our Conference session we get to celebrate (with a little larger crowd) the goodness that Christ is doing in and through us until He returns for us.

I am encouraging you all to register for this summer's Conference sessions to be challenged, to be refreshed, and to be encouraged to serve the Kingdom with more vigor with a renewed purpose and with a new perspective.

Our morning Bible studies, led by Matt Berg, Scott Smith, Ericessen Cooper, Matt Olson, and David Fox, will take us through the book of 1 Thessalonians. Our evening and Sabbath worship speakers, Steve Graffius, Nick Kersten, Dave Stall, John Pethtel, Steve Osborn, and special guests (Brian Croft and Dr. Howard Bixby) will inspire, convict, motivate, encourage, and edify you.

We are planning on having week-long courses on missions and evangelism, led by Patty Peterson and Miriam Berg. Of course, there will be the fantastic fellowship times and other activities that we have grown to love during that week.

We are placing an emphasis on church planting and revitalization during this year's session by having some specified teaching on how to revitalize your church and get it to participate in church planting. If that is an area of ministry that you are being called to explore or discover or have questions about, please contact the Center office, the Missionary Society, or myself so that we can be praying for you and include you in these discussions.

On behalf of myself, our denominational executives, our boards and agencies, and our Conference host committee, we want to invite you to join the ARE YOU READY? conversation at West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, WV from July 29-August 4, 2012.