the wedding day is coming

Just two days ago, many people were devastated when the rapture didn't take place.  Now these disillusionsed and disheartened followers must return to daily life, picking up routines and paying unwanted bills. It must be heartbreaking for those who truly believed they would now be in the glorious other-world.

My sympathy is extended to both leader and followers. While I certainly feel that the prediction was unwise and do not agree with other parts of the group's theology/eschatology, I believe they need our compassion and forbearance, not our ridicule.

It is no light thing they have embraced. Indeed, all of us who read His Word should have the hope deep within us that He is coming again.

What is important to understand, however, is that the return of Jesus is not a mere doomsday cliche; it is the fulfillment of His promise, a very important event in His relationship with us, the church.  The sequence of future events should be viewed in the context of the sacred romance of Christ and His bride.

 He betrothed us unto Himself and signified it with the cup of wine at the Last Supper with His disciples.  Then He paid the bride price (necessary in every Jewish marriage) with His own blood on the cross.  He told us in John 14 that He was going to prepare a place for us (all Hebrew grooms went back to their father's house to prepare a chamber for the bride).  He promised that when His Father gave the word, He would return to take us to be forever with Him (only the groom's father could give the word for the groom to get his bride). He told us to be ready at any time for His return (Hebrew grooms often came at night, with a shofar blast and an announcement by his friends, to joyfully steal the bride away). He promised us His unimagineable love and a home with Him for eternity.

While those who do not love Him will be surpised by His sudden appearance one day, those who are part of the Bride will be delighted when He comes.  What bride is not excited on her wedding day? Has she not been expecting and longing for that day to arrive?  Has she not yearned to see her beloved's face? For us, it will not be a day of fear and dread, but an hour of unrivaled joy.

The recent prediction gave an opportunity for the scoffers to whoop with derision.  But just as false labor only means the birth is looming closer, so the day of the Lord gets ever nearer. (Mark 13:8)   And though no man knows that time, the Father does.

(Isn't it interesting that God uses two metaphors for Christ's return which symbolize the greatest joys in a woman's life - weddings and births.)

God keeps His word; He waits so that more may become part of the Bride.  While they scorn, He invites them. (1 Peter 3:3-14)  He doesn't want anyone to be excluded.

God has written a great romance story. Christ's return is the next big event in our holy relationship with Him. No matter who predicts or scoffs, that day WILL come.  And blessed are those who are found on that day dressed in the robe of His righteousness with a heart fully devoted to the bridegroom!

Wedding Day  (Listen here)

- words and music by Brent Lamb

Lately I've been thinking as I look all around me

I see by the signs that we're soon going to be leaving

The Bridegroom is coming to take us all away

May be tomorrow, but I pray that it's today

Chorus:

And we will fly away in the twinkling of an eye

Leaving all our heartaches and telling them all goodbye

Yes we will fly away when He hears His Father say,

"Jesus, go and get your bride, today's Your wedding day"

Now when we see the Bridegroom in the clouds in the sky

Will He be telling you hello or telling you goodbye?

Oh, be sure and be ready to meet Him face to face

We've got to fight the good fight, we've got to keep our faith

Scriptural Reference:
"Let us rejoice and be glad and give him the glory. For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready." Revelation 19:7

For more on the sacred romance of Christ and the Church, see the study Redeeming Romance. 

"real" beauty

Just like our appetite for monster fountain drinks and mammoth screens, the modern template of feminine beauty is out of proportion.  One college student illustrated this clearly with a life size replica of Barbie which was displayed during the school's National Eating Disorders Awareness Week.  The student, Galia Slayen, is an anorexia survivor; I'm guessing this was a personal battle between Barbie and her.  (see the Barbie here)

Now, I'm not a Barbie hater; in fact, I played with them as a little girl (gasp!) and never really believed that she represented perfection (guess my firstborn nature had its own opinions!).  But I understand that it can be confusing to little girls and completely understand why some parents won't allow them in the playroom.  Certainly our daughters don't need another reminder of their supposed "inadequacies."

But, the real problem is the society that laughs at the ridiculous proportions of Barbie on a life size scale, but continues to crave that kind of beauty in ourselves and our entertainment. We embrace our own pain by believing the Barbie lie. 

Beauty is real, beauty has power, and beauty as created by God is good.  But, beauty in our culture is suffering from inflated expectations -  both of those who want to own it and those who want to look at it.

 Beauty must be kept in proper perspective, and that means remembering that Barbie is only a doll, a concotion of plastic and synthetics; the invention of a corporation who created a "beauty" not possible in real women as God made them.  Like baby dolls who never cry or teddy bears who go to tea parties, Barbie is an illusion.  And that's a comforting thought actually; because in real life dimensions, Barbie is a bit terrifying.

romance and redemption

Do you like stories of romance?  If you're a woman, the answer is probably yes.

Guess what?  God's answer would be yes too.  He invented romance and uses it to picture His pursuit of humanity as He woos them back into relationship with Him.

He invented weddings too.

And nobody does weddings better than Orthodox Jews.

Compared to them, the traditional American nuptials are paltry in symbolism and certainly weak in enthusiasm.  Now, my own wedding day memories are very special, as I hope yours are to you, but there's a tiny little part of me that wishes I had been Jewish! Talk about deep meaning and hidden beauty - that's what it's all about.

The Orthodox Jewish wedding juxtaposes the sacred solemnity of the ceremony with the joyful hilarity of the following reception.  Those in attendance experience the whole range of emotion - it's a day that stands out in the memory of everyone there.

There is far too much involved to explain in great depth in this post, but here are a few details:

In contrast with modern weddings, the bride and groom are the centerpiece of everything.  It's not just a time for friends and family to show up in their finery and laugh and visit. Every activity is focused on the bridal couple and their happiness. 

Marriage, in the Jewish mind, is something to revere and celebrate, not primarily for sensual reasons, but because it is what man and woman were made for.  An announcement of marriage is worthy of great joy.  (In a deeper sense, of course, it is to be celebrated because it represents God's covenant with His people and Christ's relationship with His bride, the church.)

 The ceremony is filled with great symbolism - both for the couple and for Scripture.   The bride and groom are attended by both parents down the aisle; mother and father are very important as they give permission for their children to be joined together in marriage. The groom wears a long white coat (with his tux or suit) - it was the traditional garb for ancient feast days and is called the kittal (from the root word "to slay" - wow, there is deap meaning here from the first chapters of Genesis). The bride is veiled by the groom with a heavy cloth (the badekin) - to remember Leah who wore a veil when she married Jacob and to symbolize the husband's role of protection.  The couple is married under a canopy (Chuppah) - to sybolize the covering of the heavens and God's covering of covenant with His people.  The bride circles the groom seven times - to symbolize the days in which God created the world and the fact that this couple is creating a new home.  At the end of the ceremony, the groom steps on and breaks a glass contained in a cloth bag - this symbolizes the destruction of Jersualem and the fragility of life (even in moments of great joy, Jews never forget the destruction of the temple).

The estactic dancing following the ceremony is almost childlike in its jubilant expression - on the men's side and the women's side, guests twirl and skip, laugh and sing.  The groom and his friends often perform incredible feats - special dances, juggling, wild leaps, etc.  It's not only an adrenalin rush, but also a chance for the groom to show off a little for his bride. 

To the American mind, this form of celebration seems a bit awkward and even silly.  Most of us would not think of behaving in such a way in public.  But the Orthodox Jews are able to give in to their joy in the most basic of all modes of expression - laughing and jumping. Its what each of us does in some unguarded moment when a long-held dream comes true (recall images you've seen of lottery winners whose number has been called!) And it is a shadow of the kind of joy that will be ours in heaven someday.  All of heaven will be an endless wedding celebration.  It will be happiness and feasting and celebration forever.

The Orthodox Jewish wedding celebration combines the wonder of human romance with the awesome holiness of God.  The Creator created this relationship to symbolize His deep love and commitment to us. Jesus, the very Son of God, attended a wedding in Galilee and was no doubt, part of the great joy on that occasion. The things He taught and the things He did often had great signifiance in relation to the Jewish understanding of betrothal and marriage. Even the Last Supper and His death on the cross have deep meaning for us as the Bride of Christ.

I have been captivated by the theme of romance, not only as a woman, but as a Christian. What I've discovered in my study has made me see my relationship with Christ in a whole new way. I am so excited about the new study book, Redeeming Romance: Delighting in God's Love.  It is a message that I cannot get away from.  It thrills my heart with its powerful beauty and makes me anticipate heaven more. After all, every bride looks forward to her wedding day. 

(Look for the new study Redeeming Romance:Delighting in God's Love, available at Dayton IHC and for pre-order from http://www.wphonline.com/) 

male or female or both?

I've just read an incredible news story.  Incredible because of the lies it contains.

If you have a jaundiced view of journalism, you may think most news stories contain lies.  But this one was not a lie of the political or interpretive kind.  It was a lie from Satan.

The article told the story of a woman in Australia who was granted identification papers saying her gender was not specified.  In other words, she is legally not male or female.  Those papers have since been revoked, but she is fighting to get them certified again. The story explains that "she" was born a normal boy, but didn't "feel" male so, as a young adult, he had surgery to make him female.  Then one day, realizing that many of her feminine traits were coming from the hormone pills she was taking, she felt that was fake too.  So, now "she-he" has embraced this new nothing kind of gender.  She wonders why she has to be male or female: why can't she just be human?  She even goes barefoot now because she feels shoes are too gender indicating.  She says she is both male and female.

The article also quotes a gender specialist who says many ancient cultures had a third gender, and it was only in the 20th century that male and female norms were set.  That may be true, but former cultures also practiced human sacrifice and other horrors.  Precedence doesn't justify repeating all behaviors. He further states that it is common for a person who has had a sex change to begin questioning their gender again after the surgery.  He gets close to the truth when he says that gender is not merely wrapped up in the physical apparatus; it is now believed to be rooted in the brain. 

But the whole truth is that gender is God-given and is inprinted on the soul.  God created humans in His own image - male and female.  He chose two complimentary sexes to represent Him; each images Him in different ways.  To ignore either denies His design.  To swap one for another insults His plan for each life. 

But having a "one is the same as the other" approach is becoming fashionable in our culture.  Take Lady Gaga, a young woman whose music and video "art" is openly and proudly lewd.  She says she loves "androgyny" and admits to encounters with both men and women.  It has become the new rage - experimenting with one's gender as though it were a dessert one can have as either chocolate or vanilla or swirled. 

Our Creator lovingly portayed Himself in the genders - each is valuable and significant.  The gifts of each are necessary for the appropriate function of the earth and the family.  Who one is really will not change, no matter what is done to the outside.  In my opinion, it is the direct work of the Enemy to cause men and women to question their gender.  It is an attack he has used with great success and it strikes at the very heart of God's creative work. 

Once a person questions who he or she "is," everything else is also suspect.  If I cannot believe something about myself as basic as my sexuality, what else might be subject to question?  In the 20th century, contrary to the specialist's belief, gender was not solidified as much as it was questioned.  Beginning with the Roaring Twenties, assaults against traditional feminine and masculine roles saturated the culture.  So it is not surprising that the current issue is whether gender really matters at all.  It is the natural result of the gender debate.

Elisabeth Elliot, one of my favorite authors, writes about the "mystery" of God-given gender and their relation to each other.  In her book, The Mark of a Man, (written for her nephew, Peter) she says about gender difference:

The distinction was God's. We wouldn't have thought of it.  Imagine a sexless world.  If you're looking for Dullsville, that would be it, wouldn't it?  We've had enough hints of what it would be like in the unisex world of blue jeans.  When men and women accept the sexual difference and enjoy it, they put color and design and variety into life.  When they begin to deny it or to feel that it should somehow be blurred, they take all the color out (except for denim blue - and they are careful to take even some of that out, with Clorox, before the color is acceptable!) 

It's hard to tell the men from the women at a college weekend retreat:  the down-filled vests, the turtlenecks, the jeans, the waffle-stompers, the hair hanging in the eyes, the backpacks. 

"Oh, wow!"  some of them would say, "She doesn't like us!"

Alas.  Another distinction gone by the board.  You are smart enough to see, Pete, that I'm not condemning.  I'm describing.  And if the description fits, kids squirm.  I'm only holding up a mirror, saying, "Look at yourselves!  What do you see?"  If it's monchromatic, it illustrates my point:  To equalize is to deprive of glory.      (Fleming H. Revell, 1981, pg. 32)

While I'm not condemning denim or turtlenecks or backpacks, etc.(and I don't think she is either), I believe Mrs. Elliot is onto something here.  The genders bring color and glory to the world.  Making them the same or erasing their importance will plunge any society into a grey world where even the basic things of life are topsy-turvy.

I must note that, in our imperfect world, there are malfunctions of every kind.  Babies are sometimes born with "ambiguous genitalia" - not clearly one or the other.  Such cases require wisdom and careful thought by parents, doctors, and others involved in deciding how the little person should meet life.  Not being qualified to speak on this subject, I will say only that I believe God can give the discernment needed to face this challenge as He does for any other difficulty faced by the human family.   And certainly, it is a subject that brings another angle to this discussion.

The issue of gender distinction is one of greatest importance and it will become even more so in our lifetime.  The news stories will become more unbelievable; the mores of culture will become even more outlandish.  But the principles our Creator planted in our world will not change, no matter how they are scoffed and trampled.

And as for me, I am glad to have the security that God made me, that I am what I am by His design, and His plan for me is wrapped up in how I bear His image.  It sure beats going barefoot.

Appalachian Midnight

Pale moon on a mountain road,

Spectral trees with branches bare,

Aging homes in whitened sleep,

Winter's chill on silvered hills,

Frozen land and people proud.

- VQ (Dec. 24, 2010)