"For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall
your builder marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices
over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you."
(Isaiah 62:5)
God as our builder and God as our marriage partner, here are
two intriguing images of God that Isaiah uses in order to tell the
people of Israel that God loves them and will see that they are
well kept. As members of Christ's Church, we can also place
ourselves into the capable hands of our Lord who is a Master
Builder and who also views the Church as a bride who is being
prepared for the wedding ceremony.
Some of us may be a bit shy about the image of matrimony when
thinking of our relationship to God. You might prefer to consider
yourself "a work of God in progress". This is fine (for now!), it
can be helpful to remember that, day by day, God is building us up
to be the people who bear his light in the world. At the same time
however, through our baptism, we are called into being fully
active members of Christ's Church -- now! We cannot lay around
waiting to be "good enough" to be of some use to God.
We have to be active members of the Builder's project today!
Sometimes when you're at the "building site" it seems as though
everyone is just standing around. Maybe the foreman has gotten
detained with some details or has to meet with other members of
the crew who need extra guidance. As part of the Builder's team,
it may be up to you to take some initiative and figure out what
needs doing, gather up a few extra worker people and go n' get the
job done. Chances are, the Chief Builder will notice your
initiative and bless you and everyone else in your efforts.
Whether or not you can relate to that other image of our Lord,
as Bridegroom, the image of matrimony can also be helpful in
strengthening our commitment to the Lord and in upholding one
another. A successful marriage entails that a husband and a wife
share responsibility for their household. Each seeks to better the
other by showing mutual respect, affection, and equality as they
bear whatever difficulties may be encountered in life. Christ
calls each of us to live out our days in sacrificial service
toward one another and to strangers who may cross our path. In all
of our relationships we must do our best to uphold our marital
vows "to love and to cherish, to have and to hold, till death do
us part." When we are faithful to being Christ's partner in
serving the world to the best of our ability - then we will know
the true delight that God takes in us.
"So shall your God rejoice over you."
The peace of Christ dwell with you and yours richly in this new
year, and may his light shine through your lives and deeds. Amen
Pastor Jon
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