Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor's Page
Dear Friends in Christ,
Throughout the years in my teaching as a Pastor, I regularly say that Christian marriage is supposed to be a reflection of the perfect union of Christ and His Bride, the Church, which is you and me. This imagery is utilized in various places throughout Scripture, with some of the clearest references being found in Ephesians 5 and Revelation 21. It’s a beautiful and comforting word-picture for us. But as you consider it, do you sense a problem? The most obvious one ought to be of the total mismatch. The Son of God is perfect and holy. His “Bride,” on the other hand, is made up of dirty, rotten sinners. And yet in this fact alone we discover a wondrous truth. Jesus Christ still loves His Bride, regardless of her many sinful flaws and sinful actions.
That Ephesians 5 passage helps to explain how and why this seemingly impossible union can exist. It says that “Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, He recreated His unfit Bride to be perfect, holy, and acceptable. That cleansing transformation first took place when you were Baptized.
Many years ago, a family asked to have their newborn baby Baptized. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the Baptismal gown for the child was made from the mother’s wedding dress. Do you see how fitting that symbolic gesture is? In a sense, a person’s Baptism date is actually their wedding day–-their wedding day to Christ Jesus!
But as we ponder that beautiful imagery, a dark cloud quickly arises on the horizon. The Groom, Jesus, never changes. He is perfect and holy. However, there’s a problem with the Bride, you and me. We still struggle with sin. So, using this imagery we need to ask, “What kind of a Bride have you been to Christ?” In our sinful world, divorce has become quite common. Sadly, that has also carried over into our spiritual union with Christ. How many people, having been united with Christ in Baptism, have in effect “divorced” themselves from Him?
Even if you haven’t ever left the Bridegroom, how faithful have you been to Him? You can be sure that a marriage is in trouble when the husband and wife don’t talk to each other. Well, Christ wishes to communicate with His Bride also. In prayer, through Scripture reading, and in worship He speaks to us. Are we regularly, daily, engaging in that conversation? How healthy do you think it would be for a husband or wife to express their love for their spouse only once a month or a couple times a year? Not a desirable scenario, is it? Most people would agree that this would spell disaster for a marriage. And yet, that is how some Christians treat their holy Bridegroom, Jesus Christ.
Ah, but we can come up with all kinds of excuses and rationalizations for doing this, can’t we? It would be impossible to list every one of them here. Instead, I would ask you to think of the most popular ones that come to mind and apply them to a human marriage. How would it fly if you were the spouse who was being told, “I don’t have time to spend with you or to say I love you right now because I want or need to {fill in the blank.}” From my experience with marriage counseling, I can tell you without a doubt that this is a recipe for an impending divorce. Is it any wonder that God tells us that we are to “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:5) And Jesus repeats this in Matthew 22:37. In other words, our relationship with God must be first and foremost in our lives.
In Exodus 20:5 God describes Himself as a “jealous God.” He is a jealous husband who rightfully refuses to share His Bride with anyone or anything else. His Bride’s total love and devotion rightfully belong to Him and He won’t share it. In a human marriage we can understand when a husband (or wife) has those kinds of jealous feelings which are totally appropriate. Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom, is no different. He loves you and wants your soul’s love and devotion to only be directed toward Him. When you direct it elsewhere, you are cheating on Him. I have yet to see a marriage where infidelity by a spouse didn’t harm and disrupt the marriage union.
The amazing thing, though, is that Jesus Christ refuses to walk away from His unfaithful Bride. Instead, out of deep love for her He calls her back. He calls her to come back home. For in His house, He promises to cleanse her again and again. When we come to Him in worship He listens to our plea for forgiveness and announces it publicly for the world to hear. He speaks words of love to His Bride in the reading of His Holy Word and in preaching. And He also prepares an intimate meal for His Bride in Holy Communion. Here He feeds His lovely Bride the heavenly food of immortality, which is His very own Body and Blood.
So even though Christ’s Bride has been unfaithful and has soiled herself with the filth of sin, He remains true to His marriage covenant with her. His love for her is so deep that He refuses to let her go. As the hymn puts it so well, “What wondrous love is this, oh my soul?” It’s beyond our human comprehension. Through His Word and Sacrament, Jesus Christ continues to purify and sanctify His Bride. He prepares her for that glorious day when He will take His Bride home for the wedding banquet in heaven which has no end.
My prayer is that we would all ponder on this wondrous love which claims us as Christ’s Bride. By the power of the Holy Spirit, may we remain faithful to Him, rejoicing in that perfect union we have with Him which is created and sustained by Christ’s atoning blood. And may we remain engaged in that holy conversation with Him daily in our devotions and weekly in our worship as we humbly gather in His presence.
In Christ,
Pastor Meyer
