Weddings are a talking point.

Just flick through the gossip columns and
there will be news and speculation on the latest romantic attachment or
future plans. The web carries up to the minute reports on stars who have
announced their intention to tie the knot. Irrespective of the venue for a
wedding, the key thing is the pair at the centre of the action and the
commitment that they make to one another.
Are we all just hopeless romantics, or is there more to finding a wife for
life? It’s true that we are delighted to hear about a family member or
friend’s wedding. The excuse for women to get a new outfit or for the
men to wear a suit for the first time since…..the last wedding! It’s true
that it involves more than the couple concerned, as it brings together two
families (who would never even think of talking to each other if they met
on holiday we might humorously add!). It also influences the local
community through providing a family unit of stability and support. You
may be attending a wedding this summer and be reflecting on these things.
But, there is something profound about marriage. Here’s a sizzling hot bit
of news which has come to my attention by fair means not foul. The Bible
teaches us that God invented marriage to remind us of a staggering
reality: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be
united to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh” [quoting from
Genesis 2v24]. This is a profound mystery – but I am talking about Christ
and the church’ (Ephesians 5v31-32). Why is the coming together of a
man and a woman to form one flesh in marriage a profound mystery? The
New Testament use of the word ‘mystery’ does not refer to something too
obscure, complex or deep to understand. It refers to a hidden purpose of
God that has now been revealed for our
understanding and enjoyment: that marriage is an
image of how Christ relates to his church. Jesus
Christ loves and cherishes his church. So, the
marriage of a husband to his wife is a copy of the
amazing original of Christ to his bride the church.
The husband is taught to love like Jesus. The wife
is taught to respond like the church. Wow – what an
inspirational model.
Paul Kingman