Many people don’t realize that when I walked down the aisle, there was no groom. There I was, on my wedding day. I had the dress, the veil, the hair, my handsome father giving me away, but no groom. The bridesmaids had walked the aisle, then the flower girl, all of the groomsmen…..no groom. No groom as I came down the aisle. The choir was singing amazingly gorgeous music, which distracted me from the fact that my groom was missing, UNTIL I reached the center of the sanctuary. All eyes were on me.

Some people didn’t even notice that the groom wasn’t there! (Now that’s an impressive choir.)

On the other hand, some people were panicking that the groom wasn’t there (understandable.) Watching the wedding video is interesting as people react in different ways to his absence.

When we reached the altar, the pastor asked, “Where’s Matt?”

My dad said, “He’ll be here.” (…no idea.)

There I was, a bride with no groom. The fanciest dress, looking like I had spent 4 hours getting ready (accurate.) I was alone, waiting.

The stage was set. A wedding was planned. Where was the groom…..

How was I feeling, you ask?

Truth: very calm & very curious.

I was excited to get married. I knew I was getting married. Even with no groom in sight, I knew he would be there, eventually. Never once did I wonder whether or not he was coming.

Why was I so confident?

I knew Matt.

I knew him.

I didn’t need to know anything else. I knew he loved me forever. I knew he’d be there. I knew that something unexpected must have held him up, some emergency, maybe. But I knew he was coming. My dad knew he was coming.

We stood there for a while……(insert beautiful choir still singing)…..

Some people know this story. They know how it ends. They know that in the midst of all of the wedding shenanigans, the wedding planner had forgotten (!) to get the groom and the ring bearer (she apologizes to this day every time I see her). Matt and Brody were off in a room waiting down the hall. Brody’s mom had noticed Matt was gone and ran to get them as soon as she realized what had happened. Because of her awesomeness, Matt made it to the altar before the choir had stopped singing. He came in, cool as a cucumber. He and the ring bearer walked in together, slow and steady….. it looked PLANNED, y’all! People complimented us afterwards on how unique it was. WHAT.

Here’s the deal with the gospel; it requires a bride and a groom.

Without the bride and the groom, there is no wedding. We, the Church, are the Bride, standing at the Altar. The stage is set. Christ, our Savior, is described as the Groom who is coming for us.

Take one of the two away, and you have dismantled the gospel.  If you take away the Bride, there is no Church. If you take away the Groom, there is no Savior.

As I was a bride waiting for her groom, the Church is a Bride waiting for her Savior. He will one day come back and usher her into the great banquet. Marriage is an amazing picture of God’s relationship with the Church. We are waiting for Him.

Some people might be panicked that Christ has not yet come. They wonder where He is.

Some people have not even noticed that the Groom is missing. They are distracted, not even aware of their need of Him.

But some people are calm, curious, excited to see Him. We know He will come because we know Him. We know He loves us forever. We know He is faithful. We cannot see Him now, but we long for him in expectation, filled with hope and promise.

Do you want to be a part of the great wedding feast? A part of God’s family? Do you want to be ushered into His glorious presence with love and forgiveness at the end of your days? Believe in this God who loves you so much. Put your faith in Jesus Christ. He is our great Savior, our beloved Groom. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have eternal life. “John 3 :16

Come, Lord Jesus. We love You. May we stand for the gospel until Your return. We know how the story ends.

“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” Revelation 21:2