Jul6

No Groom

Posted on by
Standard

418536_554778992485_1154405187_nMany 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 21:2401309_554783812825_187161534_n

34 responses »

  1. I was there on this occasion and I was not calm, cool or collected. I was anxious and disturbed, filled with uncertainty and drifting toward consternation. I guess I reflect a perspective of Christ’s church that is concerned with appearances that reflect well upon self instead of the glorious actual purpose of the union God intended. My script was not being followed and my arrogance agitated me resulting in fear. Even so, my ultimate joy was realized, amid beautiful music, amazing flowers, fervent vows, and the thoroughly joyful celebration as the family-forming ritual took place. I continue to be the beneficiary of that family, invited as a perpetual participant of its fulfillment. Even though they are difficult lessons to learn, self-sacrifices for the glories of Ultimate Purpose are the love component by which Godly life is lived – and that forever.

    Like

    Reply ↓

  3. Hi Lindsey! I was a nervous wreck on my wedding day. I think it was the ‘forever’ part that was so daunting. I really admire your cool on the altar, knowing that your husband-to-be would never flake on you. Great application to our life in the Spirit too. I do know God. I do know that if He is for me, that’s all I need.

    Blessings!
    Ceil

    Like

    Reply ↓

  5. i was wife # 4 and he was husband # 2. and i did not think about him not showing up at all. UNTIL that moment when i was all ready and he was due to ring the door bell and all of a sudden i had that thought…”what if” but he came and it has been a very difficult 15 years. he was even going to leave me, wife #4. but i never wavered, i fought for my marriage, BECAUSE you see….we both have Christ in this marriage. the first time we both have Christ in a marriage. There is no choice but to stay. Our marriage grows and grows along with a solid special kind of love because we both have Christ. Amen

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  6. Great story, Lindsey! Haven’t seen you in 20 some years, so I’m very impressed with how you’ve grown up and also matured spiritually. Even more impressed hearing that your father was calm in this situation!!! 😉 Wishing you God’s richest blessings for many more years of your marriage, as you walk together with Him! ~ Poppy

    Like

    Reply ↓

    • WHAT???? Poppy!!!!! How are you????? Last I heard, you guys moved to CA, right?? I used to rewind your solos and listed to them over and over from the choir concerts!! I miss hearing you sing!!! I hope you are doing well!! Thanks so much for your comment!! Are you on facebook?
      Linds

      Like

      Reply ↓

    • Thanks for your comment Taylor! It’s just like God to take something that didn’t go as planned and turn it into something meaningful. 🙂 Thanks for your comment! God bless!

      Like

      Reply ↓

  10. As the groom who was missing I can tell you that there was no way I could have imagined how God was use that experience to remind us of something so amazing. I didn’t think it at the time, but it was worth it to go through temporary distress to reflect eternal Truth.

    Like

    Reply ↓

  11. Pingback: No Groom | Matt Foote

  12. I am so proud of the two of you. To read how you have taken a hard situation and turned it into a lesson to teach Bible truth is beautiful. May God continue to be glorified in your lives, through the rough times and through the joyful times. Love you both so much. God has truly blessed us through you.

    Like

    Reply ↓

  14. Lindsey, thank you for always pointing our focus to Him. This was a wonderful reflection as we anticipate the coming of our Savior.

    Like

    Reply ↓

  15. Wow!! I love how God orchestrates life and uses things that we would take for granted or freak about about to show us HIS message. He so used you and your missing groom to portray a simple truth – “trust ME”. What a wonderful example!! God is so good, so patient to “explain” things in “terms” people can “get”. He’s Amazing! God bless your marriage and your future and your willingness to be used by our Lord!

    Like

    Reply ↓

  16. Gosh you are brave. I probably would have been in tears and beyond panicked. But I am so glad that it worked out for you and that you were able to see this beautiful story from that. Thank you for sharing this, your words mean more than you know.

    Like

    Reply ↓

  17. ((Sorry for reposting…. I had the wrong thing copied for my website address))
    Gosh you are brave. I probably would have been in tears and beyond panicked. But I am so glad that it worked out for you and that you were able to see this beautiful story from that. Thank you for sharing, your words mean more than you know.

    Like

    Reply ↓

Leave a reply to lindseyfoote Cancel reply