Eschatological Preview

Yesterday Malcolm and Amanda flew from Cork back to London, then they got the bus back to Oxford where they are now living . We were all hoping that the newly revived Icelandic ash cloud would have kept them here for another day or two, but it relented long enough for their plane to make it's scheduled departure. It was a joy to have them stay in our house over the Bank Holiday Weekend, and I just came across this video (which I had forgotten about) which records their wedding ceremony about a year and a half ago.

I love officiating weddings, it's one of the great privileges of being a pastor. I love the solemnity and the ceremonies of weddings. I love the joy and happiness of weddings. I love the public declaration of love. I love the emphasis on the covenant that is being made. I love the food. I love the dancing. I love being able to preach the gospel to heaps of people who usually don't come to church.

Jesus loves weddings. His first miracle was at a wedding (John 2:1-12 particularly verse 11). He compared the kingdom of heaven to a wedding feast (Matthew 22:1-14 particularly verse 2). And the culmination of judgment on all earthly and satanic rebellion is actually the inauguration of the heavenly wedding feast between Jesus and His church (Revelation 19:9 and 21:2).

I often comment that weddings are a bit of an eschatological preview. People from all over the country (or in some cases, all over the world) are joined together, there is celebration and reunion, good food and wine, singing, dancing, and a real focus upon joining in on the joy of others. Weddings are always a real joy for me, and they are a bit of reminder to me (and hopefully to you) of the hope of heaven.

...in Your presence there is fullness of joy... Psalm 16:11