The Culture of Hope Founded on Faith
Anniversary Thoughts
Forty-four years ago today, Dan and I were married. Recently I was thinking about his proposal. We had discussed the possibility of marriage before but he hadn’t actually popped the question. I don’t remember the topic of our conversation when he asked me to marry him. I told him I needed to pray about it. As we continued to talk God was reminding me that I had already been praying for whoever my husband would be since childhood thanks to some wonderful Christian teachers and mentors who impressed on me the importance of those prayers. As I listened to Dan talk I thought, “There is no other man as wonderful as Dan is, or who will cherish you as Dan will. Say yes!” And I did.
We were married in the chapel at Verdugo Pines Bible Camp. We called it Green Oak Lodge but I think it is called Bush Chapel now, in honor of Bill Bush. Our association with the camp runs deep and we did most of our courting there while we worked on staff as teenagers during the summers. Our wedding was very casual, as weddings go, and a far cry from the formalities of Jewish weddings during Jesus’ time on earth.
Jesus himself attended a wedding and treated the host to the best wine that could possibly be found anywhere (John 2:1-11). Several references in scripture talk about wedding feasts and the close correlation between them and the kingdom of Heaven. In Matthew 22:2-14 Jesus spoke a parable using this concept as a simile:
- The Invitation Refused– “The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king which made a marriage for his son and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding. And they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants saying, ‘Tell them which are bidden, behold, I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and my fatlings are killed and all things are Come unto the marriage.’ But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise. And the remnant took his servants, entreated them spitefully, and slew them”
- The Fate of Those Who Disparaged the King’s Invitation – “But when the king heard thereof, he was angry and he sent forth his armies who destroyed those murderers and burned up their city.”
- Guests Found Among the Homeless and Outcasts -“Then said he to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.’ So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all, as many as they found, both bad and good. And the wedding was furnished with guests.”
- Proper Attire Required – “And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment. And he said unto him, ‘Friend, how came you in hither not having a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are ”
In the story, the people who were invited to the wedding refused to come. As a result they were found to be unworthy and were destroyed as a result. People off the street were invited, instead, to eat the dinner that had been prepared. But wait. There was a man who wasn’t dressed appropriately for the wedding. He was cast out, not just out of the house, but into outer darkness to experience weeping and gnashing of teeth? Jesus’ story isn’t just a nice little vignette to tell your grandchildren at bedtime. This is not an ordinary wedding but an allegory, the source of some of Dante’s and Milton’s epic poetry. It explains spiritual truths about God’s offer of salvation through the crucifixion of His Son on the cross and the consequences of disregarding His invitation.
The wedding feast of Matthew 22 correlates to the one referred to in Revelation 19 and 21: “Let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him. For the marriage of the Lamb is come and his wife has made herself ready. To her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints” (Rev. 19:7-8). The bride, i.e. the universal church made up of those who have, by faith, accepted God’s invitation to salvation, will not have the problem of inappropriate attire because she has been clothed in righteousness by God. The clothes that the guest wore in Matthew 22:11-13 represented his own attempts at salvation and righteousness. Isaiah 64:6 calls all our attempts at righteousness “filthy rags” (think used toilet paper). Philippians 3:8b-9 makes it clear that our righteousness comes only from God: “That I may win and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.”
Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father but by me” (John 14:6). 2 Timothy 2:12b-13 bring the results of rejection of God’s invitation into stark reality with “if we deny him, he also will deny us. [Even] if we believe not, yet he abides faithful.” There is only one way to salvation and peace with God. To reject his invitation to “Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden” (Matt. 11:28) is to reject your soul’s comfort for eternity. All of us are invited to faith in Christ. Will you accept his invitation today?
Update/Prayer Request: Over the weekend the other shoe dropped. The side effects from the accumulation of ten infusions over the past few months have caused Dan to feel very ill since last week with primarily digestive, asthma, and sleep issues. He did not have his infusion yesterday because of his symptoms and abnormal blood work results. He is taking massive doses of Prednizone for the next couple of weeks to settle the immune system reactions that are causing his discomfort. Please pray for strength and healing for Dan; and for me a clearer awareness of my husband’s physical condition so that I can be a better caregiver.
