This past weekend, I had the opportunity to do another wedding. This wedding was intimate and beautiful. The family was gracious and sweet. The bride and groom were awesome.
When I do weddings, I spend a fair amount of time getting to know the couple. We talk and share a coffee and snack and get to know each other. I connected immediately with this couple as I often do. If I am completely honest, when I connect with the couple I'm doing the wedding for, I often get a little choked up myself when I see their love turn into a life long commitment and relationship. This was one of those weddings. There were a couple spots where I got choked up during the ceremony and had to pause to not let my voice crack.
What I want to talk about was the very start of their wedding and the fact that something that happened later struck me in an amazing way. I will get to that after I tell you about the first moments of the ceremony.
The wedding was small and informal. The men wore tuxedos and the bride's attendants wore lovely dresses. The bride and groom worked hard and did their own decorating and created an amazing winter scene very fitting for a snow-covered December day. The bride kept telling me that they wanted me to lean more toward a simple ceremony and she was not even going to wear a big gown. The groom told me during rehearsal that she wanted to wear her cowboy boots to be comfortable and casual.
The groom, his attendant, and I walked into the room and stood before the arch they had created. It was adorned with natural groupings of sticks and branches covered with what looked like ice. There were flashes of silver all around making it look like a cold winter day. Next, the bride's attendants came down the aisle and took their places. The groom and everyone else in the room focused all their attention on the vacant doorway in anticipation of the bride's entry.
We could see the movement of shadows in the hallway behind the doorway. Our anticipation peaked and she appeared. I saw the groom's reaction, and felt as if everyone in the room held their breath. She appeared in a beautiful white gown and looked amazing. I think we were all overwhelmed by how beautiful she looked.
I have only seen them in jeans and casual clothing and was expecting to see her in cowboy boots. She stunned us all. She really almost glowed. The groom looked stunned as well and it was easy to see he was as blown away as we all were. Their eyes locked and you could almost hear their eyes making the deepest expression of love to one another as man could ever utter. Everything stood still while they communicated without saying a single word. It was a moment I will always remember. I am blessed to be a part of their special day.
Now, a couple days later, while doing my devotions and prayers, God took that image, what I felt and saw and placed a thought in my head. God has a way of doing such things with me. I try to be alert in all I do and watch for learning moments. When I listen to a person speak, I listen and remain open to learn something. I do the same with books, movies, poems, and everyday things. I watch for moments that will grow and inspire me.
Before I begin to share what God has placed on me, I want to say that in their casual attire they always look very nice so don't compare what I am sharing in the verse below to their appearance.
In Isaiah 64:6 (NAS), we read "For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment."
What we can learn here is that the best we do will always be tainted or discolored. The best we do, when compared to one another might look pretty good but when compared to the righteousness of God, our best will be as filthy rags.
When I thought of that moment when the bride stepped into the doorway,God gave me a thought about a time that will come for all who believe. There will be a time when we come before God with all we have done. Some things not so good and some things, in our own eyes, very good. We'll come before Him proud of our best, wearing our best, showing Him the best we have done. Yet, in His presence, we stand before Him in filthy rags. We stand before Him dirty, unclean and not at all properly attired for the moment. Yet when we step through the doorway and walk into the room, Jesus steps in front of us and tells the Father we are one of His. In a moment, all in the room gasp and hold their breath. The Father is amazed at the beauty of what He sees. In a moment, we are adorned in a beautiful pure, white robe and seem to be glowing. In a moment, our righteousness has been washed away and replaced by the righteousness of Jesus Christ. What was filthy rags is now perfection. The Father's eyes and yours connect and you communicate an unimaginable, unfathomable love for one another without uttering a single word. Your hearts are locked in a love for one another so deep that you cannot think of a word that can begin to express it. You have found the one you have been looking for your entire life. You have found the one who fills every void, need, desire, and hope you have ever had. You found the one who has loved you since you were only a thought. You have found the one who knew you would stumble and fall. You have found the one who knew you would sin and fall short of His glory (Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.")
You have found the one who gave us Christmas. He sent His only beloved Son that we might stand before Him one day glowing in the righteousness of Jesus rather than the filthy rags we call our very best.
That is what we celebrate during Christmas each year. We celebrate the unfolding of His plan to rescue us and draw us near to Him for eternity because He loves us, every one of us, more than we can comprehend.
When He calls my name, the best I can do is put on filthy rags and go to meet Him. I know, and those who are already with Him know, that is the best I have got. Yet when I step into the room, because of Christ, all are speechless because of my breathtaking transformation into a white, glowing presence. I am overwhelmed at what has happened to me because of Jesus coming to earth, dying in my place, rising from the dead and sitting in the place of honor in the heavenly realm. Because of Him, I, who had nothing to offer, was made an heir to all of His Kingdom and can spend eternity in His presence. I who had nothing, now have more that I ever dreamed even existed.
This Christmas, let us celebrate the unfolding of God's plan to rescue each and every one of us. Let us celebrate having our filthy rags replaced by a pure, white, glowing robe of His righteousness. This Christmas, let us not celebrate gifts wrapped in paper but "The Gift" wrapped in rags and laying in a bed of straw. Let us celebrate "The Gift" who has made it possible for us to live with the hope of eternal life where there will be no more pain or suffering. Let us celebrate the hope of eternity with our living, loving, and Almighty God.
With such a loving God setting such an amazing example of loving us, how can it be so hard for us to find the ability to love one another. The basis for this site is found in 1 John 4:19, "We love because He first loved us." As we celebrate Christmas remembering the gift of the Savior given to us out of God's great love for us, shouldn't we find it easy to love one another? Isn't this gift great enough to be our "Grounds for Love"?