brides
maid
n. a bride’s attendant, usually unmarried.
at
·tend
ant
n. one who attends to another
at
·tend
v.t. & i.
1, to be present at
2, go with; accompany
3, take care of; minister to; serve
4,listen to
I am a bridesmaid…
I just returned to Swaziland last week after having the privilege of being a bridesmaid to my best friend. I was there the week before the wedding and I was thinking about what it meant to be a bride’s maid – obviously a maid or a servant of the bride to help prepare herself for her groom. To brag on the newlyweds a minute, when Amanda first told me about Matt’s pursuit of her, just the way he went about it, I could not help but think, “That is how Christ pursues and loves the church”. Amanda never looked more beautiful than the week prior to and of course the day of her wedding as she was preparing herself for her groom.
I got up early one morning (thanks jet lag J) and was sitting with the Lord and talking to the Lord about this idea of being a bridesmaid and the Lord said to me in my heart, “My bride is not ready”. He led me to Revelation 2&3 where the bridegroom is writing to His bride among the seven churches and as I read it was made more clear His bride is not ready. She does a lot of work for Him but no longer loves Him (Church in Ephesus – Rev. 2:1-7), follows Satan (Church in Smyrna – Rev. 2:8-11), compromises by allowing sin in the church (Church in Pergamum – Rev. 2:12-17) and the list continues. My heart just broke as I thought of Christ as the groom whose bride is not ready, who doesn’t love him, who has been adulterous.
Amanda was so prepared she had little for me, her maid, to do but the bride’s room at the church was next to the women’s bathroom and when someone opened the door from the church lobby everyone in the lobby could see into the bride room door and if it was open could see Amanda. I was so concerned with that door being shut and keeping anyone from seeing her especially as she was getting dressed. I feel the same way here in Swaziland, the church is so vulnerable and I want so bad to keep the door closed and protect her. I’ve definitely been in Swaziland long enough that the rose-colored glasses have been removed and I see people, especially Christians, for who they really are, and this morning I asked the Lord “When will your bride ever be ready?!?” As I look at your church, Lord, she does not look beautiful and you are coming soon” and Christ answered “I love the church, I gave myself up for her to make her holy and cleansed her by the washing with water through the word to present her to myself as a radiant church without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Eph. 5:25-27). It just becomes more and more simple that the church could never be ready unless Christ’s cleansing blood made her
radiant and that my job as a bridesmaid is
to be present with her, accompany her, minister to her, take care of her, and listen to her with the result of her knowing her perfect groom more.
I am a bridesmaid.
