Kim Wilbanks

Today’s Wedding

I love a wedding, don’t you? It’s such a joyful event watching two people join their lives together in marriage. You’ve watched the relationship develop then the engagement comes. Next, a flurry of activity occurs; the dress is purchased, bridesmaids and groomsmen are chosen, a wedding date is set and a venue is chosen. After that, more planning — cake, food, music, flowers.  The anticipation leading up to the ceremony is palpable. 

Last night, as I was drifting off to sleep, I thought about my young cousin whose wedding is today. I thought about her mama too — all the different emotions they must be feeling. When I woke up this morning, I thought about them again. This is the big day, the day they have been planning and dreaming of for months. I texted my cousin, the bride’s mother, wishing her a happy wedding day. After all, if you have an adult child who is married, you know that their wedding day is almost as special for you as it is for them.

So today is the day, March 4. What a perfect day for a bride and groom to say their “I dos” and then March Forth into their new lives together as husband and wife.

All of this wedding talk has me reminiscing about my own wedding. 

Past Weddings

My husband and I were married on April 6, 1984, in the small Baptist Church we both grew up attending. I remember how beautiful the church was, the exquisite flowers and candlelight. I recall standing before the pastor and getting lost in the beauty of the moment. What did you say? Oh, yes, I do. For months after our wedding I would sit in church and daydream about our wedding day, reliving all the moments until my attention rightly returned to the pastor’s sermon.

Both of our children are married and both had lovely weddings. Interestingly, neither were married in a church. Have you noticed that trend? Like my young cousin getting married today, it seems like couples are choosing wedding venues other than a church. There are so many interesting venues available. Anyway, our son’s and daughter’s wedding days were so memorable and so much fun. I can’t think of days when I smiled more.

Our daughter and son-in-law have been married the longest. Their wedding was in September 2015. I experienced a myriad of emotions on her wedding day; joy, happiness, and maybe just a bit of sadness that my baby was all grown up. You can read about that here. 

I felt the same joy four years later when my son and daughter-in-law were married. Their wedding was in December 2019, right before the world shut down for the pandemic. I was moved to tears when we got our first look at the bride. All I could think of was how blessed my son was to be marrying such a beautiful girl — inside and out.  I wrote about that wedding here.

A Wedding In The Future

As memorable and beautiful as these weddings have been, I’m looking forward to one that will surpass all of them. It’s called the marriage supper of the Lamb. Everyone in the world who has lived, is living, or will live has been invited. Your invitation was issued in John 3:16 in the Bible. The bridegroom is the Lord Jesus Christ and the church is his bride. It will be the event to outshine all previous events in the history of the world, the union of Jesus Christ and his church. You can read about it in Revelation 19:7-9.

When Jesus lived on this earth, he often taught with parables, short stories designed to illustrate or teach a truth, religious principle, or moral lesson. Two of Jesus’s parables were about the marriage supper of the Lamb.

The parable of the feast is in Matthew 22:1-14. In this parable, the king held a wedding feast for his son. He sent out invitations to the feast but the people didn’t respond. He sent his workers out to remind the people of their invitation to the feast but they still ignored the invitation, even killing the ones sent out with the reminder. Finally, the king in his anger rescinded the first invitation and sent his workers out to invite anyone off the streets who would come, both bad and good. His banquet hall was full of people who desired to dine with him.

The parable of the wise and foolish virgins is found in Matthew 25:1-13. Again, there is a great wedding celebration planned. Weddings during that time and in that part of the world were much different from weddings in our western culture. The wedding party did not know when the bridegroom would arrive, they simply had to be ready. In the parable, five wise virgins were prepared. They had plenty of oil for their lamps, they even brought extra. Five other virgins did not plan ahead. They did not have enough oil for their lamps and had to go buy more. While they were gone, the bridegroom arrived and the party began without them. When they tried to enter the wedding feast, the person at the door responded, “I’m sorry, I don’t know you.”

We received a wedding invitation from my cousin about a month ago telling us when and where the wedding would occur. She even specified the tone for the event so guests would know what to wear. We had to RSVP for the wedding so the family would know whom to expect and how much food to prepare. I’m sure that she, like any other bride, is expecting invited guests who have RSVP’d at her wedding.

Like this earthly wedding, I have responded to the invitation to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb by putting my faith in Jesus Christ. I will be a welcome guest at that celestial feast because I responded to the invitation and because He knows me. Like the wise virgins in the parable, I am expectantly waiting for the bridegroom to arrive for the feast. I pray that you are too.

How about you? Do you enjoy weddings? Are you looking forward to the ultimate wedding; the Marriage Supper of the Lamb? If you are not a follower of Christ, it may sound a little strange to you. If I can answer any questions you have, I would be happy to try. 

As you attend weddings this season, think about how they are just a taste of what is to come. Perhaps you and I will bump into each other as we are waiting to take our seats at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. I’ll look for you.