"Don't Stop Believing" - Journey
"The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”
(John 4:25-26 ESV)
Rehearsal dinners are one of the greatest inventions in the history of the world. Celebrating with friends over a tasty steak dinner is a small slice of heaven, that happens to be cooked medium well. My favorite part, after the server takes the ridiculous salad plate away, is when things transition into the "toasting" phase. It's my personal favorite for so many reasons, one being the fact that I love storytelling, and hearing all the silly and fun things about the bride and groom will warm your heart quicker than kittens playing with a ball of yarn. The inside jokes portion is always a little weird, but for the most part laughter and tears are shared, spilt and spent over folks who are quite near and dear to the hearts of everyone in the room. (excluding the "plus ones" who are there for a free cheesecake) The sad thing about toasts is that they really don't happen enough. The great thing about them is that hope is shared, and the source of that hope is always Christ. Hope always leads us to the throne of Grace.
My friend Clay is getting married today. For the last 5 years I have known him he has never stopped praying that the Lord would turn Jessica's heart, and today the hope comes to fruition as she will say yes to the man that has loved her more deeply than any other she has known. Hope can cause us to do some pretty strange things. Lots of times we had told Clay that maybe he should give up, especially during those times where she had literally said "do not talk to me". He honored her wishes, he was a gentleman, and he took his requests to the Father, just like scripture instructs us to do. I'm proud of him for so many reasons, He loves Jessica deeply. He loves his Lord deeper still. Friendship and timing are crucial, and the Lord works on a schedule all his own, and we are called to hope in Christ, who is the hope of Glory.
Some two thousand plus years ago an angel appeared to a bunch of redneck shepherds and told them of the hope which lie in a manger just over the hill in Bethlehem. Since that moment in the garden when Adam and Eve chose to live life their own way, all of creation had been hoping for a Messiah, someone to come and make things right. All that our hearts hope for can only be found in Jesus. As I sit here and look at the Biltmore, where the wedding is taking place, all I can think about is that one day the Lord will return to make everything right again, and he has prepared mansions for us in Heaven, they might look like the Biltmore, but my guess is that once we are there, we probably won't care that much. We live in a world where its often easy to give up on hoping for anything. Girls can break our hearts, and Guys can be kinda dumb, Job offers pass us by, cars break down, kids misbehave, forgiveness becomes harder and harder, friendships change, and even sometimes we tell folks we dearly love to leave us alone. Life has a way of kicking us in the soul, but take heart dear friends. In the throneroom of Heaven, as seen in Revelation Ch. 5, the Lamb has opened the scroll, and the Lamb hears our prayers. Momentary light afflictions will never take away the truth of the Gospel. His love and smile rests upon his Children and we can go to him with prayer and supplication. He may not give us what we want, but He has already given us more than we will ever need. Toast your friends, tell them you love them, pray for them often, and wait with blessed hope for Eternity.
