Matthew 25 v 1-3, Revelation 19 v 6-9 & 21 v 1-8
 
In recent weeks we’ve been thinking about God the Holy Spirit and about Church, that great group of people past, present and future, all over the world and in heaven who trust and follow Jesus Christ.  One Jesus and one Church indwelt by one Holy Spirit!  The Bible gives us a number of pictures of what Christ’s Church is and should be.
 
We’ve considered the Church as the ‘Body of Christ’, many different members with various functions, gifts and ability but united with one life-giving Spirit and one ‘Head’ directing operations – that’s Jesus Himself.
 
Last week we thought about the Church as the living ‘house’ or ‘temple’ of God, all Christians being the ‘living stones’ built together on the teaching of the prophets and apostles with Jesus being the chief ‘Cornerstone’.  The Spirit dwells among God’s worshipping people when we base everything we do on Jesus’ teaching and example in the Bible.
 
Today we have another picture suggested by scripture and it is that the Church is the ‘Bride’ of Christ.  Old Testament prophets spoke of God being like a husband to the nation of Israel.  The New Testament builds on this idea of God’s people being betrothed or married to our Lord.  Jesus is described as a ‘Bridegroom’ therefore His Church is His ‘beloved’, the Bride in whom He delights.
 
Jewish weddings in NT times were different from how we do things nowadays.  Here, the groom and his family and guests arrive first and wait and the last to arrive is the bride.  In 1st century Palestine it was the other way around.  The bride prepared herself and waited at home until the Bridegroom came to bring her to his parents’ house to begin the ceremony and celebrations.
 
This makes sense of Jesus’ parable of the bridesmaids who are waiting for the arrival of the Groom so that things can get underway.  Jesus is teaching His Church to live in readiness for His coming in glory to judge the living and the dead, bring a final end to all evil and gather His precious people to His Father’s heavenly home.  This will be the climax of the ages, the end of human history as we’ve known it.  People need to get ready, we need to be prepared.
 
Those who are living a sinful life, disobedient to God’s holy Law can expect to be judged and condemned!  At a fundamental level Jesus’ parable is an evangelistic alarm bell of warning – get ready, the day is coming, if you haven’t made peace with God already, do it now, while you still have the chance!
 
That being said, our scripture readings today give Christians a very beautiful picture of encouragement and assurance. Let me ask you, do you think you’re worth much?  Do you feel precious?  Are you priceless?  Are you worthy of sacrifice?  Do you know anyone who’d be willing to die for you?  Wait!  Someone already has!
 
In Ephesians 5 v 25 the Apostle Paul writes, ‘Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, to make her holy …’.  On the cross of Calvary Jesus as good as said, ‘I don’t want eternity without my beloved.  I lay down my life that she might be saved and purified and made fit for my Father’s house forever!’ 
 
Are we Christians, members of Christ’s Church?  Then understand we are beloved, treasured by our Saviour!
 
There is healing in this.  We may have been undervalued even abused by others. Our own sin and failure may plague our conscience and tempt us toward self-doubt and loathing, but the Son of God calls us His beloved and suffered that we might be forgiven and welcomed in God’s family.
 
Such generous love is rejuvenating, intoxicating. It makes us want to sing!  It makes us want to live!  The Christian religion has always had this element of rejoicing and thanksgiving as we bask each day in the redeeming love of Jesus.
 
This makes us live our lives with a sense of anticipation.  There will be trouble and heartache in the short-term, Jesus told us to expect that, but we are people who are looking forward eagerly to a wedding!  Ours!
 
The bride is waiting, longing for the time when her husband will come for her and the two will become one.  Love will be shared, consummated, celebrated and enjoyed as long as they both shall live.  Christians are looking forward eagerly to welcoming our returning Lord, to meeting our Saviour face to face, and resting in the shelter of His love forever with no spoiling barrier of sin.
 
And there’s the thing, the Bride has eyes only for her Husband.  She has no interest in others.  For Him she will keep herself pure. She will want to make herself as attractive as possible, pleasing for Him.
 
The Church, as we await our Lord the heavenly Bridegroom must seek to be beautiful in His eyes with words, actions and attitudes that conform to all that He loves and reveals in His Word.
 
The Church is the ‘Bride’ of the Lord Jesus. We are His beloved, those for whom He laid down His life.
 
We are living in anticipation of His coming to bring us home, to being with Him forever.
 
And so for Him, we keep ourselves pure and unspoilt,
 
giving Him the praise and the glory.
 
Amen

1 Corinthians 12 & 13

There is only one Jesus Christ.
 
And according to the New Testament, He has only one Church.  We look and see many varied denominations, congregations and fellowships, Roman Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, Pentecostal, Orthodox, Coptic … the list seems endless.
 
When God the Son looks from heaven at the world He helped create, He sees only one Church – His – the One for which He bled and died, the One on which He pours the Holy Spirit.  One Jesus – one Church, made up of all those people worldwide and in heaven who trust and follow Him and have the Holy Spirit living in our hearts.
 
The Apostle Paul likens us to a body, made up of many different parts, different in size, appearance, function and ability.  Ears don’t do what elbows do, they’re not supposed to!  And both are limited by range without feet and legs AND heart and lungs to take them to new locations. When all the bits, guided by the Head, do as they’re designed to, together, it’s really quite fantastic.  A work of genius, no less.  The Bible speaks of how God ‘knits us together in our mother’s womb’, that we are ‘fearfully and wonderfully made’. (Ps 139)
 
Paul says Jesus’ followers are like a body with Jesus as our Head and His Spirit as our life and soul.  He says we are Christ’s body, united with Him.  This means some great encouragements but also some important responsibilities.
 
Jesus promised He wouldn’t leave us alone.  He comes and lives with us through the presence of the Holy Spirit but more, He makes us part of this ‘Body’, members of His Church.  We’re not alone.  We have our Lord and we’re given each other as brothers and sisters, fellow members.  We belong together, He has made it so by giving us the same Spirit.
 
So we have the privilege of belonging and we also have specific parts to play!  We are to be as Jesus’ hands and feet and voice to those around us.  Church, like the body, is a brilliant idea because it means we have a wide range of people, resources and abilities and if everyone does what they’re good at in harmony with everyone else we get lots of good things done really well.
 
Not everyone can preach like Peter.  Not everyone can sing like Pavarotti.  But this is ok. My wife is a gifted secretary for which I am very glad because I’m hopeless with paperwork!  We each do what we’re good at for the same cause and make a great team.
 
No one is good at everything but everyone can do something.  Do what you can with all your heart for Jesus and His Church.  The Holy Spirit will help you, enhance your gifts and your service will prove fruitful for God’s Kingdom!
 
Now Paul wrote these things to a group of Christians in Corinth where things were NOT in fact going smoothly.  Yes they had put their trust in Jesus and yes the Spirit had given various gifts to use in service but it wasn’t going well.
 
Some members were proud of their abilities and inferred other members who didn’t share these particular gifts were somehow inferior Christians.  Apparently some in this fellowship were very eloquent, gifted speakers.  This made others feel insecure and jealous.  This congregation was in danger of splitting.  Paul tells them in earlier chapters of his letter that despite their faith and obvious gifts they are actually behaving in a way that is ‘immature’.
 
They may be ‘born again’ of the Spirit but they need to ‘grow up’ spiritually.  They need to become more like Jesus in character, showing patience, respect and consideration for each other.  So Paul goes on to speak in this famous ch 13 about the first and greatest ‘fruit’ that grows in us when we stay humbly surrendered to the Holy Spirit.  He talks about love.
 
For a body to be effective all the parts need one Head to be in charge and one Heart motivating all to co-operate and work together for the common good.  For the Church, the Body of Christ to live and worship and witness effectively we need to be united and motivated by the love of Jesus, in us, between us, among us, binding us together, making us one with Him and each other.
 
We don’t need jealousy or pride.  Rather we are to practise qualities like patience, kindness, forgiveness, delighting in the gifts God has given each other and that together we can serve Him with powerful impact in our communities.
 
It is the Lord’s will not just that we should know Him as individuals, but that we should trust and serve Him together as one ‘body’.  United in Him we have one purpose, one cause, one calling – to glorify Him, to make Him known, to persuade others and make disciples of all nations.
 
To this end we are given the same Holy Spirit that we might know the same uniting power – the power of Christ’s redeeming love!