At the end of human history, at the end of time as we know it, the Lord Jesus teaches us to anticipate the great marriage Supper. God has chosen and identified the bride that He desires for His Son, the engagement has been sealed, and the preparations are well underway. Messengers have been sent out into all the corners of the earth in order to invite men, women, and children to this feast. A good response to this invitation is actually a response which incorporates the one invited into the bride.
As these individuals grow in holiness, and as the bride herself grows in holiness, we yearn for the day when all the preparations are completed. We long for the time when the bride will finally be presented, when she will come down the aisle, glorious, and without any spot or blemish. The preparation time was hectic, the work was considerable, but it all came off. Everything came together. Everyone came together. Everyone who was appointed to be part of the bride is there, and everyone who identified with the spots and blemishes has been removed. The great marriage Supper will be the glory of all human history.
I said a moment ago that preparations for this wedding, for this feast, were hectic. The labors were significant. There was an overwhelming amount of work to do. But so that we would not forget that this was labor in preparation for a feast, God gives us regular foretastes of what He is up to. We have gathered here in a respite from our work of preparation, and God is giving us bread and wine. These are hors d’oeuvres of the Eschaton.
Not only are you strengthened by them for the work, you are also reminded by them of the nature of the work. This is given so that we might anticipate a feast.
So come, and welcome, to Jesus Christ.
Amen, and as any good chef (west of Paris) would know, the hors d’oeuvres so whet the appetite for the main course.
Looking for that Blessed Hope….