We had been told that it was to begin at 5 p.m., but now it was 6, and there was still no sign of the bride and groom. There were many guests seated at the banquet tables in the beautifully decorated wedding hall. The coordinator was scurrying around checking the last-minute details. Lovely background music wafted over the sounds of conversation. Not being familiar with the customs of this area, we enquired if it was normal for the start of weddings to be delayed. Apparently this was not a customary delay. We tried to relax and visit as we waited, but our eyes kept straying to the back of the banquet hall, our ears attuned to any change in the music that would announce that the moment had arrived.

At last we heard it! The beginning of a triumphal march caused all eyes to turn toward the entrance. At first nothing seemed to have changed. Then a young couple appeared walking together arm in arm. But this was not the bride and groom. A distance behind the first couple came a second, then a third and a fourth. As the fifth couple reached the front, bowing to each other as they parted to ascend the platform stairs from opposite sides, there was a change in the music. The minister and the groom appeared at the back of the room and came down the aisle. When they reached the front and took their places, there was a momentary pause in the music. Then the wedding march began. A beautiful young woman dressed in an intricately wrought white gown with a long train appeared at the back of the hall on the arm of an older gentleman. The bride had finally appeared.

Had it really taken that long for her to get ready? She had kept her beloved and all her guests waiting a long time. Yet we, the church, have done the same. Our Savior is waiting for His bride to be ready. Why are we keeping Him waiting? Let’s turn our hearts fully toward getting ready for Him and inviting others to join us. Is there anything else stronger than our deep desire to be with Him?

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