So Saturday our team was invited to an African wedding. Which later we found out it was more so an engagement party. We were given beautiful traditional attire to wear and we all matched! (we also wore it to church the next morning :D)
During this engagement or proposal party so much craziness was going on and we seemed to be the joke of the party. For the first hour or two either the father or uncle of the soon to be married couple talked and nagosiated how much the dowry was going to be for the wanted bride. They joked about us and beer and cows. They joked about how many cows were going to be offered for the bride. There were bribes with beer and other alcoholic drinks, but of course the brides family would rather have cows that alcohol. So after two hours of negotiation and joking they sent a whole group of men inclduing or host pastor to go check out the cows to see if they were good enough for the exchange. Then once accepted two men sang about the cows including mentioning their names and prayer that the cows would accept their new owners since the cows didn't know them. they sang about the cows producing good milk and yogurt for the new family. It lasted a while, singing about the cows was a big deal by the looks of things. 8 Cows were given for the bride. Then the groom and groom party came in with more gifts and walked in teh same dress, and all with similar staffs covered in animal fur and beautiful carved. We got offered soda to drink (which was a blessing since this was all happening outside) The bride finally came out and showed her beautiful self with dancers and singers following behind her. They had moves and they had bells around their ankles to add to the music. Got a lot of pictures! Still working on getting them uploaded. Speaking of pictures I feel like a lot of pictures were taken of us at the wedding.
More gifts were exchanged from the brides party to the grooms family. More traditional dancing was done what the ring was put on the brides finger! Then the mother of the bride brought the couple into their house to give milk to the the groom (part of tradition I suppose) and then the guest were offered food (YES!) Big feast of traditional African food (pretty much what we have been eating the last two weeks). I was told that after they would go to the court to get their marriage license then to the church for the actual wedding later that day in the church. We weren't able to go to the actually wedding because the Pastor said we needed to rest before church the next morning and the wedding would go from 3 until 10:30 at night or later.
Weddings… besides making me thing about my future wedding it made me think about the wedding between me and my heavenly father. The Ultimate wedding! I asked myself am I ready to be the pure bride for when Jesus returns?
The Bible compares the relationship of Jesus and His church to that of a Bride and Groom. We, the church of Jesus Christ are the Bride, and Jesus is the Bridegroom.
Ephesians 5:22-33 compares the relationship and responsibilities of the husband and wife to the relationship of Jesus and his church. Verse 25 tells husbands to “Love your wife as Christ also loved the church.” Verse 27 shows the Lord’s desire to “Present to Himself the church in all her glory having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.” Such an accomplishment would take Jesus close and personal involvement in our lives, and a passionate response to Him on our part to have such relationship.
Our Bridegroom has gone away, but He will be back. The disciple John explains that this time of separation is also a time of preparation: 1 John 3 says, “What we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Everyone who has this hope in Him, purifies himself.”
John says in Revelation 19:7-8, “For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His Bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean was given her to wear. We, as we live on this earth, are getting ready to become His Bride. Jesus has gone away to prepare a place for us and He will be back.
He's coming for a pure bride
See him riding in the skies!
See the fire inside his eyes!
Through the darkness his light will shine
In his glory he's lifted high!
He's coming for a pure bride
The lord is coming for his bride
Make way for the lord
He's clothing all his children in white!
Make way for the lord!
What are you doing when no one is watching?
What are you doing?
Children get your hearts right. god's coming for a pure bride!
Children get your hearts right!
(Song lyrics from "Pure Bride" by Leeland)
Will you, children of God, be ready for when Christ comes back? Will He take you as a pure bride? Your price has already been paid and it was way more than just 8 cows, it was paid by the perfect life Jesus lived and Him taking our rightful place on the cross for our sins.
