Dirty Bride

 I guess most men do not enjoy weddings unless they are the one getting married So much pomp and circumstance. Everybody gets gussied up. Flowers decorate the scene. People take their seats and exchange small talk before the ceremony begins. A hushed silence falls over the crowd when the preacher, groom and groomsmen all walk in the room. Music plays softly and bridesmaids walk to the stage. With great anticipation the wedding march sounds and the bride makes her appearance. She is the focal point of attention. A collective gasp echoes in the room. 

The bride enters the room filthy. Her wedding dress is soiled and stained. Her shoes are scuffed. Her hair, once meticulously prepared for the big day, is now disheveled. People stare in shock. Questions begin to murmur as the bride saunters down the aisle seemingly oblivious to everyone's reaction. 

Instinctively the crowd turns to look at the groom. His disappointment and disdain are noticeable. A tear even cascades down his cheek. Eventually he turn his eyes to look at the floor because he cannot stand to look at the one he loves who showed up in such a careless condition. 

That is exactly how Jesus must feel about His bride, the church, and the condition she is in. Look what we have done to His bride. We have fussed and fought to divide her. We have dipped into the sewage of sin leaving a stench for outsiders. We shunned holiness and embraced hypocrisy grinning all the time without shame or remorse. We sing His praises and then curse like sailors both inside and outside the house of God. We live lukewarm in our hearts toward Jesus and it makes Him want to vomit. 

We are oblivious that we are a dirty bride. We actually think we look pretty good. Because we do not have the guts to take an honest look in the mirror of God's word to see the truth about ourselves. We are a dirty, filthy, spotted, defiled, and polluted bride. I do not care how pristine the facilities look. I am not even concerned with how many sit in the seats. Our dirtiness goes well beyond the exterior. Look closer. Look deeper within. What you will find in many churches will not be pretty. 

You will find saints living sinful lives of sensuality. Sins like fornication, adultery, and homosexuality happen among those in the church. Dishonest people find ways to embezzle offerings. Fractured relationships over petty issues are like land mines on a battlefield. People show up at the same place to worship, but hate a fellow brother or sister in Christ refusing to make things right. Power hungry people manipulate and politic their way into influential positions so they can accomplish their agenda. 

We are destroying the bride of Christ. This point was driven home to me recently. I got a call from a lady in a tiny West Texas town. I did not recognize the number and was on the phone when this person called. Out of respect, I returned the lady's call. She spent a few minutes giving me about their church. Then the truth came out. They had a split. They lost many people and were barely struggling to keep the doors open. It was a sad, but all too familiar story. Christians not able to get along and work through disagreements. My heart grieved when we hung up the phone. 

When I hung up, I could not help but think how we are harming Jesus' bride. The Bride of Christ is filthy. How could Jesus, as the groom, ever be pleased by what He sees in His bride. Repentance is in order, but I am betting few churches will do it. Cleansing is needed, but experience tells me most congregations are content in their filth. 

When will the bride wake up and look in the mirror? When will we as the people of God stop the religious rituals, the show sham services, and own up to the truth. Jesus is not pleased. We have spotted His bride. We have allowed the muck and mire of the world to stain His church. We have shunned His word and His ways and embraced compromise. We program but do not pray. We embrace the world but do not evangelize. We adopt Wall Street methods but avoid the altar of self sacrifice. We finance our man made plans while refusing to operate budgets on faith. 

We are a dirty bride. We like it that way. We have grown comfortable in our sin. We have grown accustomed to our filth and stench. Jesus does not and never will. Repentance is in order in the house of God.