There she was … beautiful to the eye, beautiful to the heart.
She emerged, just as those who came to witness had anticipated. Dressed in white from head to toe. It seemed that light emerged with her, from within her.
Her face glowed. With each step forward, closer to him, there seemed to be an increase in her radiance.
Her lips moved …
she was singing. Though her words were not audible, her lips moved, over and over, singing thanks be to you.
Everyone in attendance was hushed, captivated, as in a spell. The attention of all was given freely, yet inescapably. For her beauty, her luminescence, her effervescence was wholly captivating, drawing the attention of each one in attendance fully to her, to him.
Her eyes did not look left or right. Her eyes were for him alone and he was her focus.
She was not born this way, though this was always her purpose, her destiny.
The closer she moved toward him, the more beautiful, more radiant, more pure in every way she became. For he was the source of her allure.
The way he looked at her … love, desire, hope for the future. She was that for which he was willing to sacrifice everything. She was his muse and he was her one true purpose.
The bride, who is the church of Christ. This is who He created her to be, in all of her beauty, and draw, and purpose. This was the intent of the Church, by the author of our lives. We are this bride, his bride, his church.
He spoke to Peter (Matthew 16:18),
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”
The gates of hell …
But what if gates of hell do seem to prevail … in the church?
This past week, here in British Columbia, Canada, we have been gutted to learn of the discovery of the remains of 215 children found at a former indigenous school. These were not graves with markers, with names, but the remains of the bodies, covered by the dirt, the dust of our feet. These remains are of souls who God saw as fellow members of the bride, his church.
We cannot imagine how humans could do such a thing. We cannot imagine how those who claim Christ, especially, could do such a thing(s).
We, who claim Christ, who are part of the Church are shaking our heads.
How can such evil exist under the name of God???
How can this be the bride of Christ???
We lament, “how long O Lord? …”
The Church has forgotten. We have forgotten our first love, our purpose, who gives life and breath. We forget who are … not because of how the world treats us, but because of how we treat each other … because we have taken our eyes of the bridegroom.
In the Word of God we are told over and over to choose humility, to pray. Perhaps this is where we must start.
Dear God,
We come to you, in humility.
We come to you with heaviness of heart and tear-stained faces. These souls that were lost each tell a story, each bore your fingerprint, your image. They were your children. We mourn for them, their families.
God we who claim you are aghast that anyone could do such a thing. And that they might have claimed to be part of your Church has us shaking our heads, bowing our heads.
God, we come to you and ask that you show us how to right the wrongs … these wrongs. How to end the evil within your Church … within ourselves.
Amen
“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.” Ephesians 5:3-13
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