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All photos from The Royal Wedding Flickr gallery:                                                                                           http://www.flickr.com/photos/britishmonarchy/tags/rw2011/

…a royal wedding.

The beauty. The tradition. The dreams. The hopes. The history. The love story of a prince who finds his bride among the common folk and presents her as the future queen.

Why is it that this story draws millions to come and witness and then stirs our hearts so deeply. Could it possibly be because it is our story – whether we even know it or not? There are so very many correlations between this story and HIStory – God’s story of His pursuing love that calls each of us into intimate relationship with Him. We are created to commune with God, the Creator of all that is in existence, the One Who longs for us to know Him as Father – Abba, Daddy, Papa, the One who loves us beyond our wildest imaginations.

The choice for the knowledge of both good and evil over trusting the perfect provision of the One who created us separated us from that perfect communion with God. In that broken humanity, we have became the commoners. And yet, the Father still loves us and longs for our fellowship. He always stands ready, His face towards ours, waiting for the moment when we will realize that it is we who are turned away from Him, not Him from us.

This God with a perfect Father heart has given everything to have our relationship with Him restored and every detail of our lives redeemed. We are adopted into His family, our royalty restored, through the gift of life offered through the sacrifice of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Through this sacrifice, Jesus invites us to become His Bride, His Betrothed here on earth, awaiting the great wedding feast when we will be able to lay down the remaining garments of our broken lives, be completely clothed in pure white robes of righteousness, our wedding garments, and actually be united with Him forever.

I can only imagine my own response as I am being escorted down the aisle, heaven rejoicing all around me, and that moment when I see my Prince of Peace, the King of Kings, waiting at the altar, watching wide-eyed with love and joy, and then as He presents me to His Father, perfect and holy and made complete by His own doing! That picture is what keeps me focused on my journey of faith, longing for cleansing and healing and His work of righteousness in my life here and now. I want to be prepared for that day, ready for when He calls my name, to turn to Him with joy and eager anticipation, not shame, not fear, not doubt.

We are His Bride, all who claim His Name and know His voice. We are a Bride who is loved devotedly and infinitely. Are we responding to our Bridegroom with the love He deserves? Are we eager to share this love with all those around us? Do we represent our Bridegroom in all His glory and splendor to the world around us? Are we faithful to our calling, our standing in Him?

It’s all about an invitation, a personal invitation, to the most Royal Wedding of all time and eternity!

King Jesus, awaken the Church, Your Bride, to a deeper level of love and longing for You, so that all those around us will be naturally drawn to You, to also want to know You in a deep, intimate, passionate relationship with You! May this awakening happen both individually and corporately. We need You! This broken world needs YOU!