Wedding Preparations

So, I lay awake through part of the night trying to construct a list of foods for a rehearsal dinner buffet next month. I awoke tired and weary from making apple/bramble crumbles and wondering how to cook a whole salmon. And popped into the shop on the way to my regular blood test to pick up another couple of bottles of prosecco which has been on sale half price for a few weeks now.

Robbie and Emma are in full wedding planning mode (I sincerely hope...). Guests who can come will be looking for accommodation in the area. 

So far I’ve bought two things which might be ok to wear for the wedding, and my sister-in-law is coming round today with a third which she has seen. I’m concerned about keeping warm in the November crispness of a castle, while still looking presentable. Hire a hat? Buy new shoes? Or wear those which are comfy? Not yet sure.

But I aim to have answers to all my questions by the time we pack the car and head off for the wedding. I want to relax and enjoy the celebration.

It’s all about preparation. 

How much we can enjoy and participate in what is coming up often depends on how well we have prepared for it.

Jesus likens heaven to a wedding, with its wedding feast, and tells a story which indicates that what you wear to his wedding feast is important. Of course he’s not talking so much about the clothes we wear as he is about the attitudes of our hearts, which should be shaped by our passion for Jesus and our desire to serve him here on earth before we get to the wedding feast. Our passion to serve him should result in our service to others now, today. 

Be alert, he advises. Notice the signs of the times. Get ready.

I’m just off to read my Bible, to get to know him better.

Get Ready

Our driveway is beginning to break up. It’s amazing how small a space a seed needs in order to root and grow a weed. The drive is riddled with grass and dandelions and other undesirables. Must get that weed killer out again, though it takes a lot of effort to spread it down the length of our drive.

Then there are the places where tree roots are pushing up from beneath, cracking and buckling the asphalt into small hills. And there’s one sinister pothole halfway down the drive, where the rocks seem to be imploding, the asphalt disappearing. Maybe it’s just the result of over thirty years of regular use by cars, motorbikes, and feet, and the occasional oil tanker or coal lorry.

Prepare the way for the Lord. Get ready. Gosh, if I thought Jesus were coming up the driveway, I’d be out there with the weed killer like a shot. I’d be filling in the holes myself if I could! I might be getting in a tree surgeon to remove the offending trees and get rid of the troublesome roots. I might even be calling in contractors to lay another layer of asphalt – whatever the cost.

I’m afraid there’s a lot of weeds and potholes in my life, and sometimes I fear that I make arrogant assumptions that Jesus doesn’t mind stepping over them. They’re not really so big, are they?

Hmm. I think they are. I think I need to call in the expert, the Holy Spirit, to prick out the weeds, level the buckled ground, fill in the potholes, and make the way to my heart straight for the King to come in on.

Unrolling a red carpet over the top of a mess might only serve to trip Him up. Besides, He’s not the sort of king who comes in on a red carpet, is he? He went into Jerusalem on a donkey, not a beautiful horse.