my burg

Bible reading for April 28 -- 29 NOTE: the FeedBurner app sending emails from this site will be deactivated at the end of this week. To continue receiving these posts by email you must subscribe via Buttondown .  Apr 28 -- Song of Solomon 3 and Hebrews 3 Apr 29 -- Song of Solomon 4 and Hebrews 4 ================    "You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you." (Song of Solomon 4:7)  THE BEAUTIFUL BRIDE. You may have noticed, there is a wedding theme running throughout Scripture. It begins with Adam's words, "...this at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh..." (Gen 2:23) and culminates in the wedding feast when "...the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready..." (Rev 19:7)(see also Psalm 45; John 2; Eph 5).  I've officiated quite a few weddings over the years ( 75 at last count ), and I can't remember a single ceremony where the bride wasn't beautiful! A lot of time, effort, and exp...

At weddings where I am the officiant, I usually open with this statement about marriage... Marriage is the creation of God.  It is the lifelong and exclusive bond between one man and one woman who vow to live together as husband and wife for the rest of their lives.  It was established by God from the beginning for the first human couple and their descendants, as it says, (Genesis 2:24)  "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." Despite the rise and fall of civilizations, marriage has been held in high honor throughout all history and all cultures.  In biblical revelation, both the prophets of the Old Testament and apostles of the New Testament affirm marriage to be a sacred  bond.  The Lord Jesus himself taught the highest standards regarding marriage and brought blessing and joy to a marriage celebration that he attended. Why did God ordain marriage?  God create...