The Wedding Party

This dream began with a flash of a wedding being held in an elegant ballroom.  I knew all the preparations had been made, and the time for the big day had arrived.  We had done all of the hard work and hired the best wedding planners in town.

I entered the ceremony and tentatively began my march down the aisle.  All of the sudden, I realized my two-piece dress was having some issues.  The bottom piece, the high-waisted skirt, kept slipping down as I walked.  I was completely embarrassed, knowing all eyes were on me.  However, I kept walking toward the altar and my waiting groom, trying to appear casual as I kept pulling the dress up as I went.

As the ceremony began, it became clear that the head wedding planner was also the officiant, who had other employees running around handling the details.  I dismissed this thought as we continued in to the vows portion of the ceremony.  Suddenly, tuxedoed waiters entered the room and started to serve the guests lobster as they sat in the audience.  Baffled, the wedding planner/officiant stopped the vows and left to investigate the problem.

The groom and I waited patiently at the altar, nervously wondering what was going on.  After a few moments, the guests began to get up and leave the ballroom.  They were headed into another part of the hotel where dinner was to be served.  The waiters were taking the food in there, and it seemed the lobster feast couldn’t wait.  I watched perplexed as all of our guests left us at the altar, and we hadn’t even finished the ceremony.

This felt like such a strange betrayal and was quite difficult to wrap my mind around.  It was then I noticed the bridesmaids.  They had spotted themselves in a wall of mirrors and were occupied obsessing over how they looked.  All of them were twirling in their dresses, swishing their skirts, and gazing admiringly at themselves.  This was almost too much to bear.  These were supposed to be our friends, the closest of the close, and yet they couldn’t care less that the vows had not been finished. 

My frustration continued to grow, as I viewed the selfishness of all parties, only thinking of themselves.  I began to vent that we should forget the ceremony, because no one cared about that part anyway.  I thought we should get married later at the justice of the peace and might as well go enjoy the party.  For some reason, it occurred to me that I hadn’t seen the photographers yet either.  People began to look for them, but somehow we were not able to find them.

My parting impression was that we should just fire the wedding planners and apparently the bridesmaids too, that neither group had fulfilled their role on this “happiest day of our lives.”  As I began to wake, a feeling of sadness came over me, as I saw the two of us still standing alone at the altar.

***

Now I have to say, the tone of this dream would not have been my pick.  I love to find the bright side of things and don’t have a melancholy bone in my body.  However, the messaging in the dream still needs to be brought forth, but I’ll endeavor to do so in the most hopeful light!

John 1:5 – The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

First and foremost, it excites me to think that King Jesus, our Groom, is prepared and ready.  In fact, he is already standing at the altar, the location where we will eventually enter into the most beautiful, eternal covenant with Him!  It was also comforting to see that His Bride, those completely devoted to Him, is fully dressed and actively headed towards that commitment as well.

Revelation 19:7 – Let us rejoice and exult and give him glory, because the wedding celebration of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.

I believe the matter of the dress has two important interpretations.  The area around our waist is supposed to be guarded by the belt of truth.  This piece of our armor is the one that holds weapons and keeps the other pieces in place.  While it may be slipping here and there, the Bride is aware of its placement and is readjusting as necessary, establishing truth as she proceeds.  I believe it is vital that we continue to gird up our loins with truth!

Ephesians 6:14a – Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth.

The second angle on this could be that the Bride is adjusting her skirt in order to free up her legs to run.  Historically, warriors would have to adjust and fasten their garments of the day (robes), so they could move easily and quickly as they ran and fought.  Could it be that this posture of the Bride is signaling a moment when we are to be freeing up our lives and preparing for battle?

1 Kings 18:46 – Then the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah [giving him supernatural strength]. He girded up his loins and outran Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel [nearly twenty miles].

Finally regarding the Bride, her posture of frustration may be telling.  Rather than an attitude of understanding and  a desire to bring the others along, she seems to want to flush the whole thing and just perform the expedient, legal ceremony later.  That way, she won’t have to deal with the people and can just be alone with the Groom.

Matthew 22:37-39 – And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Let’s go on to the matter of the other characters in play.  The wedding planner and officiant seem to represent those in some sort of religious authority, as well as those that are supposed to be helping us prepare for this most momentous of all days.  While present and participating, the lack of authority to keep the guests in place as well as the departure from the altar, leads me to believe they are not fulfilling their responsibilities in this hour.

Luke 12:42-44 – And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time?  Blessed is that servantwhom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.”

Moving on to the wedding planner’s assistants and the wait staff: these two groups appear to be taking orders from their bosses and handling things the best they can.  Ultimately though, they are coddling and giving into the guests’ immediate desires, rather than keeping the wedding on track.

Now we come to the guests.  These have been invited to the wedding day.  After all, there will be many who will not take part.  While they have dressed up and arrived on time, their posture is revealed by their insatiable reaction to dinner.  They could not be troubled to witness the vows when there was food available.  This may indicate some sort of survival instinct that looms larger than the event at hand.  To make matters more interesting, they were set to feast on lobster.  This represents the best the world has to offer, but it is traditionally considered unclean to eat because of its role as a bottom-feeder.

Matthew 25:10 – And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.

Next, we have the bridesmaids.  These are the women selected to walk alongside the Bride in this process, to help, as well as celebrate, every part of this occasion.  There can be no greater affront than when a bridesmaid is revealed as one who is self-absorbed, who cares less about the couple and more about herself.  What was supposed to be a position of honor seemed to turn into a place of self-promotion instead.

I John 2:16-17 – For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

A further note on these two groups: I believe they could represent the Word movement (guests – desire to feast on the Word) and the Spirit movement (bridesmaids – desire to have charismatic experiences).  I remember hearing R.T. Kendall speak of a time coming when Word people join with Spirit people, and that revival would follow.  He said it would be a move the likes of which we have never seen.  He was repeating a forecast given by Smith Wigglesworth that when these two groups come together, it would eclipse the Wesleyan and Welsh revivals and spread the gospel all over the world.

Finally, we have the photographers, the ones selected to memorialize the occasion and to record the details for the future to come.  Unlike the others chosen for the wedding, this group could not even be located when needed.  As a writer and communicator in this time, this one personally makes me tremble a little.  May the scribes of our day not be found MIA when we are called upon to record this coming, joyous celebration.

Habakkuk 2:2-3 – And the Lord answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.”

***

My heart rests fully in the goodness of God, so I do not find condemnation here in these words.  Rather when a message like this is revealed, I know it is only to shine His light on a situation that it may be rectified for His glorious purposes!

Is it possible our Father has already planned the wedding of the ages, and that Holy Spirit is stirring and speaking in this direction?  Might it be that we have a war to fight, adjustments to be made, desires to conquer, groups to get on the same page, so that we can all make it to the big event together?

Could it be that our Bridegroom Jesus is longing to be with us in ways we cannot even fathom?  How He desperately wants all of us in the wedding party to get in our rightful places, that the wedding of all weddings may commence!

Revelation 21:2-3 – And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling placeof God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people,and God himself will be with them as their God.