Loved Like a Bride

A Communion Table Talk:

On June 28, a very important day came and went…  At least, it was important to my wife and me. On that day, we celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary.

I don’t mention that to put the spotlight on us—or to make anyone wonder how she has managed to put up with me for nearly three decades! I mention it because our anniversary got me thinking about something that is easy to talk about but sometimes difficult to truly understand:  love.

More specifically, I’ve been thinking about the way the Bible describes the relationship between Christ and His people. Scripture uses a remarkable picture. The church is described as the bride of Christ.

Have you ever watched a groom see his bride for the first time on their wedding day? For just a moment, everything else seems to disappear. He isn’t thinking about whether the flowers are perfect or whether the decorations are just right. He isn’t worried about whether the music started on time. He’s looking at one person.

And if you watch closely, you can almost see it on his face—joy, gratitude, affection, love.

The Sabbath, Sunday, and the Rest We Find in Christ

Few biblical subjects create as much confusion as the Sabbath. Should Christians observe it today? If not, why do so many Christians worship on Sunday? And is Sunday somehow the Christian version of the Old Testament Sabbath?

The best place to begin is not with tradition, history, or what we have always heard. It is with Scripture.

Genesis tells us that God rested on the seventh day after completing His work of creation. But while Genesis records God's rest and the sanctifying of the seventh day, it does not record a command for Adam, Noah, Abraham, or the other patriarchs to observe a weekly Sabbath. The Sabbath becomes a covenant command when God establishes Israel as His covenant people.

The Sabbath was a meaningful part of that covenant. It reminded Israel that God was their Creator and their Redeemer. Deuteronomy connects the Sabbath specifically with their deliverance from Egyptian slavery, while Exodus calls it a sign between God and Israel.

So the Sabbath was not simply a day off. It was a covenant reminder:  We belong to God. He created us, He redeemed us, and He has called us to Himself.

That raises an obvious question:  If Jesus kept the Sabbath, shouldn't Christians keep it too?