A Picture of Heaven
My daughter married in October 2014. The theme of their wedding was "A Picture of Heaven." Before the ceremony commenced, Krista wanted to show a video explaining the elements of the ceremony and their meaning. I wrote the script based on an interview with Krista and Jim. The video can be viewed here.Krista - Thanks for coming…in a few minutes our wedding ceremony will begin and we wanted to help prepare your hearts a little bit on what to expect during our ceremony.
Jim – Our heart in this wedding ceremony is for you to experience God in a new and fresh way. All of us here are a part of something bigger than ourselves. Yes,it’s our wedding and this is our time, but there is something more going on here. A wedding on earth is more than a sacrament or ritual. The wedding ceremony here is a picture of heaven and that’s what our theme for this wedding has been about in our planning and preparing. As you share in our love and in our ceremony, our desire is for you to connect to God in a tangible way.
Krista – I have always loved weddings since I was a little girl, but weddings meant more to me than the princess dress or the flowers. I love weddings because of what they represent. It doesn’t matter who the couple is or the circumstances of the wedding. When I think about the heavenly aspect of what’s portrayed, I get goosebumps and tears every time.
Jim – Just as we have prepared and planned for this day, the Bible tells us the Church(believers in Christ) are preparing themselves for Christ’s coming. He is the Bridegroom and we are His Bride. The two of us have spent time preparing our hearts and preparing ourselves for this day. We have looked forward to this day. And the Bible parallels this as Christ prepares a place for us in heaven and waits to be united with his creation.
Krista - Three things from today’s ceremony connect to the spiritual aspect of this picture of heaven; the processional, worship and communion. When I think of seeing Jesus, I’ve always thought of this expanse and I picture myself walking down this expanse toward Jesus on the end. I’m already going to be whole, pure and made right. In few minutes, you as our guests will see me process toward my groom. I’ve made myself ready and saved myself for this very moment. I get to walk toward my groom who has been waiting for me, ready for me, ready to accept meas I am.
Jim – Another element in today’s ceremony will be worship…an outward expression of our feelings about God and our adoration for Him. What better way to enter into the presence of God by coming together to worship. The Bible tells us that all nations, every tongue and tribe, will join in worship on that day.
Krista – Today,you will watch Jim and I receive communion. This is another intentional element of our wedding that holds a deeper meaning. We do communion on this side of heaven to remember what Jesus did for us. He sacrificed his body that we can have the forgiveness of sins and ultimately enter into eternity. We want to remember what Christ did for us as we begin our life together. This is another parallel to the Bible and a picture of heaven. Just as Jim and I become one through marriage,we are symbolizing becoming one with Christ. One of the last things Jesus did on earth was to partake in communion with his disciples sealing His covenant with Him. The language, “This is my covenant with you,take and drink it” would be similar to what a man would say when he proposed to his intended bride. Their families would gather and the groom would fill a cup with wine and say those words. By this act, he was saying “Will you marry me?” If she took the cup and drank it,she entered into a covenant of marriage with him. Likewise, Jesus asks us to take the cup of His blood, asking us to join in union with him and as we take and drink it, we are committing to wait for Him.
Jim – We hope you will prepare your heart to receive whatever it is God might be saying to you today. Thank you all for coming and sharing in our love.
