Sunday Rumination Pt. 2

This week's thought is more a vague one rather than concentrated on a particular verse.

God's love for his people is beyond my comprehension.

More than just me

So early on in the week I had the privilege of doing a Bible study with some girls on 1 Peter.

If you call yourself a Christian, I challenge you to try to describe your new identity; who you are now.

Of course there are so many ways we could do that, but I think I'd often simply say a child of God or loved and accepted by him. True... Yet these descriptions in 1 Peter 2:9 are also true and *pooof* pretty mind-boggling.

You are ...

a chosen race

a royal priesthood

a holy nation

a people for his own possession

that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

One could write so much about each of these descriptions, but what really stands out to me is that they are not the description of any one person individually, like my initial reaction to the above question. They are descriptions of a group of people.

"You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house" etc. 1 Peter 2:5

As we were discussing in the bible study, it's so amazing how God is bringing people together, building them and solidifying them together so that as one collective body, they might bring glory to him! God is using me, and he is using you, to make his people stronger and to bring about his kingdom here on earth (we do that through the whole proclaiming excellencies bit!)

So this got me thinking about how I am supporting and loving this group of people that I have been apparently joined together with. Do I see myself as not just me, but part of something bigger and more beautiful? But also, what does it mean that God has chosen us, together, and that we, as one people, are his possession?

Then this morning, as I read Psalm 45, I got to think about that last question a bit more.

More than just us

Ok cool, cool, cool, we are one body. Unity and all that is fantastic! You don't have to be religious to think that! But being united is not the be all and end all. God's main aim in making us one people is that this united, different but distinct, group of people are to be HIS.

We belong to him. In the most wholesome and beautiful sense. As a husband belongs to his wife, and a wife to her husband.

Psalm 45 speaks about this handsome, gracious, mighty man who is strong, righteous, meek (!) and true. He is a king, and he rules perfectly. The psalm goes to lengths to show how wonderful this man is and how God has anointed him, even describing what he is wearing and what makes him happy. This king is the stuff of Austen heroes, or any romcom swoon-worthy dude.

Except this king is the real deal. This king represents King Jesus, the beautiful and majestic, the just and the kind. He is what all those other men were based on, what they fail to be. The first 9 verses of the psalm are enough to make my heart feel very full.

But wait, there's more...

The King desires your beauty.

What would this wonderful king want anything to do with me?!? A lot, apparently.

The rest of the psalm speaks of how the king sends this princess (...us collectively, the people of God) the finest clothing and the best gifts. She prepares with joy and gladness and finally leaves behind her people and her father's house and enters his palace. There she is made one with her Bridegroom.

And here it is, our unity with one another as Christians, is meant to ultimately lead to our becoming one with Christ. (here comes the now, but not yet) This union has happened already, in that we have believed in him and his righteousness has been given to us as he bore our punishment for sin on the cross.

Yet we also have this beautiful scene to look forward to. The Wedding Supper (coming soon!). The Bible speaks of how at the end of this world, God will gather his people, the Bride and we will finally be with our Bridegroom, Christ, and have a big celebration feast. This is what this psalm is alluding to.

Mind-blowing. The magnificent King wants to be with us. He is giving us precious gifts and preparing us to finally be with him forever.

Ah, it's no wonder Shakespeare's comedies always ended with weddings. A 'Happily Ever After' can often feel incomplete without it! Now this is in no way saying that weddings, here on earth, are meant to be our one and only goal in life. Far from it. But maybe there's a reason they keep cropping up, maybe there's a reason people so often think of weddings as among the happiest experiences of their lives. They point us to this wonderful wedding that is to come.

Ok, I've really rambled long enough. I would like to write a more coherent and developed piece on this now that I've begun but since this is meant to be a short writing exercise, I have to make myself stop here. Maybe next week, I should give myself a word limit... or a time limit? Anyway, thanks for sticking through my messy thoughts!

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Check out this song to reflect on the words of Psalm 45 :') It's really beautiful and worth a listen!