Loving the Church

EVEN THOUGH 26 YEARS have come and gone, I can still feel those goose bumps from when my bride came walking down the aisle. My heart was beating so fast, I was sure it was going to explode.
I knew then and I know now that my bride, Liz, will always be the love of my heart.

Perhaps this is why I’m so deeply drawn to the rich truths embedded in the bride metaphor of Scripture. Many biblical metaphors enrich our understanding of the nature and importance of the church, yet the bride metaphor uniquely captures the cherishing love of Christ, the Bridegroom.
And while the bride metaphor extends to the broader body of Christ, theologian Miroslav Volf points out that the local church is the primary subject of New Testament ecclesiology. Christ cherishes the local church, and so should we.

St. Augustine insightfully noted that being a true Christian not only reorients our beliefs but also reorders our loves. What I am discovering in my own spiritual journey is that the closer I walk with Christ, the more I cherish His bride. Like never before, Christ’s beautiful bride is making my heart race and giving me goose bumps.

Tom Nelson is senior pastor of Christ Community EFC in Leawood, Kan. His message on this topic from Leadership Conference is available at NextStep Resources (800-444-BOOK or www.nsresources.com), or you can listen at bthetree.org.