Bridegroom

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 5:25-32

“The bride belongs to the bridegroom.”
— John 3:29

An old Algonquin folktale (a sort of Cinderella story) goes something like this:

Once there were three sisters. The two oldest were beautiful, proud, and mean. Their youngest sister was weak and often ill. Her sisters were cruel and scarred her face with hot coals. She became known as the “rough-faced girl.”

A powerful and unseen being, known as the Invisible One, said he would marry the girl who could truly see him. So the older sisters put on fine feathers and beads and went to his camp by the Big Water. But he didn’t reveal himself.

The rough-faced girl wanted to visit the Invisible One too. She had no beads to wear—only a birch-bark dress and old moccasins. Her sisters and the villagers laughed at her. But she went to meet the Invisible One, and she could see him— or, rather, he saw her. He loved her, and she was changed. She washed in the Big Water, her rough scars disappeared, and she became as beautiful on the outside as the love she had received.

In some ways this story reminds me of Jesus’ love for his bride, the church. Ephesians 5 shows that Jesus’ love changes us, cleansing and healing us. His love is all that is needed to transform the “rough-faced” church. His love is what makes her beautiful.

Let’s not give up on the “rough-faced” church. Jesus, our perfect Bridegroom, won’t.

Lord Jesus, we are in awe of you. Thank you for your washing, beautifying, faithful love for your church. Amen.

Written by: Lora Copley