In September 2004, I sat in a beautiful indoor amphitheater in Winter Park, Colorado with 200 other women at a women’s conference. An early snow had cancelled the afternoon’s A-list activities and we sat—all 200 of us, with pillows and popcorn—watching the Keira Knightley version of Pride and Prejudice.
Pride and Prejudice is a romance. It is the story of Mr. Darcy pursuing a relationship with Elizabeth Bennett and Elizabeth Bennett refusing his advances. Darcy is sometimes misunderstood, but always upright, loving, and persistent. Eventually, Elizabeth sees him for who he really is and agrees to be his bride. The movie culminates in Darcy striding across the moor, coattails flying, as he comes for Elizabeth.
At that point, a full-throated “whoop” went up from every lady in the auditorium. I don’t know why, but a woman just wants her man to “come for her.” (I subsequently watched the movie with a male audience—okay, just Bob—and I promise, it does not have the same effect on men.)
Christ as Our Bridegroom
The Bible repeatedly tells us that we—the Church—are Christ’s Bride, and he is the Bridegroom. A bridegroom coming for his bride is a picture of God coming for us. God invaded the world with the birth of Jesus to come for us. No one expected a tiny, helpless baby, but that was the surprising form in which He came. God’s proposal was an offer to be joined forever in intimate connection with Him. And just as a bride accepts or rejects a proposal, we accept or reject God’s offer to us.
Have you accepted His forever marriage proposal? I have a feeling that the chorus when we are united with Him will absolutely drown out the whoop in the auditorium that day.
Merry Christmas to you and your family as we celebrate God’s priceless gift and the anticipation of our future with Him.
