You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ~ Galatians 3:26-28 (NIV)
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One of my best friends is getting married this summer, and this past weekend, I helped her select a wedding dress, which was very fun for us girls! It is truly amazing how many styles, shapes and colors are available for the bride-to-be, from a myriad of different designers! And men -- don't think you're stuck in plain black anymore, oh no! There are all colors of the rainbow (okay, maybe not purple or chartreuse) for men's formal wear these days! And it's almost mind-boggling to make a choice when there are 167 styles of bridesmaids dresses in as many color choices! Talk about head-spinning...
Choosing this special wedding attire makes the bridal party stand out. They are the "chosen" ones -- the bride and groom, and their attendants. Guests of the wedding can pick out the bride and groom in a room full of people because of their attire. And their attendants are dressed in color-coordinated formal wear that stands apart from the rest of the crowd. Their clothing defines their status among the people, and the bridal party feel special because on this day, they are.
At the wedding feast of the Lamb as described in Revelation (I'm not going to give you a reference -- I want you to look it up), those who have chosen Jesus Christ are the "chosen" -- and they are in their bridal attire. Funny thing, though -- there aren't multiple designers and multiple colors. One designer -- Jesus Christ. One color -- white. I don't care who you are or where you live on the globe. If you claim Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are wearing His bridal attire, clothed in Him. God looks at His children and sees an entire bridal party -- no onlookers in plain clothing looking at the elite in special formal wear. All are robed in the pure righteousness that comes from the Lamb of God, who took away His children's sins.
I'm thankful that believers are all on common ground in Jesus Christ. None can be made to feel "less than" when clothed in Him, because we are all clothed in Him. All on the same plain -- all sitting at the head table in our divine formal wear. May we remember this as we work alongside, communicate with, and pray for other believers. Let us not think that because of where we live or our particular skin color or the clothing we wear makes us any more special to God than the believer who is different from us. Jesus strips us of our dividing barriers and makes us all one, clothed in His beautiful grace...
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. ~ Ephesians 4:4-6 (NIV)
Love,
Joelene
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