Rediscovering Eden
Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am I, that the bright and morning Star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart
Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are
I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours, I am Yours
Who Am I, that the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love
and watch me rise again
Who Am I, that the voice that calmed the sea
Would call out through the rain
And calm the storm in me
Whom shall I fear
Whom shall I fear
I am Yours
dailies
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
-12:18 AM
I was blog-surfing and found this interesting thing, which I never knew significance to such detail,on the blog of a friend who got it off another friend.
Christian marriages : and the meaning
1) What is a marriage covenant?Simply explained, a marriage covenant is an agreement made between the bride and the groom in the presence of God and witnesses. It cannot be broken and involves the exchange of seals or signs. In fact, the marriage relationship is used in Scripture to describe the relationship between Christ and His church – “’Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’ And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.” (Revelation 21:9-10)
2) Why do ushers seat the family and friends of the bride on opposite sides of the church?This provides a covenant setting. Marriage is established by God as a covenant, not a contract. According to Smith’s Bible Dictionary, the Hebrew word for covenant is “berith” which primarily means “a cutting”, with reference to the cutting or dividing of animals into two parts, and the contracting parties passing between them in making a covenant. (See Genesis 15.) Hence, the family and friends are seated on opposite sides to symbolize the sacrifice which they have made in order for the bride & groom to enter into the marriage covenant.
3) Why does the groom enter the church first?This is to signify that he is the covenant initiator. This is important because whoever initiates the covenant assumes greater responsibility for seeing it fulfilled.
4) Why does the father walk with the bride down the aisle?This action has a twofold significance. The father is saying to the bride, “I am endorsing this young man as God’s very best choice of a husband for you, and I am now bringing you to him”
At the same time, the father is saying to the young man, “I am presenting to you a daughter whom I have earnestly endeavored to train up as a pure bride.” In Scripture, the father is responsible for the purity of the daughter before marriage (See Deuteronomy 22:13-21.) Paul illustrates this responsibility in his preparation of the bride of Christ. “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.” (2 Corinthians 11:2)
5) What is the real significance of the white wedding dress?The white wedding gown symbolizes the purity of heart and life for which the husband is responsible in the life of his wife. During the marriage, he is to cleanse her by the Word of God, just as Christ purifies believers by the Word. “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies...” (Ephesians 5:25-28).
6) Why do the bride and groom take each other’s right hand during the wedding vows?The open right hand offered by each party symbolizes their strength, resources, and purpose. By clasping each other’s right hand, they are pledging these to each other. Just as we depend upon the “saving power of his right hand” (Psalm 20:6), so each partner can depend upon all the resources that the other brings to the covenant relationship.
The handshake goes far beyond sealing a contract. It symbolizes the cleaving together of lives which is to be accomplished in the marriage covenant. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24)
7) What is the real significance of the wedding ring?It symbolizes transfer of authority, strength, and protection. In Scripture, the ring is a symbol of authority and the resources which go with it. (See Esther 8:2.) It also represents a covenant sign, serving as a visible seal and reminder of covenant commitments. Just as when God made a covenant with Noah, He put a symbol in the sky – a rainbow – to be a continual reminder to God of the covenant that He had made. (See Genesis 9:8-17.)
8) What is the special meaning of the bride’s veil?The veil represents modesty and respect. It symbolizes the sanctity and the exclusiveness of the marriage covenant. It reminds the couple and the witnesses that the physical relationship is only to be entered into after the vows are completed.
There is further significance in the veil as it relates to salvation. When Christ fulfilled the conditions of His covenant for our redemption, the veil in the temple was taken away. “And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” (Matthew 27:50-51.) Similarly, when a nonbeliever receives Jesus Christ as his Savior, the veil between him and Christ is removed. (See 2 Corinthians 3:14.)
9) What is the significance of signing the guest book?The guests become the official witnesses to the covenant. By signing their names they are saying, “I have witnessed the vows, and I will testify to the reality of this marriage.” The witnesses can also serve as God’s reminders to the couple to be faithful to their marriage vows.
10) Why is a special invitation given for the reception?The invitation for the reception symbolizes the invitation to salvation. In the teaching ministry of Christ, He used the invitation to the wedding feast as an illustration of inviting people to partake of salvation. The wedding feast was free to the invited guests, just as salvation is free to all who will receive it. “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. … Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. … Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.” (Isaiah 55:1, 6-7)
11) What is the meaning of serving food at the reception?Food is part of the covenant celebration. One of the root meanings of the word covenant is “to feed”. Following the marriage, a feast was customary to further symbolize the unity of the couple. Entering into a meal is itself a form of covenant. It is significant that the first event of Christ’s ministry was attending a wedding feast, and His first miracle took place during that occasion. (See John 2:1-11.)
