I Don't Have a Dress for the Wedding

We’re in the throes of wedding planning at my house. My eldest, the daughter most like me, will soon stand beside her beloved and say, “I do.” On that day there will be candlelight and roses, joy and laughter, and smiles and kisses. 

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The days leading up to the ceremony, however, aren’t quite so idyllic. Innumerable calls to the caterer, the photographer, and the florist. Countless trips to Michael’s, Jo-Ann’s, and Hobby Lobby. Multiple orders to Etsy, Amazon, and, yes, Shealy’s Bar B Que. It is a Southern wedding, after all. 

Eclipsing it it all is the dilemma that plagues every female in the wedding: 

 We don’t have dresses for the wedding!

Last year’s dresses won’t do. We’ve gained, lost, or redistributed weight. Styles have changed and what was rocking the runway two years ago is retro today. We know all eyes will be on the bride, but we want to enter into the celebration and bless the happy couple. It’s important to have the right clothing for such a special occasion. Carefully chosen attire shows honor and respect. 

 Jesus told a story of someone who didn’t have proper wedding clothes in Matthew 22. 

 “The wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless. Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are invited, but few are chosen" (v. 11-14). 

One day there will be a wedding that puts every other wedding to shame. Music, flowers, and beauty like we’ve never seen before. Opulent, elegant, and lavishly abundant, this celebration will make Kate and William’s wedding look like the Beverly Hillbillies’. And the bridegroom? Oh my! 

The guest list spans the ages and includes everyone from the vilest sinner to the purest saint. And our names are on it. But like the man who was thrown from the banquet hall, we cannot attend without our wedding clothes. 

And unlike the teal dress with the beaded yoke I found at Belk, we cannot buy these garments. They’ve already been bought—with a price. We cannot earn them or deserve them. We can’t borrow them, either. They must be ours alone. 

Like Adam and Eve in the Garden so long ago, God must clothe us in robes of righteousness—not our righteousness, but the righteousness of Christ. We must confess our sin and accept God’s forgiveness. We must surrender our meager, filthy, self-sufficient rags and allow God to clothe us with his abundant, pure, and mercy-infused covering. Then we will hear the words that beckon us to the celebration: 

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“Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'" (Rev. 19:7-9). 

 If you don’t have a dress for the wedding, I invite you to click here to discover how to have a relationship with Christ. If you do, why not share this post with someone you love? Invite them to accept the invitation to the greatest wedding celebration ever. 

I hope to see you there. 






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