Grace Street is in a flurry of preparation for Maricela’s wedding here on Saturday. It is being transformed into the most beautiful satin and lace vision of white loveliness we can accomplish. Maricela and John are working right alongside everyone else to get everything ready for their special day. We are united, we are focused and we are joyful! We look forward to the celebration with those we love!

We are truly acting as the family of God when we love and support one another. That’s what families do – they love each other and they work together to get something accomplished. When we work together, the work is easier for everyone and there is great joy in the process.

We are doing all of the preparations ourselves, with the help of our church family here at Morningside. While the labor is very strenuous, there is great joy and fellowship while we work. The announcements have been made, the invitations sent and the menu decided. We have ordered the cake, had the pre-wedding parties, gathered the decorations and all of us are busy getting Grace Street ready for the blessed event!

Maricela has chosen a beautiful wedding gown and is preparing herself for her groom. She is wisely making sure that all things are handled in plenty of time so that she will be ready to meet her groom at the altar!

In Matthew 25, The Bible speaks in a parable about the kingdom of heaven and the return of Jesus. The disciples asked Jesus what would be the signs of his coming.

“Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Jesus said that His return will be like a wedding. In ancient Israel, there was great anticipation and ceremony surrounding the groom coming for his bride. She would go to great lengths to prepare herself for him, that is, if she were wise.

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.”

In the parable about Jesus’ return, there were five foolish brides who were not prepared, and five wise brides who were prepared. The result: the foolish brides were left behind and the wise brides arrived at the wedding feast.

“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut”.

While the message in this parable is referring to spiritual preparedness which is by far the most important thing, being prepared in the natural is also important. We learn in the previous chapter (Matthew 24), all of the signs of Jesus’ coming. We have been preaching and teaching those signs with a great urgency here at Morningside. Why? Because we want you to be ready so that you will not be forced to rely on the world’s systems or worse, the anti-christ, to sustain you during Times of Trouble.

As we prepare for this wedding, join with us as the family of God and prepare your family for the wedding feast of the Lamb!

God loves you! He really does!