How Beautiful is the Body of Christ

Two years ago today

the Lord wedded me to my prince,

the man He had fashioned just for me.

I dare not try to process everything from that full, fast day –

I would be here until my third anniversary for sure.

I remember when I sat down in the late winter and began the initial part of planning the ceremony, I remember just wanting everyone to walk away from the wedding feeling like they’d been with Christ for a while, that they loved Him a bit more.

What theme? What is Christ to me? Who is He to my loved ones?

How will we look to Him in marriage? How do I want others to experience Him through our ceremony?

“ Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 2:1-5

And so the theme of the wedding flowed from that verse-

the Body of Christ.

It’s also why I chose “How Beautiful” by Twila Paris

as the wedding processional:

“How Beautiful the hands that served The Wine and the Bread

and the sons of the earth.

How Beautiful the feet that walked the long dusty roads

and the hill to the cross.

How Beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the Body of Christ.

How Beautiful the heart that bled,

that took all my sin and bore it instead.

How Beautiful the tender eyes,

that choose to forgive and never despise.

How Beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the Body of Christ.

And as He lay down His life

We offer this sacrifice

That we will live just as He died

Willing to pay the price, Willing to pay the price…

How Beautiful the radiant bride, who waits for her Groom

with His light in her eyes.

How Beautiful when humble hearts give

the fruit of pure lives so that others may live.

How Beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the Body of Christ.

How Beautiful the feet that bring the sound of good news

and the love of the King.

How Beautiful the hands that serve the wine and the bread

and the sons of the Earth.

 

How Beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the Body of Christ”

 

Gosh old hymns are worshipful. As I continued preparing the ceremony, I took our old hymnal and sat down at the table one night to pick out the ones that would be just right for the ceremony. Sometimes I look them up again, just to worship with the lyrics:

 

“Be Thou My Vision”

“Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross”

“My Jesus I Love Thee”

“What Wondrous Love Is This”

“Take My Life, and Let It Be Consecrated”

“On Christ the Solid Rock”

 

It blessed my heart more than you’ll know to hear from so, so many afterward how worshipful the ceremony had been.

Moving on though, I don’t think anyone is ever, actually, completely, perfectly ready for marriage. Ever.

Grayson and I were diamonds in the rough, full of “selfishness” and “empty conceit.” Little did we know God would use His instrument of marriage to chisel each other to a refined beauty we’d never known or experienced before.

“…but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

Living like that HURTS. It’s just not natural for our flesh. Our minds and hearts didn’t always go there naturally, even ones hopelessly in love.

Yet with each day, each miserable failure, each return to our Lord, each beautiful success – we were just… guys we were just changed! Our minds. Our attitudes. Our actions.

 

Because we had been humbled we were able to love, actually love. “It-doesn’t-matter-about-me” love.

You care about yourself less and less. You care about them more and more.

Would you believe there’s a lot of freedom in that?

We mess up. Often. And in its own way – that is good. Good to know we’re far from perfect. Good to know how much we need Christ and good to receive His help. Good to learn to live the “NON fairy-tale” love with my prince.

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.”

Grayson is becoming so much more like Him, guys.

Him.

My Christ. My first Prince.

I hear it in Grayson’s voice, his prayers, when he talks to the Lord. It’s like the Lord is right there with him. And there is excitement in his voice.

I see it in Grayson’s excitement over Scripture, something new the Lord is teaching him. There is growth and hunger.

I experience it in Grayson’s patience, a new gentleness that I see the Lord daily cultivating. It’s like I’m just an awe-struck spectator.

Our Wedding. There is nothing quite sweeter.

And yet, when I see the man that the Lord has nurtured my husband to become these past two years, I now beg to differ: there is nothing like our Marriage.

Nothing like growing within and through the Body of Christ.

Part from our note to the congregation on our wedding day, and my note to you again on our anniversary:

“Today we celebrate how He has taken two separate individuals and knit them closely together with the cords of His love.

Though we are so often sinful in nature and selfish in pursuit, the Spirit of Him who raised Christ from the dead has poured His redeeming love into our hearts.

For this reason and through this power we are able to have the mind that was in Christ Jesus- to love the other with a greatness that far surpasses ourselves.”

 

How beautiful is the Body of Christ.

Blessings - Katie