Day 14 of 14

NIV

Revelation 21:9-20

…“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. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates… The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb…The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. Revelation 21:9-12, 14, 18-20, NIV

Reflection: Bride/City

My husband and I love living in inner-city Melbourne. We love coming home to it. Love the nighttime sparkle and the daytime throb. The bang-bang and buzz of coffee shops and the clamour of the markets. It’s not all joy, but I can sure see how a sparkling cube of a city could be called a jewel…or a bride.

Notice how I unconsciously didn’t particularly mention the people in our city. In Revelation 21 it’s all about the people. The people of God. The Bride of Christ. And the image is all the more potent when juxtaposed against the whore of Babylon that’s come before. Not to sound at all callous, but I understand that picture of comparison too, from living in Melbourne. We live on King Street, after all. A street with the reputation of sordid night life and yahoos. I’ve walked with a precious-someone called out of that life just as was the Bride of Christ.

The bridegroom is the king and the city, this stunning bride, is his perfect masterpiece. He divinely predestined this city. He built her on Christ the cornerstone and the graves of the apostles, prophets, martyrs and saints. She’s grand. She’s spacious. And oh, she’s got stones alright! Don’t they remind you of that Eden sparkle…and the temple. She’s got glitz. She glows (doesn’t every bride!) not just because she’s bejewelled but she shines from within. It’s because of the presence of her bridegroom. And she’s totally secure.

Prayer:

What an unspeakably rich picture of grace this is, Lord Jesus. That, in love you would call us yours. That you purify, beautify and fill us to have and to hold forever. We love you. We thank you. We worship you.