Sundays and Rehearsal Dinners
This summer is sort of a summer of love here at University Lutheran, or at least it is for me. I’ve had more than my usual amount of weddings and premarital counseling to perform, and later on today, I’m going to be doing the rehearsal and going to the rehearsal dinner for one of those couples – Joey and Amanda.
As I was thinking through my day today, thinking through appointments and tasks, this was one of those things. And as I continued to think about rehearsal dinners that I’ve had in the recent and not so recent past, I thought “Sundays are kind of like rehearsal dinners for the Christian Church.” The “wedding feast” is a common image in Scripture for Christ’s return in the Resurrection, and while I don’t think it was culturally common in Jesus’ day to have a “rehearsal dinner”, I think our modern image suits the theology quite nicely.
A rehearsal dinner is still a party, but it’s not the ultimate party. It’s a great meal, but it’s not the big feast. It’s still a gathering of family and friends, and even a more intimate gathering most of the time. It’s a celebration of what is about to happen – what is about to come.
That is what our Sunday services are like. They are opportunities for us to gather together as an intimate family, celebrating together, and preparing for what is to come. Additionally, it is a time for grudges to be given up and forgiveness to happen in preparation for the big day.
So join us this Sunday at University Lutheran as we host our rehearsal dinner and prepare ourselves for the big wedding of Christ and His Bride, the Church.