Desperate Joy

  In the last two posts we saw how marriage and birth both reiterate and recapitulate the Gospel.  Every time a child is born and a couple is wed, the Gospel is preached. The reason we feel such gladness around these events is because they are images of deep spiritual truths that God wants us to know and understand.  These events give us a glimpse of our eternal home.  We are wired to feel joy at a wedding and when a baby is delivered because we have been wired for eternity. Our sexuality is an essential aspect of marriage and child bearing, and our sexuality is by definition rooted in our bodies as male and female.  This means that the wondrous story of everlasting life and redemption is told in part through our bodies, both as males and females, through our masculinity and our femininity.  The male body has its part to play in telling God's eternal story, and the female body has its part to play as well.  Both are essential.  Both are good and b...

  Have you ever been able to witness the birth of a child?  Or, perhaps, given birth yourself? A couple years back, my sister gave birth to a girl, Lilly.  It was a joyous and wonderful time for them and for all of us celebrating with them.  I have never been a father myself, so some of those feelings escape me, but I am a witness to my sister and brother-in-law's experience.  Really, with rare exception, every first-time mother and father testifies to a peculiar happiness when they hold their child for the first time.  The peculiar magnificence of childbearing is hard to miss. Bringing a child into the world is a time of maximum joy.  Seldom do people find that same level of happiness again. This makes me curious.  What is it about birth that makes it so special?  Why do mothers and fathers across the world and across history universally agree that it is a powerful, meaningful, and euphoric experience? There is something to this, something p...

  Have you ever been to a wedding? If you asked a random person what the happiest day of his life was, there is a good chance he might say his wedding day.  Others might describe the day their child was born (more on this in a future post). A wedding is a glorious event, when the radiance of heaven cuts through the gloom of our mundane lives and brings us a glimpse of heavenly joy. Marriage carries heavy meaning in Scripture.  It is a symbol that points to foundational spiritual realities, and the joy that it gives us is a hint, a small piece of the eternal joy that Christ wants to give us in his coming Kingdom. The Apostle Paul taught the church in Ephesus about this in his letter to them (Ephesians 5:31-33), "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.  This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.  Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love hi...