by Pastor Daniel 

Introduction
During this time, I have been pretty preoccupied with the marriage of my younger daughter.  And as I was studying the book of Ephesians, the next in the series of sermons which will focus on relationships as believers in Jesus Christ.  Interestingly, it begins with the greatest of all relationships, that is, marriage.  This relationship is also the first of all relationships between mankind.  God instituted that first relationship way back in Genesis in the garden.
 
Marriage a mystery.
In Ephesians 5:21-33, in addressing on how the husband and wife are to relate to one another, Paul the apostle wrapped up this relationship with this statement in verse 32; “This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.”
 
The question thus is this - what is the mystery?  How is marriage mysterious?  A mystery by definition means something that is not known, but now made known.
 
The love of God not known, now made known.
The greatest mystery is perhaps the love of God for man.  It is a mystery and when two persons decide to share their lives together for life, it is somewhat a mystery.  Why would someone do that?  I believe it is love.
 
The love of God has probably not been known by mankind.  In all religion, the very basis is about the pursuit of God, the desiring of God’s approval, the search for God by doing something favorable in his sight, the strife of a good and moral life with that expectation, the diversion of God’s wrath and so forth.  In religion, basically the basis of one’s belief is never on love.
 
Yet in Christianity, that mystery is now made known; it is the mystery of God’s love.  One would never imagine and thus he would never comprehend why a holy and righteous God would want to love sinful man who had deliberately disobeyed God.
 
The pursuit of God not realized, now made known
This is the basis of Christianity, not a set of rules, or a performance or rituals but simply “God loves us.”  You will probably not find this in any ancient religion.  It is no longer man searching and pursuing God but rather God pursuing man because of His love.
 
Since the fall of man into sin, God has never given up on man.  Is there any parallel with marriage?  I believe one of those missing elements and virtue is the pursuit in marriage.  Despite all differences one encounters in marriage, the old value is simply sticking to it, through thick and thin.  In the ancient language, it is till death do us part.  Today it has changed.  It is no longer till death do us part but anything I am not happy about today, do us part.  It is very sad.  However, the pursuit of God’s love will never stop.  We may not realize how great is the love of God toward us, but now it is made known.  The pursuit of God’s love is highlighted in the book of Romans chapter 8 - nothing, absolutely nothing will ever separate us from the love of God in Christ.
 
The perseverance of God not felt, now made known
Another aspect of the mystery in this relationship is what God sees at the end in the relationship - “so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.”  That is the climax of a marriage relationship between Christ and his church.
 
To us it sounds like the beginning and truly it is the beginning.  There seems to be nothing else to pursue, to look forward to or to anticipate.  The bride on the wedding day looks the best and could not be better thereafter.
 
Should that be the case?  Two persons coming together are only the beginning.  Both of them must have the end in mind - how the relationship could make each other a better person so that she could be presented with pride, with splendor, without spot or wrinkle.
 
This is the next mysterious element - the goal of Christ’s marriage to the church - that she will be perfect, that she will be beautiful in every way.  That is why God has not quite finished with us yet.  There is work to be done.  There is a lot of loving going on, caring and nourishing taking place in our lives.
 
Conclusion
May I challenge all of us as the bride of Christ - “how then are we submitting to the process of God so that the mystery of God can be fully realized in our lives.”  To me, the wedding day is only the beginning of many things to come.