Abstract
Biblical Names for the Church 1: ‘The Bride of Christ’
The Church has been called a lot of names in its time. Some of the name-calling has been less than friendly. Without too much investigation, one can come across a vivid variety of sharply worded definitions and descriptions. “A kind of museum,” is one critic’s summing up, “in which outworn creeds and obsolete methods of education are carefully preserved”. “The oldest and greatest monopolist of all”—according to John Strachey, the socialist intellectual. “A society for the preservation of the past”—so suggests Nicholas Earle. Another critic, looking particularly at the modern Protestant church, dismisses it as no more than a “bourgeois ghetto”. It has been called in this country the Conservative party at prayer, and in South Africa, a naive agent of the Communists. In less sophisticated terms it has been described, for my own benefit, as a shower of hypocrites.
Such names will never hurt us, though we should do well to pay attention to them and ask ourselves how accurate they are, however unpalatable. I want, though, to direct our joint attention to some earlier and more authoritative definitions of the Church, descriptions found in the New Testament itself; in the certainty that where the disparagement of our critics may sting us into resolutions of improvement, the high ideals and visionary images of Scripture will do the job far more effectively. The Christian way—the only way—of making someone better, is not through criticism of his faults, but through confronting him with a captivating ideal.
And so I want to look today and for a time or two at some of the descriptive names applied within the Bible to the Church; and the first is the Bride of Christ. Now that phrase is not precisely found in the New Testament. It has to be inferred from passages like those we read—e.g., Ephesians 5.22–33—but the inference is both clear and fair, and certainly allows us to regard this title for the Church as scriptural.
And what a vivid and evocative description is provides. How pictorial the word “bride” is, especially when we are gathered here in what has been the setting for so many weddings. I wonder if it is possible for us to make a mighty effort of imagination, and in our mind’s eye, convert, however briefly, the vast, multiracial, enormously complex, incredibly varied organisation of which we are but one small part—can we convert that sprawling institution to become a bride, the bride of Christ Himself, new covenanted to her loving Lord.
If we can make that effort, can we then begin to think about the qualities and attributes that one associates with brides, and see if they have anything to say to us, the Church? On the strength of some experience of weddings I have mustered a short list of adjectives that seem to me to have applied to virtually all the brides whose weddings I have had the honour to conduct.
The first—and I apologise for such a threadbare word—is Radiant. How many marriage photograph captions in the local rag have used that word! But it’s the truth. There is a kind of glow that is assisted by, but not dependent on, the beauty of the girl concerned, or the bridal costume, or the bouquet. It hovers round the homely lassie, and the middle-aged, hitherto unclaimed treasure, and the tearful bundle of nerves. It has been evident in brides who have been soaked on their short journey from the taxi to the church door, and brides who have been chilled by the prolonged attention of photographers in chilly out-of-doors, and brides who have been made upsettingly late by a fallen hem or a flat battery. It comes from deep within; it is the visible reflection of an inner light that shines on that day in the heart of hearts.
The second quality that comes to mind is something like Romance. I say ‘something like’ for it is difficult precisely to define. There is involved in what I mean a touch of excitement, a sense of adventure, a breath of idealism, a spirit of hopefulness. The bride is well aware of all the pitfalls and the problems in her path, is conscious of the great untested areas of the relationship just launched, knows from among her relatives and friends some marriages that have gone sour or flat, but none of this weighs heavily. Her marriage will be different. She and her he will cope with anything that life throws at them, and with every crisis, their relationship will be enriched. Almost every bride is a romantic in that sense.
Another bridal quality is Pride, a touching, proper pride, both in her groom, and in herself, that he has chosen her. He may not always look much to objective eyes. He may be pretty worthless in the long run. I remember calling banns for a forthcoming marriage. It turned out that the teenage groom had been a pupil of a teacher in the congregation. She stopped on the way out to ask if the wedding was to be celebrated in our church. I answered ‘Yes’. ‘Well’, said she, speaking from a wealth of experience of the said young man ‘Lock up the silver’. Not by any means the ideal husband; but on the day, the bride was proud of him, and of herself, that out of all the sisterhood of women he had chosen her.
And finally, there’s Love. Whatever happens later, whatever the effect, as time goes on, of the attritions and the irritations of cohabitation; of how he never lifts a finger in the house, and couldn’t boil a kettle; of coping almost single handed with the children while he furthers his career and spends his leisure with the lads down at the club; whatever disillusionments and disappointments lie in wait; whatever state of health or sickness love is in when 10 or 20 years have made their impact—at least in the beginning there is love and trust and tenderness.
Radiance and romance, pride and love—these seem to me to form a pretty basic list of bridal qualities—and you and I and all the Church together are the bride of Christ, and so should be exuding radiance, the sheen of those who have an inner and invincible joy. The Church must be a glad Church and a praising Church, rejoicing in its source of joy, the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ.
Again, the Bride of Christ should be romantic, seeing in her appointed role as Jesus’ helpmeet a grand adventure, an enthralling challenge, an enriching opportunity. To be sure, there’s drudgery involved. Preparing next year’s syllabus; or treating leprous sores; or witnessing alone, among a score of scoffing workmates—these are not intrinsically thrilling occupations; but they may become so if the Church maintains its sense of venturing with Christ.
And should we not be proud? we, the bride of Christ, beloved by Him. ‘Christ also loved the Church’, says Paul, ‘and gave Himself for it’. There are times perhaps when the casual contempt of clever seeming people for the Church and all it stands for threatens to beget in some of us an inferiority complex, an inclination almost to apologise for being Christians. But all the Church must learn to say with Paul ‘I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation’.
And then there’s love—a positively bridal love for Christ is what by definition we the Church should feel and show—a wish to learn all about Him, His habits and preferences and foibles; a delight in His company and converse; a wish to love those whom He loves; an eagerness to please Him; a freshness and spontaneity in responding to His love—all this is surely built into the title Bride of Christ.
Much that I’ve been saying seems mere wishful thinking. The Church so often is so far from acting like a radiant, hopeful, proud and loving bride. Cynical and complaining, depressed and defeated, cold and critical—these are the words that somehow come to mind about the Bride of Christ as she has been in our experience. As we look round the Church and notice failure and retreat, loss of faith and lack of effort, quarrels and divisions, spots and wrinkles without number, we can understand and almost accept the famous phrase of Nietzche the philosopher who talked about the ‘leprous bride of Christ’.
He made it sound—it sounds to this day—like the Church’s death knell—until we stop and think what Jesus did with lepers. He embraced them and He made them well again; and what He did for lepers in the Gospel, he will surely do for His own bride, the Church—indeed, He has already done, across two thousand years. ‘He gave Himself for it, says the scripture, ‘that He might sanctify and cleanse it, and present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot nor wrinkle nor any such thing—that it should be holy and without blemish’. And what He did once He will keep on doing by His Holy Spirit, cleansing and healing His Church, curing His leprous bride until she can fulfil her role with radiance and romance, with pride and love.