Advent: Waiting for LoveSample

DAY 5: The Waiting Bride

History is, at its heart, a love story. And like every great love story, it ends with a wedding.

Scripture tells us that Christ is the Bridegroom and the Church is His Bride. We are betrothed to Him, waiting for the wedding feast that will one day fill heaven and earth. The first Advent announced His coming to win our hearts. The second Advent will announce His coming to make all things new.

In Revelation, John records this vision:

“I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband… He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” (Revelation 21:2, 4, NLT)

That is where all of history is headed—the day when love’s long wait will finally be over.

But until that day, we live between two Advents. Theologians call this the “already, but not yet.” Christ has already come, already conquered death, already brought His kingdom near. But the fullness of that kingdom has not yet arrived. We are living in Act Five of God’s great drama, holding onto promises that are already true but not yet complete.

We are a waiting Bride, longing for her Bridegroom.

Yet as we wait for Him, He waits for us—not impatiently, but lovingly. Revelation 3:20 reminds us that He stands at the door and knocks, still inviting us to open our hearts to His presence. This waiting is mutual. The Spirit and the Bride both cry out, “Come.” (Revelation 22:17)

Advent, then, is not only about remembering the first coming of Jesus; it’s about rekindling our longing for His return. It’s about living with the eager anticipation of those who are in love, those who cannot wait for the day when heaven and earth will finally be one, when the waiting will end in joy.

So we wait with hope. We wait with love. And we whisper with the saints of every generation:

“Come, Lord Jesus.”

REFLECTION:
How might you live as a faithful Bride waiting for her Bridegroom? What would it look like to let your longing for Christ’s return shape your choices, your love, and your hope this Advent?