Raise a Toast

Tapping my glass with my spoon, I cleared my throat to make an announcement. "I would like to propose a toast!"

The conversation at the dinner table, full of laughter and excitement, gradually faded down as everyone picked up their glasses of rasberry lemonades and lemon iced waters.

Eleven girls sat around the table tonight, all dressed up in their favorite dresses, all fixed up with their favorite hair-dos. In the middle of the table were festive gifts wrapped in pink and red tissue paper for Valentine's day. We "dolled up" and got out of town for a night to celebrate something unique, but before we opened our cute little gifts and dug into our delicous dinners, we raised our glasses for a toast.

"In celebration of God's love...which is more than enough for us this Valentine's day!"

"Cheers!" We said together as our glasses clinked together melodiously.

We grabbed onto each other's hands tightly and prayed together, thanking the Lord for His marvelous love towards us, His daughters. After the "amen", the joyful conversation resumed with spontaneous bursts of laughter filling the restaurant.

Girl's night out...Single Ladies Valentine's Dinner...whatever you want to call it...we fixed ouselves all up for a date this Valentine's day, knowing in our hearts that we already belong to the best Bridegroom. Yeah, we may be single for now, but we rejoice in the fact that we never walk alone.

As "girly" as this event may be, the message behind it is what really matters. God, the supreme and sovereign King of the universe, invites us into relationship with Himself. It is not a distant, dead relationship, but a personal, intimate, loving relationship - much like the perfect covenant relationship between a husband and his bride. When you really dwell on that thought, the parallels are endless, amazing.

Christ looks on us with endless love, sees us as spotlessly gorgeous, and pursues our hearts relentlessly. He is ever faithful, every trustworthy, ever lovely. He holds our hands, wraps us in warm embrace, and sings love songs over us. His presence alone is enough to make our hearts flutter. He will do anything to catch our eyes, grab our attention, and captivate our hearts. He wants a life-long relationship filled with relentless grace, unconditional love, ultimate satisfaction, and contagious joy. He meets our every need, and we are perfectly content in knowing and belonging to Him.

In ancient culture, a man would offer a woman a cup of wine as a proposal to her. By taking the cup, she accepted his marriage proposal. If she denied the cup, then she essentially rejected him. If she took the cup and agreed to marry the man, he would then go and build an additonal room onto his family's house so that they would have a place to stay together.

It was in this cultural setting that Jesus, at the last supper, took the cup of wine and offered it to His disciples, inviting them into a marriage-like relationship with Him. And Jesus said, "In my father's house are many rooms. I am going there to prepare a place for you."

After our dinner-date, we returned to the dorm and changed into our pajamas. Gathering in a circle, we popped open a bottle of sparkling grape juice (and some saltine crackers) and shared communion together right there on our beds in our sweat pants. Together we procaimed "I do" to Christ's proposal.

So we celebrated once again with another toast, this time with a bottle of sparkling red grape juice, plastic cups, and hearts overflowing with thankfulness. Jesus, our Savior and Bridegroom, is also our Beloved.

For that, we can all can raise a toast this Valentine's Day.

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us...I am my Beloved's and He is mine...His banner over us is love."