(takes place in Arles, France a place Van Gogh had painted)

Every courtship,
at least every healthy one,
is moving toward a deeper
heart intimacy that is the
ground for the
consummation of the
relationship spiritually,
emotionally,
and physically.

The first question in the
orthodox confessions of
faith tests our awareness of
this wonderful truth when it
asks, “What is the chief end
and purpose of man?” 

And the answer: 
“To know God and enjoy
knowing him forever.”

If we hear that answer as creatures of the Enlightenment, that is to say, the Age of Reason, the answer does not take our breath away.  The word know has been captured in service of the intellect and so when we think of knowing God, images of learning more about him immediately come to mind.  With a sigh, we consider what book we might buy or what Bible study we might attend to understand more clearly God’s attributes. 

Heaven is the beginning of an adventure in intimacy, “a world of love,” as Jonathan Edwards wrote, “where God is the fountain.”  The Holy Spirit, through the human authors of Scripture, chose the imagery of a wedding feast for a reason.  It’s not just any kind of party; t is a wedding feast for a reason.  What sets this special feast apart from all others is the unique intimacy of the wedding night.  The Spirit uses the most secret and tender experience on earth—the union of husband and wife—to convey the depth of intimacy that we will partake with our Lord in heaven.  In the consummation of love, we shall know him and be known.  There we shall receive our new name, known only to our Lover, which he shall give to us on a white stone (Rev. 2:17).

Provence, France
By Olivia Cameo Lewis, 2004