Cinderella Will Go To The Ball

Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.   Ephesians 5:25-27

The church is the bride of Christ, and Christ will present her to himself. And when he does, the church will not be in rags and tatters. She will be beautiful, radiant, “without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish.”

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who had a wicked stepmother and two ugly stepsisters. She was made to work in the kitchen, and she used to sit in her ragged clothes among the cinders, so they called her “Cinderella.”

One day the king invited all the maidens in the land to a grand ball in the palace. He wanted his son, the prince, to fall in love and to marry. The ugly sisters were taken to the ball, but Cinderella had no dress to wear, and she was left at home.

Then the fairy godmother touched her with her wand, and Cinderella’s rags were turned into a beautiful dress. Mice turned into horses, and a pumpkin turned into a carriage—but only until midnight.

When Cinderella arrived at the ball, she captivated the prince’s heart, and they danced until midnight, when she had to leave. Cinderella ran from the ballroom, but as she did, one of her glass slippers fell off.

The prince was determined to find the woman he loved, so he ordered that the slipper be tried on the foot of every maiden in the land. Once the rightful owner was found, she was to be brought to the palace.

That’s a wonderful picture of the church. It sometimes looks a bit ragged, and there are some rather ugly brothers and sisters who despise her and count her of little value. In some parts of the world, there are even wicked stepmothers who persecute the church and imprison her leaders. But Christ loves the church, and he will one day bring her to his palace.

For further reading, see Ephesians 5