Christ's Bride of All Nations

This blog post was shared as the closing comments for In A Nutshell performances, December 4-6, 2025.

I love this ballet, In A Nutshell. Precious Lottie and her journey of faith stirs my heart, every time. But for a moment I want to draw our attention to a different character in the storyline. Just a few minutes ago, a solitary ballerina took this stage - eyes bright and heart humble, with a skirt of soft white tulle twirling and transforming as she danced. Her dress became a patchwork of nations, a tapestry of cultures woven by the one thread that binds them together, forever.

The apostle John wrote in Revelation 21: “I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more.”

In another section of this same book, he describes a heavenly song sung to the Lamb of God, who is Jesus Christ: “by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”

This imagery of binding together where once we were separated from one another — the things that make us different fading into a unity found in the body of Christ and fellowship with God — is a promise echoed throughout the Scriptures:

The Ephesian church is told: “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.” The Galatians are reminded: “There is neither Jew nor Greek…for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

And long before that, the prophet Zephaniah told of a time when God would “change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord.”

You see, only in the here and now, in the superficial world we live in, are we defined by our differences. But in Christ, we are reconciled to each other because we are reconciled to our God who made us. Many peoples, languages, cultures. One body, one King.

This is quite counter-cultural for our time. What could possibly be strong enough to overcome the divisions we see amplified all around us? When we are told our “tribe” - those just like us - are the only ones we can trust. But the message of the gospel stands in stark contrast - because every person we encounter is either a fellow believer with whom we are already united in Christ and should treat accordingly or, they are a potential brother or sister to whom our witness of Christlike kindness, humility, and love can shine as a bright light in this dark world.

But let’s be clear - the truth that God is redeeming a people from every tribe and language and people and nation is not to say that all roads lead to salvation. Jesus himself was abundantly clear when he said “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father except through me.” Elsewhere he said, “He who has the Son has life; He who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” and “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” Jesus came and showed us the love of God in a person, the Word of God made flesh. He dwelt among us and died as one of us and rose again to reveal the way to life! And when the Spirit helps us truly understand the good news He proclaimed — a forgiveness for our sins which we did not earn but yet has been given to us, our debt paid in full — it becomes clear there is just one Way, and that way is astoundingly beautiful.

Which brings us back to our main character, who simply asks the preacher, “how can I be saved?” His answer comes from Romans 10:9 as he asks her two questions - “Do you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord? Do you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead?” The simplicity can be a stumbling block to some…you see Lottie’s heart was transformed by faith before her bold and adventurous travels to faraway lands, whether real or dreamlike. There was no act of courage, no proof of her worth, and no good work to complete in order to earn the gift of salvation. Such expectation is a contradiction in terms. Freely given, the answer to our problem of sin and death is extended to us through grace alone.

So as we dismiss, I want to leave you with two things to ponder. If you are a believer in Christ, God has placed you near a potential co-worshiper around the eternal throne, no matter how different they may seem from you now, and perhaps He asking you to shine His light and bear witness to the gospel so that they may see and believe. And for those who have not yet asked Jesus to be their Savior and Lord, I’m asking you - how about today?

Written By Brittanie Wooten