Inspired by the Psalms and Galilean wedding customs, The Bridegroom by Joseph Michael Shucraft is a heartfelt poetry collection that reflects on the relationship between Jesus and the Church. In the poems, the narrator also expresses his yearning for a marriage based on the love that Jesus demonstrates. In the first poem, “Father, Bless Our Union,” the narrator seeks God’s peace and blessing over his marriage. The collection is organized into two parts: the first contains poems inspired by the steps in a Galilean-style wedding and the second explores the values that are essential in a marriage such as patience, love, and respect. Some of the steps examined in the first part include match-making, the bride price, and communion. The poem “Together as One” reflects on how communion draws believers closer to Christ.

The verses beautifully explore the relationship between Jesus and his bride, the Church, using the wedding setting as a symbol. The events throughout the wedding process are captured using eye-catching details that symbolize a close, growing bond between the bridegroom and the bride. The poems in which the narrator expresses his longing for his bride are candid and moving. I loved that the poems offer space for meditation as each step in the wedding process ends and another begins. The verses are informative too, exploring the biblical perspective of marriage and explaining important values that allow a marriage to thrive. The Bridegroom by Joseph Michael Shucraft is a soul-stirring collection that ponders on the symbolic meaning of marriage from a Christian standpoint. It is creative, fascinating, and enlightening.

The Bridegroom is a spiritual book by Joseph Michael Shucraft. The author uses biblical scripture and principles to describe a relationship centered around God. He discusses Jesus as the bridegroom, taking the church as his bride and the thoughts and feelings it evokes. Shucraft uses Jesus as an example of how to pray, walk, love, and meditate and how putting God first provides an unshakable foundation to build a link with the church. At the end of the book, five virtues—honor, respect, love, commitment, and faith—are emphasized as key to forming a successful connection to a house of faith.

Joseph Michael Shucraft has done a beautiful job of describing Jesus’s relationship with the church. The verses feel wholesome, and if readers were unfamiliar with Christ as a bridegroom, they might think the text described a marital relationship between a woman and a man as Shucraft refers to the proper match, consent, a balanced yoke, faithfulness, and honor in the spiritual union. The author mentions how church members should approach their relationship regarding their faith by asking God to mold the relationship and continue to shape it during their lives and learning and growing together as they build on the knowledge of scripture in the Lord’s house. This book will appeal to Christian readers as they read about baptism, faith, trust, and a successful family. The Bridegroom is a great selection for anyone who enjoys thoughts on theology written in flowing verses.