Monday, July 21, 2014

At the wedding of Kim and Mike

Mike and Kim married each other on Saturday July 19 at First Church.
Much of this wedding sermon I've shared before at other weddings, but I have not "published" it as it were.
This homile takes place after the declaration of intent and reading of scripture and before the vows and rings.


Well, we’ve already done the “dearly beloved” part, and we’ve done the “declaration of intent”... The weather has been fine and the ring bearers were able to complete their task even without shoes... The ushers got everybody seated alright, and nobody’s fainted or run off. That is worthy of applause. everything is going according to plan.

Now’s the part when I’m supposed to say something deep and meaningful about marriage, while bringing up witty and funny things about Kim and Mike.

I met Mike and Kim about nine months ago... I know their stories a little bit. How they met through the emergency management thing where Mike is some kind of assistant director of 911... he lured a date out of Kim with candy, something like that.

You know them, know their love where Mike looks at Kim and says “Wow, I sure am a lucky guy” and where Kim looks at Mike and says “You got that right”

In premarital I had ’em write letters to each other, splaining their love (and I’d like to read ’em to you now) (just kidding)

I won't read the whole thing, but listen to how Mike started his: “We met for the first time June 14, 2010. At 5:06PM.” You can tell he's a 911 director, including the time. 
Say, Mike, how many days ago was that? (Mike: 1,495). 
Kim, do you know how many minutes that is? (Kim: 2,154,129).

Kim closed her letter with “Your love helps complete my life.”

Their letters were beautiful. Talking of the depth of love they so freely share with each other, how they’re inspired by the other and uplifted by the other, how they see the other as a gift from God. Each one says “I can’t believe you chose me. It’s amazing that you choose me, I can’t believe how you complete me.”

Mike is foundation in a world where Kim has known instability, and Kim expands Mike's connections. They have been by each others' sides through surgeries and tragedies, and together they're learning about unconditional love.
They are foundation for each other, and anchor, and they are at the same time the wind beneath the wings of their dreams. They are motivation for each other, an unexplainable positive force. They are light to each other. Together they move forward, and they move forward together.

It is beautiful to behold.

But this DAY & this MARRIAGE are not about you as individuals, but about (you) and the mystery of your union. I say “mystery” because from this day forward, though you retain your individuality, something new is created that includes both of you and yet is different than each of you, something more that the sum of its parts. Something new, designed by God.

God designed us to be together. Literally. God created us in love and designed us physically, spiritually, and emotionally to go through life with a partner, and when partners are together in Christ, when God is a part of relationships, then God adds to our ability to make lifelong promises.

It’s a good thing, because feelings in relationships change. There will be times when the two of you are closer than you ever imagined was possible, and there will be times when you have to choose to act in loving ways, because there’s mess in the world, even in the world of your marriage.

God calls this mess “sin”, and it came in to the world through the devil’s deception, and human beings took over from then, trading truth for lies and putting self above others, even above God.

And in God’s grace God provides a solution to the unstoppable mess of sin: he gave us his son Jesus Christ.

Lo and behold, Jesus comes and loves us like a husband and wife love each other. Loves us more deeply even than Mike and Kim love each other. And his deep love for us motivates Jesus to say “I give my best for you... I give of my very life for you.” & because of his exemplary selflessness we are able not only to have fellowship with God forever, but we’re able to do some pretty incredible things here on this earth... like make such promises to each other as lifelong fidelity to one another in times of laughter and times of tears, in health and illness, success and failure, conflict and tranquility, even in doubt and in trust. Your relationship with each other becomes life-giving

It is the perfect love of God that brought us to this sacred space on this day, and it is the perfect love of God that will guide you and sustain you throughout your marriage, throughout your life together.


Mike and Kim, I am thrilled to stand here today before God and your friends and family, witnessing to your commitment to each other, and I claim for you the perfect love of God, who has taken the pieces of your pasts and brought you together, which has sustained you in the past, and binds you together today, and which will be over, under, around and inside of you, sustaining you and binding you and bringing you to maturity together, I claim that abiding power for you in Jesus’ name. Amen.  

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