May 22

Beloved of Good Shepherd Church,

Grace to you and peace in Jesus Christ our Lord!

Weddings are on my mind because I know a young couple who are getting married this weekend. In fact, it is my great honor to be serving as the officiant and preacher at their wedding. I want to tell you what I am going to say at their wedding, but don’t tell them because I don’t want them to feel like they are getting a sermon that’s already been preached. In truth, it’s what I say to all couples and try my hardest to remember for myself. Here goes.

There is a very simple basis for Christians to marry. We believe that the point of life is to journey down the spiritual path into an ever-deepening love relationship with God. We marry because we believe that we have found someone with whom we can go further on the journey into the very heart of God. One can go so far alone, and those called to marry have discovered someone with whom they believe they can travel farther down the spiritual path. 

Following that, we Christians have some pretty wild beliefs about marriage. The wildest is that not only is marriage a sacramental rite, but the married couple themselves become a sacrament. A sacrament is an outward and visible sign of an invisible, inner truth and grace. The married couple is called to love each other in such a way that their relationship is a visible reflection of God’s love for all creation. How’s that for pressure! Practically it means that they love each other through thick and thin, they forgive each other, they cheer for each other, and they sacrifice for each other. 

The more I think about it, while all those things are true about marriage, they are also good truths to apply to all our intimate relationships. My best friendships are spiritual in nature. My close friends are people who are fundamentally loving folks with whom I am convinced I can go further on the spiritual journey. I hope you have friends like that. If you don’t, ask God to help you find some because they make all the difference as we seek to live joyful lives together.

Remember this always - God loves you, and I love you too!

Love is all,

Hendree+