Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13
You two have presented me with an interesting challenge. Normally, if I have two wedding couples who pick the same Scripture text, I can get away with preaching basically the same sermon, because the likelihood of having the same people at both wedding ceremonies is pretty slim. Not so today. There are a few folks here today were here last month with Britt and Matt (Cody and Chelsi, in particular) and both couples chose 1 Corinthians 13 as their wedding text.
So, what to do?
Of course, everything I said last month still applies. This isn't just a text about love, but is also about the things love does to us and the places it takes us as it makes us grow. You two are here because of love. The love of your families and friends. The love of each other. The love of God. All that is still true. And all that love with make into new people, growing you, transforming you, taking you from seeing in that "mirror dimly" to seeing "face-to-face."
But you heard all that already. My one minute summary of my last wedding sermon. (For those of you who've been at both services, there will be a test.)
Let's be honest though. This is such a rich and beautiful Scripture that surely it has more to say to us than what I've already covered. And I got to thinking about what you two are going to do in just a few minutes with these three threads of cloth behind us. Of course, they symbolize yourselves and your son Zayne all coming together to form one family. I was reading online about how the tradition began as a way to symbolize the couple coming together with God to form a marriage. Both are great ways to understand what’s happening today. But there is still one more way to look at this as well.
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One strand is love. We know that. Love is why we're here. Love is what will hold you together in all the days and years to come. Your love for each other. Your love for your son. Your love for God and God's love for you. The love of all these people here on your special day and all those who wish they could be here. But I digress into my old sermon again.
The second strand is faith. We know this too. Faith is also why we're here. Faith is what will hold you together in all the days and years to come. Your faith in God. Your faith in one another. The faith of those gathered here and all those who wish they were here. The same interplay. There isn't a one of us here who doesn't believe in our heart of hearts that this is going to work, that you two are going to make quite a life together. We believe in you. You believe in each other. God believes in you two. So today is also about faith.
The third strand is hope. We know this also. Hope is why we're here. Hope will hold you together in all the days and years to come. Let's be honest again. Relationships are hard. There are going to be those moments when it gets tough. When you're mad at each other. When Zayne is mad at you or you're mad at him. When life won't give you a break and things are just tough. But you know something. You know those moments won't last. You know things'll get better again. You hang on that hope that the dark times will pass and life will shine once more again. Hope will hold you together and today is about hope.
Faith, hope, and love abide, these three... Together, they make your marriage. All three will hold you together as a couple and as a family from this day forward. It's why we're here. It's why you've come together and we're all here to support you. But not just today, but tomorrow, and every day yet to come. Faith, hope, and love abide. The threads of your life, now coming together in one cord as you create a new life with one another. God's blessings upon you. Amen.
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