Weddings

June by far is the booming time for weddings.  Recently my Facebook feed has been filled with status’ about wedding showers or wedding day photos.  Its great!

One of the things I love most about weddings, and this is probably the preacher in me, is what it all represents.  When thinking of weddings my mind always goes toward Ephesians 5:22-33 where Paul writes:

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Throughout the text he continually draws lines between the physical act of marriage we see before us during the ceremony and unseen reality of Gods love for his bride, the church.  He states that when a marriage is lived out in such as way it reflects and points back to God’s love and glory.

I myself have only done two weddings but each time as I stand reading off the ceremony I get this unique view of what is happening.  I have seen these couples during counseling, during the stress of getting the wedding together during rehearsal and finally the craziness of the wedding day.  All of which leads up to a ceremony that brings two people together as one.  Its an amazing thing that happens in those moments.  For a few minutes there is nothing distracting them from each other.  There are so many people that are sharing that moment with them but all they are focused on is one another.

As you look out at the crowd you see something else as well.  All the couples that are there seem to be reminded of their love for one another.  In college we were told that part of the reason for a wedding is to also remind and rekindled that love in those that are in attendance.  Almost like a “romantic high”.  During this time you get reminded of your wedding day and the joy you shared.

Its probably a pretty safe bet that you will attend a wedding within the next year.  So when you go notice the joy and excitement that is in the air and remember that the “romantic high” you see and hopefully feel around you is on its best day just a taste of heaven.