How does marriage reflect God's purpose for humanity? Genesis calls us the image of God; Paul says that marriage reflects the relationship between Christ and the church.
How does marriage reflect God's purpose for humanity? Genesis calls us the image of God; Paul says that marriage reflects the relationship between Christ and the church.
How does marriage reflect God's purpose for humanity? Genesis calls us the image of God; Paul says that marriage reflects the relationship between Christ and the church.
How does marriage reflect God's purpose for humanity? Genesis calls us the image of God; Paul says that marriage reflects the relationship between Christ and the church.
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
Download as doc, pdf, or txt
You are on page 1of 4
Reflections on Marriage
Wedding Reception, April 7, 2013
Good afternoon, and congratulations to our newly married couple. [urn toward Groom and !ride" We are #appy to s#are t#is $oyous occasion wit# you. [Gesture toward audience" Groom and !ride as%ed me to say a few words a&out t#e meaning of marriage ' not $ust meaning for newly married couples, or e(en a meaning for older married couples, &ut a meaning t#at e)tends well &eyond, to include e(eryone else as well. And t#at*s &ecause marriages are reflections of somet#ing muc# &igger. #e !i&le tells us t#at marriage is a reflection of t#e lo(e t#at +esus #as for #is people. #e apostle ,aul wrote, -.us&ands, lo(e your wi(es $ust as /#rist lo(ed t#e c#urc# and ga(e #imself for #er01 #e apostle ,aul goes on to say, -#ere is profound trut# #idden #ere, and it*s a&out /#rist and t#e c#urc#.1 2arriage is a reflection of t#e lo(e t#at +esus #as for #is people. And t#is is not some new t#ing ' it goes &ac% to t#e (ery &eginning. 3n t#e !i&le, in t#e &oo% of Genesis, it says, -A man lea(es #is fat#er and mot#er and unites wit# #is wife, and t#ey &ecome a new family.1 And comes s#ortly after God e)plains #is purpose for creating #uman &eings4 -God created #uman%ind in #is own image, in t#e image of God #e created t#em, male and female #e created t#em.1 We are created in t#e image of God, to &e a &it li%e God ' and in order to do t#at, God created us as male and female. !ot# males and females are reflections of w#o God is, &ut t#e combination of male and female also reflects God. God wants eac# person, and eac# marriage, to &e reflections of w#o #e is. 5o it*s important for us to %now w#at God is li%e ' and t#e !i&le tells us t#at God is li%e Jesus ' t#at if we #a(e seen +esus, t#en we #a(e seen t#e 6at#er. We #a(e seen t#e %indness and compassion of God, and t#e lo(e of God t#at ma%es sacrifices for t#e people #e lo(es. 7ac# of us s#ould &e a reflection of t#e God t#at we see in +esus ' a God w#o lo(es us so muc# t#at #e ga(e #imself up to sa(e us. .is lo(e for us is unconditional ' not#ing can separate us from #is lo(e. 7(en if we run away, God still lo(es us. 7(en if we diso&ey, God still lo(es us. 7(en if we re$ect God, #e does not re$ect us. 1 #at*s t#e %ind of lo(e #e #as, and w#en we #a(e t#is %ind of lo(e, we are reflecting t#e image of God t#at we are supposed to &e. W#en a marriage #as t#is %ind of lo(e, it is a reflection of t#e lo(e t#at +esus #as for eac# of us. 8ow, we all %now t#at we don*t always do t#is as well as we s#ould, and in fact, we almost never do it as well as we s#ould. We simply aren*t as muc# li%e God as we were created to &e, and t#e natural tendency for us is to t#in% t#at, Well, if we aren*t doing w#at God wants, t#en #e is pro&a&ly angry at us. .e #as e(ery rig#t to punis# us, to pus# us aside as misera&le failures, &ut God does not pus# us aside. 7(en if we cut off t#e relations#ip, God does not. .e %eeps t#e door open. .e wants us to come #ome. We may not t#in% t#at we belong in God*s family, &ut God says t#at t#at is precisely w#ere we &elong. #e relations#ip is still open. #e !i&le says t#at God is lo(e, and in t#e wedding ceremony, we #eard a description of lo(e. According to t#e !i&le, one of t#e components of lo(e is t#at -lo(e does not %eep a record of wrongs.1 3t does not see% (engeance. 8ow, t#at is certainly good ad(ice for [Groom and !ride", for all of us w#o are married, and for anyone w#o wants to %eep a friends#ip. 3f some&ody does somet#ing wrong, don*t count it against t#em. !ut God is not as%ing us to do somet#ing t#at #e is not willing to do #imself. God also does not keep a record of wrongs ' and t#is is so contrary to our stereotype of God t#at many people find it really #ard to &elie(e. #ey t#in% t#at God is %eeping trac% of e(ery single t#ing we do wrong, and #e*s going to ma%e some&ody pay for it. Well, t#at some&ody is +esus. .e is God, and #e lo(es eac# of us so muc# t#at #e (olunteered to pay for it #imself, to accept t#e conse9uences of all t#e t#ings t#at we #a(e e(er done wrong. #e &i&lical &oo% of /olossians puts it t#is way4 -7(en t#oug# you were dead in your sins, #e #as forgiven all your sins.1 We #ad a de&t we could not pay, &ut t#e !i&le says t#at +esus #as nailed t#is de&t to t#e cross. .e #as destroyed t#e de&t: it is not a de&t any more. 3n ,aul*s second letter to t#e /orint#ians, #e puts it li%e t#is4 -3n /#rist God was reconciling t#e world to #imself, not counting people*s sins against t#em.1 3n ot#er words, God is not %eeping a record of all t#e wrong t#ings we #a(e done. #e door is open, and #e wants us to come &ac% #ome. #at*s w#at God is li%e, and t#at*s w#at #e wants us to &e li%e, and t#at*s w#at #e wants marriages to &e li%e. 8ow, we don*t do t#is as well as we oug#t ' &ut e(en these failures #a(e 2 already &een paid for in ad(ance. As ,aul says, not#ing can separate us from t#e lo(e of /#rist. We don*t deser(e t#is %ind of lo(e, t#at t#e 5on of God would sacrifice #imself for us ' and yet #e would #a(e done it for any of us. #at s#ows us w#at lo(e is really li%e. #is is #ow we %now w#at lo(e is, t#e !i&le says, t#at +esus died for us. .e made us for a purpose, and #e is not going to a&andon t#at purpose merely &ecause we didn*t get rig#t t#e first time,0 or t#e second time, or t#e t#ird time. God does not %eep trac% of #ow many times we got it wrong. .e $ust %eeps t#e door open, waiting for us to come &ac% #ome. 8o, we don*t deser(e it. We mig#t feel t#oroug#ly ashamed to meet our 2a%er. !ut we are forgi(en, &y grace, for w#ate(er #a(e done. #ere is no sin too great, no #eart too cold. God #as reconciled you to #imself, not counting your sins against you. And w#en we come &ac% #ome to God, w#at will we find; We will find a party, a cele&ration, a &an9uet. 3t*s e(en li%e a wedding< #e apostle +o#n descri&ed it in t#e &oo% of Re(elation4 3 saw a new #ea(en and a new eart#0 2 And 3 saw t#e #oly city= t#e new +erusalem=descending out of #ea(en from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And 3 #eard a loud (oice from t#e t#rone saying4 ->oo%< #e residence of God is among #uman &eings. .e will li(e among t#em, and t#ey will &e #is people, and God #imself will &e wit# t#em. 4 .e will wipe away e(ery tear from t#eir eyes, and deat# will not e)ist any more=or mourning, or crying, or pain, for t#e former t#ings #a(e ceased to e)ist.1 #e future t#at God #as planned for us is a future of eternal relationships, of lo(e for one anot#er, of li(ing toget#er in peace and #armony and $oy, fore(er and e(er. God will en$oy &eing wit# us, and we will en$oy &eing wit# #im, and wit# eac# ot#er. 3t will &e a cele&ration li%e we #a(e ne(er seen< [Groom and !ride" will &e t#ere, cele&rating, and we are all in(ited to cele&rate, too. #e marriage we #a(e today is a reflection of w#at God wants our life to &e fore(er. 5o, [Groom and !ride", may your marriage &e a reflection of God*s lo(e for us, and may it &e an e)ample to ot#ers of #ow muc# +esus lo(es us, of #ow willing #e is to forgi(e t#e t#ings we*(e done wrong. 3n your marriage, mista%es will &e made, &ut lo(e %eeps no record of 3 wrongs. 2ay t#e door always &e open for eit#er one of you to &e accepted and em&raced &y t#e ot#er. And for t#e rest of us, may we see t#e lo(e &etween [Groom and !ride" as a reflection and a reminder to us today of #ow eagerly God wants to em&race us, to welcome us #ome, to $oin t#e cele&ration in #ea(en, w#ere we can li(e wit# God wit#out any mourning or crying or pain or deat#, &ecause t#e old approac# to life will &e a t#ing of t#e past. We don*t deser(e it, &ut God gi(es it to us, &ecause #e really wants us to $oin t#e cele&ration. >et*s pray4 -God, our lo(ing #ea(enly 6at#er, t#an% you for +esus and t#an% you for wiping away all our sins. #an% you t#at we #a(e a #ome in #ea(en, paid for &y +esus /#rist. We as% your &lessing now on [Groom and !ride", t#at t#eir marriage mig#t &e a &rig#t and s#ining reflection of #ow muc# you lo(e us, t#at t#e joy t#ey #a(e is a reflection of t#e $oy t#at we will #a(e wit# you in eternity. -And for any #ere today w#o are not 9uite sure of your lo(e for t#em, #elp t#em come to #a(e fait# #ere and now t#at t#e door is open for t#em to come #ome to you. .elp t#em say, ?@es, God, 3 want to come &ac%, to #a(e a relations#ip wit# you. 3 may &e a &it scared, &ut you will em&race me li%e a groom em&races #is &ride, and 3 need t#at %ind of lo(e in my life.* -God, t#an% you for t#e gift of lo(e. #is is w#at we were made for, and t#is is w#ere we find t#e greatest $oy in life. We cele&rate a marriage today, &ut we %now we can cele&rate only &ecause t#ere is somet#ing muc# more profound for us, &ecause our marriages are reflections of w#at you want us all to &e. 2ay we all &e reflections of your lo(e for us. Amen.1 A
The Power of Letting Go: 7 Effective Techniques on How to Stop Overthinking the Past, Heal Emotional Wounds, and (Finally) Enjoy the Freedom You Deserve, without Ruminating