You remember, of course, the beautiful marriage ceremony detailed by Jesus of Nazareth? It brings tears to my eyes just to think of it. And, of course, the founder of Christianity, the Apostle Paul, was all for marriage. He said clearly, “be just like me, marry early and marry often.”
The Gospels describe the picturesque home-life of Jesus, with spouse and many children gathered around the hearth. And our dear John in exile, in his apocalyptic vision, talks intimately about the way in which the bride should be processed down the aisle by her loving Dad. He explains, too, why May weddings are much better than those scheduled for June.
We cannot forget the description of the wedding between Mary and Joseph. What an exciting day for both of them. And the guests were a little out of control – oh my. Son Jesus, all grown up, showed up for at least one wedding, and made sure everyone had plenty to drink. (Like me, you’ve probably been to a few dismal weddings where the flow of wine was a little stingy. Each time, I’ve asked “Where’s Jesus?”).
We base our lives on the New Testament, or we’re supposed to, and it has so much to say about marriage. Why, it’s really difficult for me to recount it all here. From the official Christian ceremony, to the unity candle, and on to exactly how much rice to throw, the Christian documents that we rely on for our faith have, well, everything to say about the Church and marriage.
I’ll look forward to sharing a cup of punch with you at the next fellowship hall reception and we’ll have time to really talk through exactly why the Church has so much to say about the who and when and why of marriage.
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Why do YOU think the church should care about marriage?