This past weekend we had the wonderful privilege of witnessing the marriage of friends. A marriage as God intended: an entering into a lifelong covenant by a man and a woman. It may not be popular - and I know of at least a few who witnessed the ceremony who have adopted a more 'modern' view of marriage - but it is clearly stated in Genesis that God designed marriage to be between one man and one woman for life. It's only humans who have tried to rewrite what God planned for good through same-sex marriage, divorce, and who knows what else.
But that's not how it was in the beginning. And it's certainly not what God intended.
What a joy it was then to celebrate with a couple who have waited for God's timing, who have sought to honour God in their relationship, and who will together endeavour, with God's help, to build a godly marriage and home.
Perhaps that's why a few of us had tears in our eyes as they said their vows. Or perhaps it was because it reminded us of our own wedding vows - some said many, many years ago - and as we heard the familiar vows spoken we renewed our own vows in our hearts. And sadly, perhaps for some, it reminded them of the vows they had once said and which had been broken (by them or their spouse).
Weddings can be a source of joy but for those whose marriages did not turn out as hoped or for those still single and beginning to wonder if they'll ever be married or for those who have lost a beloved spouse, they can also be a source of pain. There were several at the wedding whose joy for the couple would have been tinged with sadness because of some of the reasons already mentioned, and I hope that while upholding God's truth we were also sensitive to their pain.
Weddings are also an opportunity for photos. Nowadays (if the weddings I've attended recently are any indication) guests are asked not to post photos of the bride and groom on social media until the happy couple have the chance to do it first. That's reasonable.
But I hope it's okay to post some impromptu family photos taken on the day (and which include one member of the bridal party) ...
And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” ... And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:18, 21-24, NKJV)
But that's not how it was in the beginning. And it's certainly not what God intended.
What a joy it was then to celebrate with a couple who have waited for God's timing, who have sought to honour God in their relationship, and who will together endeavour, with God's help, to build a godly marriage and home.
Perhaps that's why a few of us had tears in our eyes as they said their vows. Or perhaps it was because it reminded us of our own wedding vows - some said many, many years ago - and as we heard the familiar vows spoken we renewed our own vows in our hearts. And sadly, perhaps for some, it reminded them of the vows they had once said and which had been broken (by them or their spouse).
Weddings can be a source of joy but for those whose marriages did not turn out as hoped or for those still single and beginning to wonder if they'll ever be married or for those who have lost a beloved spouse, they can also be a source of pain. There were several at the wedding whose joy for the couple would have been tinged with sadness because of some of the reasons already mentioned, and I hope that while upholding God's truth we were also sensitive to their pain.
Weddings are also an opportunity for photos. Nowadays (if the weddings I've attended recently are any indication) guests are asked not to post photos of the bride and groom on social media until the happy couple have the chance to do it first. That's reasonable.
But I hope it's okay to post some impromptu family photos taken on the day (and which include one member of the bridal party) ...
And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” ... And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:18, 21-24, NKJV)
The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?” And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” Matthew 19:3-6, NKJV)
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