And the two shall become one!
I am involved in doing a wedding for a young couple (man and woman) this weekend. What a blessing it has been for me to see the joy in their hearts as they prepare for the moment when they will become one flesh (husband and wife). This is exciting for me because it allows me, as the pastor marrying them, to affirm what God Almighty has designed for marriage from the very beginning.
The wedding service will be the carrying out of what the Lord has set in place, as He joins these two people and brings them into a life-long relationship through the state of Holy Matrimony. What God has joined together let not man put asunder, as is pronounced in the setting of the wedding service. The Lord is the one who is binding this Christian couple into a blessed union. Yet, He uses me as His tool to perform this worshipful, and intimate service on His behalf.
Marriage is a sacred union which is not to be entered into lightly, but instead is to be held in the highest regard as a gift from God! And this unique relationship is to be seen as a commitment each person desires to remain in till death parts them. To do anything less is to downplay the great importance the Lord places on this holy estate.
Marriage between a husband and a wife is to be patterned after Christ and His bride the Church. The sacrificial love of the husband for his wife is to mirror the love of Jesus for His dear bride, His Church. And in the same way the wife is to be faithful and committed to serving her husband in a way which honors God. In such a sacred relationship there is a witness for Jesus and His love for you and me, in a way like no other.
Jesus laid down His life for His bride and that my friends is what true and faithful love is all about. I pray the couple I am marrying has this same kind of deep love for one another, but even more than that for their Savior Jesus Christ. For it is in Him that we live, and move, and have our being. And it is in Him we can live as husband and wife dedicated to serving the Lord and each other faithfully and sacrificially!!!!!! Pastor McCarty