This weekend, I attended my second wedding of the year. My wife, Mina, and I are at the stage in our lives where weddings take up a good deal of our social calendars. We have potentially six this year though at our peak, I believe we once had eight in a year. And though weddings can be fun, with two babies at home who will wake you up at an ungodly hour with no regard for what you did the night before, our days of staying out late and hitting the after party are way behind us. I hope Josiah and Connor appreciate all the sacrifices Mommy and Daddy make for them! P.S. please let us sleep.
That said, I find weddings somewhat… boring. Whether it’s because I don’t like getting dressed up or I’m getting too old for this stuff, I’d rather be at home eating fried chicken and watching Josiah run around the house in his diapers while Mina slowly loses her sanity. Don’t get me wrong – I’m extremely happy for the couple getting married and it’s always good to see friends. But every wedding seems the same. Everyone is dressed the same (bride in a white dress, groom in a suit), the sermons are all similar, food is the same (especially at Korean weddings), and awkward dance circles always inevitably take shape amidst a ring of clapping people. Been there, done that!
One thing that even a cynic like me can recognize though, is what a special day it is for the bride and groom. One of my favorite things to do at a wedding is look at the groom when the bride walks into the room. While all eyes are on her, I like seeing how the groom reacts. If he looks unhappy then, it’s probably not a good sign. But usually, his face doesn’t disappoint.
This day is all about the bride and groom; it’s their special day! The wedding day is supposed to be the best day of their lives. Until marriage begins, in which case every day thereafter is better than the last one, right, guys?
Our approach to church in general and Sundays in particular is similar to my attitude towards weddings. For those of us who have been going to church for some time, Sundays can be boring – same sermon, same people, same songs – just a routine to go through. But for the person who comes on Sunday and encounters the living God for the first time, it’s so much more. It’s their special day – a day of powerful meeting between them and the true lover of their soul.
At weddings, I’m always reminded of my own wedding and how happy I was that day. I’m reminded of how fortunate I am to be partnered with a woman who knows all my flaws yet still believes in me and supports me unconditionally. This Sunday, let’s remind ourselves of our own times when we, too, fell in love with Jesus. Let’s look back and remember how blessed we are and pray that God would rekindle our love once again. And let’s also lift up a prayer that today would be a special spiritual “wedding” day for a brother or sister next to us too.
From Pastor David’s Heart
June 29, 2014