The text this evening is from John’s First Epistle, the fourth chapter:
…if we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit… By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as He is so also are we in this world.Thus far the text.
Karly and Jeremiah, and my dear friends in Christ,
Today is the day for which you have been waiting for so long: the day your marriage begins. And I say it that way because, as you know, so often, the world gets caught up in the trappings of the wedding, thinking this is the start of everything good. But, you both know, as baptized believers in Christ, this day is merely a day, a good day, but a day that Christ uses to bring you closer to Himself.
In your Baptisms, as the water poured over your heads, marking you with the promise of the Word, the name of God, the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, God came to you to abide with you forever. There, the Holy Spirit entered into you and has guided you, taught you, strengthened you, comforted you, all with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And there, because you were claimed by the Holy Spirit, delivered Christ’s gifts of mercy and salvation, and loved by the Father, you were taught to love.
For indeed, there is no greater love than the love of God towards you, the love that sent the Only Son from Heaven to come to earth, live perfectly, die, and be resurrected for you. The love that you two share for one another is a mere fraction of this love. It is a mere pittance here. And you will see this in your marriage.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you are both smart, and you already know this: marriages aren’t all cuddles and kisses, puppies and unicorns. Marriages are hard; they require work, patience, self-sacrifice. But, most of all, they require repentance and the forgiveness of sins. Without those, all is lost.
But, you should know that, too. After all, what in your Christian lives is not about repentance and forgiveness of sins? Nothing. Everything we do, we’re told in Scripture, is laden down with sinful hands. Even the good we desire to do is not good enough, and the evil we commit is too heinous for words.
But, don’t lose heart. These things are all true, but hope is not lost, for you continue, even today, to abide in Christ. You have repented of your sins in the past, and they are cast away from you as far as the east is from the west. And more than that, they are cast upon Christ, who has paid the penalty for those sins. And this is how it works also in marriage.
Marriage is a constant refrain of repentance and forgiveness, and, if done well, with plenty of cuddles and kisses in between. But, this is all because the love of God dwells in you. He has given to you His love, which is the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. And as this has been given to you, this gift from God will continue to strengthen you, and in a very real way, perfect you for the day when our Lord returns. This does not mean that we become perfect and sinless in this life, but that our Lord’s love is perfected in us, that is continues to bring us closer to each other, and closer to Him who loved us.
Ultimately, that is what marriage is about: the constant sanctification, that is, the growing in holiness, which is given to us by Christ. We look more and more like Jesus. That is our desire. So, how is this done?
Very simply, it is because today, Jeremiah, you shall promise to always be Karly’s husband, and no one else in the entire world will serve her, love her, honor her in that way. And Karly, you will today promise to be Jeremiah’s wife forever, and no one else in the entire world will respect him, cherish him, be in submission to him in that way. These roles that you take on will challenge you, but they will challenge you, shape you, and mold you to be more like Christ.
Jeremiah, Christ loved all people, and especially His Church, His bride, that He came as a servant, He loved her unto the point of death, and He honors her with the promise of the resurrection unto everlasting life. Jesus is the head of, the one responsible for, His bride, the Church, a grave responsibility. As you are husband to Karly, see her as our Lord sees His bride, the Church.
Karly, the Church loves her bridegroom, Christ, and is awed by His laying His life down for her sake. She cherishes Him by holding tight to His promises to her and she listens only to His Word and His commands for He is the one who has been given all authority. The Church places herself second as she trusts the one who has done all things for her so that she need do nothing. As you are wife to Jeremiah, hold to him as the Church holds onto her bridegroom, Jesus.
These do not seem like easy jobs, nor are they vocations that are honored in the world. The ideas of love to the point of death, submission, forgiveness, self-sacrifice are not honored by this world, and they are misunderstood out of the context of the Church. But, for the Christian, they may be done without fear of condemnation. As you continue to serve one another in love, have no fear, for Christ has already redeemed you from your sin and He continues to forgive you of it always.
Will you fail to the right thing always all the time? Yes. Are you forgiven? Absolutely. Will there be good times and bad times, sickness and health, prosperity and lack? You betcha. But, as you serve one another in love, Christ reigns supreme in you, and He is preparing you for the day of judgment. This is not because your marriage saves you, but that your salvation in Christ Jesus’ death and resurrection is brought to your marriage and it is preached one to another as baptized believers in Him.
This wedding day is one more day, a good day, a great day, a wondrous day, for this day the Lord will solemnize your marriage, blessing it and you to bring forth His Word of forgiveness in your lives together. He blesses you with this gift so that you are strengthened, given the confidence, to share Christ’s forgiveness and love with others, but always with each other. Christ has given His Word to you for that reason, that you can constantly tell each other of His love, for indeed, if He abides in you, you have His love, His forgiveness, His salvation. And this day, He reminds you of this yet again: Jesus loves you, and you are His forever, and you are now each other’s. Abide in His love. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord! Amen.
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