After Mr. A’s mom was finished with her reading, it was time for Chris, our preacher, to begin his sermon.
I’ve probably listened to it a hundred times but every time it touches me. Chris really did an amazing job creating a sermon that spoke about our relationship. I’m not surprised that Chris did a wonderful job. It was his preaching that initially drew us to his church and his consistent ability to make us think deeply has kept us there.
During our premarital counseling sessions, Chris asked us to pick a verse upon which he would build his sermon. We didn’t want to use something trite like Corinthians (which if you knew the context of that overused passage you would never use it to describe your marriage). Instead, we opted for a little used passage from Romans that captured the hopes and dreams we have for our future together.
So without further ado, let’s let Chris do the talking…
“Hear now these words from Paul’s letter to the Romans, from chapter 12, verses 9-13:
‘Let love be genuine. Hate what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with mutual affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints. Extend hospitality to strangers.’
The transforming power of love is something to behold. This is why witnessing the marriage of two people who love each other much as Mr. Adams and Ms. Adams do is a privilege so deep that is stirs the human spirit.
We are witnesses to the force God has chosen to transform not only individual lives, but also the world that we live in. This love is not an emotion or a warm feeling, which is easily produced and can just as easily disappear, this love is the sum total of a daily faithfulness.
It is lived out in small words, subtle actions, rehearsed selflessness, unrelenting devotion, and determination that transcends any circumstance. True love transforms the way water transforms rock: not as once, but by the constant, daily, unceasing flow of a force that cannot be denied.
As I have journeyed with the two of you to this day I have witnessed this constant, daily, unceasing flow of love and I have seen its capacity for transformation. The love the two of you share has transformed you each in profound ways and you have embraced that transformation.
Mr. Adams for the way that Ms. Adams has changed him for the good and Ms. Adams for the ways Mr. Adams has deepened her life. What a gift you have been given: knowing that God has used you to impact the life of one that you love so deeply!
I’ve seen the spirit at work in your lives, challenging you both to think more deeply about and grow into your faith. I remember the first meal we shared together at O’Connell’s. Do you remember that?
This inquisitive couple across from me in the booth trying to discern a faith that could be theirs together; we have come a long way together since then.
What a gift you have been given: to challenge and be challenged on matters of spirituality by someone that you share this life with!
I’ve seen you each make difficult compromises. These are the places where our rough edges are made smooth, where two people grow toward one another. While they are rarely easy, these moments become the solid foundation upon a life that is not his, or hers, but yours is built.
I’ve seen Christ grant you healing mercy through the steadfast commitment you each have to the other. What a gift it is for the broken places within each of us to be made whole by the tender care and devotion of another!
This has been a privilege for me, one I am truly grateful to have received, standing here now with you on the threshold of this new life that you are about to embark upon with each other.
My hope for you is simply that your relationship will continue to be shaped and molded by the love you’ve come to know in Christ. Remember that this love, which we are called to build our lives on, is unconditional and that it is to be lived by not only word, but in deed.
What has brought you to this beautiful place, to this occasion that you have worked so hard to make your own, is not just affection or attraction, but a passionate commitment to one another that will stand the test of time.
You are here and the people you love are here because we wish to acknowledge what we have seen at work in you; that is God’s unyielding love and faithfulness.
You know the saying, ‘To whom much is given, much is expected.’ Your calling now is to fashion your life together so that is becomes a living testimony to the grace of God that you have received and experienced.
I give thanks today for the story that you have to tell; a story that bears witness to the transforming power of God’s love. May the love that you share, may the love that we celebrate, the love of Christ that is in your hearts transform the lives of all those who behold it; those here today and those yet to come.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
Amen”
Follow our newlywed journey through love, laughter and happily ever after. I'm Mr. Adam's best friend, a wedding fanatic, a health food nut, a yoga fiend, an arts & crafts-ers, a DIY-er, a wannabe world traveller, a pinterest addict and a Jesus lover. I hope you enjoy our wedding/newlywed/travel/food/healthy living/crafting adventures.
He did an excellent job on this sermon. He knows so well, which made it that much nicer that could be the one to marry us.