DeibertRichman
Wedding Melanie Richman / Josh Deibert 7.22.00
Texts: Genesis 2.18-24; Eccl 4.9-12; Matthew 19.4-6
Josh: “I have fun doing absolutely nothing with you.”
take it 2 ways: abs nothing you do together that’s fun OR
(way you meant it) even when doing abs nothing, I have fun with you
lots of things in life, esp marriage that you can take 2 ways:
lot of happiness in marriage depends on how you take it:
consider the Eccl passage that gave some very practical wisdom: the two of you can succeed where each of you alone might fail.
- you can emphasize the individ failing part OR you can emph the mutual success
that all well and good, work at it, but I suspect most married couples here know how hard it is to keep loving someone else in this way; how easy to start blaming the failings of your partner
- when demands of school and work and bills and housecleaning and kids get overwhelming, you may begin to think: I am doing abs everything and not having any fun at all
you, we all, need help: note last verse of reading: goes on to say that a rope of 3 cords is not easily broken. What is that 3rd cord? the cord that will keep your marriage tied together is God
It is God's love intertwined among your love for each other that will keep your love strong and growing. In fact, God's love is the only thing that will keep your mutual love alive. //
again, take 2 ways: as a gloomy pronouncement about the weakness and failings of human love OR as promise of the unfailing love of God
consider also J’s words in Matt 19: What God has joined together, let no one put asunder.
one hand: hard command: let no one put asunder
command addressed to you and to all gathered here
BUT remem: w/ every command given by God, there is also a promise
What God has joined together, let no one put asunder.
I am convinced that it is God’s love that brings you to this day
God at work in the circumstances that brought you together;
from that first time you met at Cord freshman orientation when seeds of a relationship planted that wouldn’t take root until after grad
and God will continue to be present with you in the midst of sickness and health and better and worse and all that the years may bring
today not only celebrate your marriage but also celebrate this love of God which is being manifested in your relationship.
we rejoice that you can have fun doing abs nothing together AND we rejoice even more in abs everything you do, God will be there to hold you together in love