Sermon Tone Analysis

1 Th 5:23-24 May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

{24} The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.

JOHN 15: 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love.

15:10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.

15:11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

15:12 "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

®PG¯

®TP2¯®PL49¯®OF2¯®TW51¯®IP0,3¯®FF4¯Wedding of Ann Orvik and Rodney Rosdahl- 9~/25~/93

Texts: 1 Thess 5:23-24; John 15:10-13

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There is a simple explanation why we are all gathered here today: Ann and Rodney fell in love, and now want to be married and live happily ever after.

It's as simple as that... except we all know that nothing is as simple as it seems

Getting to the point where Ann and Rodney decided to be married was hard enough; getting ready for a simple wedding service is no simple matter, A&R certainly have been preparing for a long time, but all sorts of little obstacles and conflicts always seem to arise;

but these nothing compared to all the obstacles and hurdles to living happily ever after:

as you start to think about managing money and juggling the demands of jobs and family and time together, it can get downright discouraging to think about how tough it is to live as husband and wife

see, nothing is as simple as it seems

I know I'm not telling you anything new, but in few moments, you two are solemnly going to promise your lifelong love for each other even under the most complex and difficult of situations.

Now, I am certain of your sincere desire to be faithful to your promises.

I am certain that you will both do your very best to live out your good intentions, but say it again: Nothing is as simple as it seems.®PG¯

so how are you going to manage your marriage?

how are you going to survive when work keeps you so busy that it seems like at work is the only time you even see each other?

well, when the going gets tough, the... person like me turns to the Bible and hopes to find some words of encouragement and guidance

in the 1 Thess passage, we find one simple solution: God will do it

I'll have to more to say about what God will do, but the thing is, God won't vacuum the floors or get grocery or fix supper etc

and so for guidance for the long haul, we need to turn to the verses from John:

there Jesus gives you the answer to get you through the most difficult and challenging situations you might face: (are you ready for this comprehensive, all-encompassing guideline?)

Love one another.

It's as simple as that... except we all know that nothing is as simple as it seems

After all, how can these 3 simple words address all the hard situations you may have to face

I suppose it was simple enough for you to ®MDIT¯fall®MDNM¯ in love with each other, but J is undoubtedly correct to need to command you to keep on loving each other

But can everything be solved by simply commanding you to love one another?

No--love is certainly not that simple; but listen again to the entire command J gives: love one another---as I have loved you.®PG¯

The real reason why we are here today is because J's love for you makes possible your lifelong love for each other

J's love for you, therefore, is the simple reason why this day, this ceremony, this gathering of witnesses is taking place.

J's love for you is the simple reason your love, your marriage, your future life together are all possible.

J's love for you is the simple reason why I am glad to affirm your vows to each other.

You see, it is not simply your promises to each other that are making this marriage happen.

It is, in fact, J's love for you that is a critical factor.

For as J also says: "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."

Bec of J's love for you, God does desire for you, Ann and Rodney, a joyous and happy marriage.

it is God who steadfastly promises to encourage you, and to strengthen and support your love for each other so that a hard command becomes a lifelong habit.

It is God's forever-and-ever-amen kind of love which will allow you to live in harmony with each other even in the most difficult times of your lives so that you can live and love happily forever and ever amen.

and so it is God who has called you to stand here today, and God is indeed faithful and will see to it that your joy may be full

It is as simple as that.

Thanks be to God.

Amen.