MARRIAGE - Two rivers come together as one!

BILLBOARD WEDLOCK [Mark 10:2-9]

A Pennsylvania bride-to-be coveted an elaborate, therefore expensive wedding. But her want exceeded her supply. So she and her fiancée decided to get some help paying for the fancy affair. The couple decided to sell advertising. They offered various space on their invitations and as well as displays at the ceremony itself ... instead of saying, “I do,” the bride said, “Did somebody say McDonalds?”

Divorce is a major problem for the church; the divorce rate among Christians (in Western, developed nations) is tracking that of the non-Christian world. With this we know for certain the institution of marriage is in big trouble. Marriage is not respected as it once was; it has become a fashionable but temporary convenience for many.

A parallel problem is the intrusion of the world into the church. One would expect the world to conceive of advertising at a marriage ceremony but who would anticipate a man of God performing such a service while invoking the name of God?

[The Sacramento Bee, 18 August 1999]


TAKE A SEAT! [Genesis 2:24; other topics - love; relationships, renewal] (added 28 January 2006)

Rebecca was looking through the family photo album with her grandmother, she was fascinated with the sepia-style pictures and old-fashioned clothing. As she leafed through the pages, her grandmother identified various family members and friends.

Rebecca noticed there were no photographs of her grandparents standing together, they were always seated. When she asked why this was, her grandmother explained, "I was six inches taller than your grandfather and he was sensitive about it.

"Grandma," Rebecca asked, "how could you have fallen in love with a man six inches shorter than you?" "Honey," she said, "we fell in love sitting down, and when I stood up, it was too late."

Rebecca's grandmother instinctively pointed out a fact relative to romance and marriage: we really do fall in love sitting down. In other words, early in a relationship, it is easy to overlook our partner's shortcomings.

If, in your current relationship, you and your partner are figuratively standing up, you probably don't recall the things you regarded as important when you first fell in love, things you now take for granted. This is probably true of the relationship as well. So, why not just sit down? You never meant to drift apart, it just happened.

Day boaters on the Niagara River, above the famous honeymoon falls, are warned -- there is a point of no return. There is a point on the river, beyond which, you will be swept over the falls. You won’t be able to recover your course. In marriage, the same is true. What are you waiting for, the point of no return?

If you and your partner are standing and the things which divide you are more apparent than the things which bring you together, sit down and reflect on what brought you together.

[Adapted from “The Duet” by David Sisler in Agape Press, February 7, 2002]